Why not move the schedule back one month?

One of the most intriguing suggestions I've heard yet came from someone phoning in to the Drew Rewenda Sports Talk show on Saskatoon's AM 650 radio station one evening. His suggestion was to get training camp started one month earlier, so that the Grey Cup would be played in October, rather than November.

His reasoning was this: wouldn't it be more enjoyable to watch playoff and Grey Cup games in warmer weather but still keep the fall flavour in the games? He was responding to a suggestion from Drew Rewenda that only Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal should host the Grey Cup because they have covered facilities. The weather, says Drew, should not be allowed to be a factor in a championship game. Well, maybe, maybe not. But I know I'd rather watch an outdoor game, especially in Winnipeg or Edmonton, when the conditions don't include -20C. So, an earlier start to the season would definitely increase the odds of crisp, but not insufferable weather. Plus, an earlier start to the season would mean less conflict with the NFL schedule as the CFL moves into the playoffs.

Just a thought.

No!

Someone on here a year or so ago posted a timeline of what a season would look like if camps opened May long...it was quite interesting.

here here :rockin:

having the grey cup in frigid conditions is what makes the cfl great, better than the nfl that always has the superbowl indoors or in a sunny state. real football should be about battling the elements too :wink:

Interesting good? Or interesting bad? Sorry for having brought up an old topic Artie-Lange (et al)… should have known this thing would have already been discussed here. Obviously, I missed that discussion. But, just out of curiosity now, did it end up being a “bad” idea?

Thanks.

To me it was interesting....good.

Given our climate, why we are better off playing November 1-November 22 than we are playing May 17-June 7 is beyond me....

Well that would then mean the playoffs would be over the Christmas season which would be a distraction for all. Also, a GC in Winterpeg in late December? No thanks!

I think you've got your calendar upside down there, sport. The proposal is the whole she-bang would be wrapped up by the end of October, first weekend in November, at the very latest.

crazy..

it's guys like that who are thinking NFL. who don't want weather in a game! cry babies, wussies!

The best Grey Cup games that have been played lately are the ones that have been OUTSIDE!

and weather is a factor!

it's what they use to determine who kicks off first, what end of the field they use! it also determines things like field goals, game plans, punting.

heck, you take away the weather part of it, then you may as well just not bother with the coin toss and you never have to worry about the exciting factor that the weather plays in determining who wins!!

give me a break.

Well then enjoy your -20C or colder games. Moving it up a month, not back, makes far more sense. With more of the season played in good weather, you'd likely see a bit of an increase in attendance.
Lets be real here, if you're only a so-so fan who only comes out for a good game, when would you rather see a game? Late October or late September when it could easily be 10
C or warmer out?

Split the difference and make it 2 weeks that would be okay with me.

I would ask who cares about so-so fans, but the realistic outlook is they do create more revenue when they are involved then when they arent.

I wouldn't be against pushing the league a one back to start in June and end in late October, I know the league was thinking about it in the 80's, they have pushed the gamesw back to start in June, though, i do remember a time the season didn't start until the month of July.

I don't like the idea of only playing in domed stadiums, I like the variety of playing in and outdoors and outdoors, the GC is selling out regardless and i prefer the games outdoors.

If some people dont like to watch games live in November then go to Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal for GC's

Makes sense.
I’m part of the crowd that likes the effects the weather has on the game.
But then again, I’m under the dome whether I like it or not.

I'd love to see this. It drives me crazy having to wait until the 1st week of July with all that great weather just wasting away in June.

I don't think there is any great rationale as to why the season starts July 1. I think its just the way they've been doing it for 100 years, so they keep on doing it. I think there was maybe a time when they were worried about the walk up crowds not wanting to go to games in June because they were getting their cottages opened up and gardens planted, etc. But I don't think this is really the case any more. I mean, people come in from the cottage the4 1st week of July to watch the season openers anyway.

What I like about an earlier start is that you can build on key Canadian weekends a lot better. You could really build on the excitment of those weekends with big games that mean something. The bigger the game, the bigger the hype, the bigger the stadium and TV audiences.

Here's how I'd do it based on the 2009 calendar:

Week 1 May 24 weekend - season opener (what is more Canadian than that, Canada's league, opening on Canada's 1st long wekend of the summer)
Week 7 July 1st long weekend - Big slate of Canada Day Games
Week 11 Aug. long weekend - games starting to get really important
Week 15 The Labour Day weekend, games have huge play-off implications
Week 21 Thanksgiving East/West Semifinal games
Week 22 East/West finals
Week 23 Oct. 25 Grey Cup game

Well what difference will it make down the road is Sask gets a dome and Winnipeg gets a dome and eventually Hamilton will get a dome. The elements will be taken out of the game anyways..that is a shame. Nothing like playing outdoors with a bit of snow on the ground and seeing everyone's breath!

Don't worry....Sask ain't getting no dome.

I would love to see a Super Bowl played at Lambeau… now that would seperate the men from the boys! :lol: :lol: :lol:

The problem is though, that attendance is usually down in the first few of weeks of a season, because people are on vacation or generally doing other outdoor activities in June, July and August. Who wants to sit inside a dome in those months?

I would love to see the Grey Cup game played on Thanks Giving Sunday. And Thanks Giving Monday could be a travel/recovery day.