Why do Canadians Hate the CFL?

I was looking for this picture. Do you know the methodology and when this survey was done?

I think we can narrow it down to Toronto rather than Southern Ontario (if we exclude Hamilton) or Montreal. The Als and football in Quebec were moving along pretty well until the end of the Calvillo era and the Als hit the skids pretty hard, but last year showed some pretty good signs.

Again though, there's no law saying you have to like the CFL just don't try to bring about its downfall.

Pigskin Preferences: Canadians follow both the CFL and NFL; but would watch Super Bowl over Grey Cup

To me the CFL doesnā€™t compare to the NFL the same as the AHL to the NHL and triple A Baseball to the Majors. The CFL is a different game and mostly requires a different type of player. Most NHL players can go to the AHL and dominate. But not so with a NFL player coming to the CFL. Weā€™ve seen that scenario play out many times. But that seems to be hard for the average fan to understand. So it is what it is.

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Theyā€™re Ours, Weā€™re Theirs
Small-time? Yes, but also small-town. That charm is what makes the Canadian Football League so great
Bruce Arthur si.com Jun 25, 2014

CFL jokes tend to be about how this is a small-time, oddball league, and most of them are therefore true. There are Canadians who hate the league because itā€™s small: because it has often teetered on the edge of dissolution, because it features 18-game regular seasons with eight or nine teams, because Canadians have to play. A lot of people dismiss it, essentially, because itā€™s not the NFL.

And thatā€™s one reason to love it, actually. The Canadian Football League is, at its heart, a small town. Itā€™s been around forever, through all sorts of weather, and everybody knows everybody. Itā€™s part of the charm. In Hamilton, the same mom and son, Barb and Steve, have been bringing fresh-baked cookies to practice since 1980 or so. Theyā€™re like family.
....

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It is from here

I'm going to comment on something here that bothers me. It always seems to be used as a putdown that the CFL skews older in its demo. As someone who has a post grad diploma in marketing I think that's a pile of crap. The inference always seems to be that the CFL audience is dying and anything with a younger audience will gain the ascendancy.

It's never taken into account how people's tastes change as they get older. Through natural progression or external pressure people change. Like it or not it looks bad for an older man to have long hair, or drive a sports car (without looking like they want to recapture their youth) so we usually conform to social norms of our peer group.

So someone who wasn't particularly interested in golf when they were younger might start watching it. There might come a day when a person advancing into their 30s might no longer want to be watching skateboard and XGames videos. You might prefer a Cadillac over a Camaro. You might no longer give a shit about what the younger folk are talking about, and entering pools (to get a sense of belonging) when you really want to watch the football that YOU want to watch. Did any of that make sense?

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Made perfect sense. Follow the voting habits of any particular generation. Sorry this is not meant to lead into a political discussion, just reinforcing your statement.

My personal take is you cannot the haters for hating on the league.

The CFL also has to take some responsibility for not investing in their product. Ever since they lost the Carling TV contract in 1987 (replaced by CFN) the league just trudges along without any attempt to adjust the business model as per needed.

Blacking out games locally for one really set this league back for generations.

Just my take on it. Am 47 myself.

More later.

Survey Findings Contradict Leiwekeā€™s Priority List for BMO Field
CFL Far More Popular in Canada, Ontario and ā€“ yes ā€“ Toronto than MLS May 8 2015

As the newly-expanded BMO Field is being readied to host its first Major League Soccer game this weekend, MLSEā€™s CEO, Tim Leiweke has made it clear as to priorities for use of the stadium. ā€œAt the end of the day,ā€ he told the Toronto Sun this week, ā€œitā€™s first, TFC. Second, TFC. Third, TFC.ā€ The Argos clearly are not exactly high on his pecking order.

Yet, a new national survey of more than 4,000 Canadians ā€“ including more than 1,500 people from Ontario and almost 600 from Toronto ā€“ suggests that the Argonauts deserve a much higher ranking.

The survey has found that some 26% of people across the country closely follow the Canadian Football League ā€“ second only to the NHL. Just 9% indicate that they are close followers of Major League Soccer.

In Ontario, the CFL following is 21% compared to 10% for MLS.

And in Toronto, only 7% say they are closely following Major League Soccer, compared to 24% for the Canadian Football League.

The survey of 4,022 Canadians was designed by trend-watcher Reginald Bibby of the University of Lethbridge and carried out by Vision Critical in February of this year. A probability sample of this size carries an error range of about 2% points either way, 19 times in 20.

The findings suggest that the Argonauts may not lack for fan support that readily exceeds that of Toronto FC, if in fact they are able to have the opportunity to share BMO field with the soccer team.

Iā€™m not a big believer in using that as an excuse, as many have for a long time, that boat sailed long ago. Since then the Argos did have several good years of attendance and TV ratings. But feast or famine for much of it.

Lieweke was an open book I loved his quote for his excuse to TFC fans for the Argos addition :

" the CFL has friends in high places " .

I couldnā€™t believe there was no follow up question to that candid remark but journalism seems to be a lost talent today .

How can you not love a league that for umpteen years, with only nine teams had two with basically the same name? The Bob Newhart Show used the brothers Darryl as a running gag for years.

No sarcasm, Iā€™m serious. Quirky and lovable.

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Larry Tanenbaum for one

Itā€™s all perception and how you look at it. I agree with you, but others saw it as Mickey Mouse, but very few ever went to the trouble to explain why it came to be that two teams had nearly the same name. It would have been better to explain it than put up with being called ā€œbush leagueā€ by morons.

Reminds me of the story of the pro wrestler Kerry von Erich. He had a foot amputated and still wrestled but hid the fact that he had a prosthesis. His father, perhaps, and Kerry himself thought it would make him come across as weak but had they thought about it, telling the truth and not hiding it would have had the opposite effect. He would have been seen as a courageous hero. He also wouldnā€™t have had to hide the embarrassment of Colonel DeBeers pulling his boot and artificial foot off during a match and him having to dive under the ring to put it back on and revive DeBeers from the shock, :slight_smile:

Bell and LT .

But Was thinking more political friends especially Braleyā€™s connections .

Know for sure the Exhibition Place head guy was very pro CFL at the time and was holding up the original deal agreement for BMO construction as having to be able to accommodate the CFL , Rob Ford gave himself credit later he was still in play back then and probably a few more .

Lots of talk at the time of the former mayor being very pro soccer and being responsible for placing the barriers in the initial build of BMO and being anti CFL . But I doubt he was alone or even responsible for the construction plan leaving out the original agreement to the city of Toronto to accommodate a CFL field with MLSE and Soccer Canada .

Memory fading as to his name .

David Miller

stupid rule 20 characters

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You have a good point.

Having said that the fact is after all these years the CFL is gate driven.

There are still some owners out (David Braily) that still believe in blacking out locally and itā€™s the only game on that night.

The NFL can get away with it as there is another game available to watch in itā€™s place.

I think the title is hyperbole.
Very few 'hate the CFL
Some football fans ignore it perhaps preferring the NFL.
so what??

[quote="Charukfan, post:37, topic:67550"]

stupid rule 20 characters


[/quote]

It truly is.

[post must be at least 20 characters]