CFL 2023 Regular Season Thread - GO STAMPS!

[tvp2003]

I'm pretty sure the first Stampeders game I ever went to (or at least one of the first) was a free ticket that they gave out to high schools in section A. My friends and I went early so we could sit in the front row, heckled the players (on both teams), and my buddy got a free football when Mark McLoughlin kicked a field goal (as part of the same high school program). I was a football fan before this but my parents were not so this was how I was able to see it live.

[MoneyGuy]

Originally Posted by tvp2003

Seriously though -- BC and Edmonton have recently taken steps to make the game more accessible (cheaper/free tickets for kids, cheaper concessions), but obviously not every team is doing this, and league wide the focus appears to be growing the game globally versus locally. Football as a sport is as popular as it has ever been (?) so I think you also have to hook "football" fans into the CFL game.

Heck, throw it back to the "longer, wider, faster" campaign, build up fantasy football, expand tailgating, and make it an experience. Locally they should leverage the Stampede and make that week a sold out, must attend game. Labour Day should be Labour Week with a convoy of fans driving up Highway 2 for both games.

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I really like what the Eskimos are doing. If you have a 30+ thousand seat stadium that's 2/3 full at the best of times what do you have to lose by letting kids 12 and under in free? Chances are you will get concession sales and it's a great way to get the interest up and start a tradition with families. I have really fond memories of my aunt taking me to Stamps games when I was a kid. Although there's a good chance I would have been a Stamps fan regardless, I can say watching the games at McMahon when football was new to me kickstarted my fandom and got me in the game as I was a Stamps fan before I was a Raiders fan.

These make total sense, which makes it unlikely the CFL will do it.

[jayswin]

Did you even read what you quoted, lol? They're directly referring to something that Edmonton is currently doing as something the Stamps should try. To which you suggest the "CFL" won't try it.

[darockwilder]

Originally Posted by Cheese

6 (49) Calgary Stampeders — TE Sebastian Howard, Saint Mary’s
The Calgary native was one of the most pleasant surprises of the CFL Invitational Combine, running a 4.71-second forty-yard dash at six-foot-five and 219 pounds. Howard overcame homelessness as a teenager and a transfer from UBC after losing his academic eligibility.
He doesn’t have a lot of offensive production from his tenure with the Huskies but Howard has one of the most intriguing combinations of size and athleticism of any player in this draft.

I'm very interested to see how this guy does.

[dash_pinched]

Originally Posted by darockwilder

I'm very interested to see how this guy does.

He sounds like a taller version of Nik Lewis (needs to put on some weight to catch Nik haha). If he can come anywhere close to Nik as far as production is concerned, the Stamps might have found a diamond in the rough.

[tvp2003]

Originally Posted by Da_Chief

Stamps have high potential Canadian receivers now. Philpot, Tucker, John, Hakunavanhu witj depth pieces in Hunchak and Middlemost.

It's a good thing we have depth:

https://twitter.com/user/status/1653867248589901824

[CroFlames]

I like the CFL.

But if you want new fans, you have to adopt NFL rules. Especially the field and endzone size.

If you don't want new fans, continue doing what you are doing because you are certainly achieving your goal.

I can't even tell you how many Americans I've had LOL at "you guys have TWO fifty yard lines?!?" That attitude definitely permeates Canadian culture too.

[MoneyGuy]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

I like the CFL.

But if you want new fans, you have to adopt NFL rules. Especially the field and endzone size.

If you don't want new fans, continue doing what you are doing because you are certainly achieving your goal.

I can't even tell you how many Americans I've had LOL at "you guys have TWO fifty yard lines?!?" That attitude definitely permeates Canadian culture too.

Typical hater comment. NFL players and marketing are better but our rules are much more exciting. I’m a fan of over 50 years and a season-ticket holder for 40 but that’d be the last straw for me. Imagine their players playing CFL rules on our field. It’d be amazing. If you think that’d draw the NFL fans, it won’t.

[Eric Vail]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

I like the CFL.

But if you want new fans, you have to adopt NFL rules. Especially the field and endzone size.

If you don't want new fans, continue doing what you are doing because you are certainly achieving your goal.

I can't even tell you how many Americans I've had LOL at "you guys have TWO fifty yard lines?!?" That attitude definitely permeates Canadian culture too.

They would lose all their current fans.

Why would I want to watch an NFL minor league. If that is what I want, I'll just watch the NFL. The CFL is a much better game.

The CFL has lasted over 100 years because their product is different. All the US leagues with NFL rules come and go. USFL, XFL, Alliance of American Football, WLAF, etc.. They can't sustain support like the CFL can.

The CFL is easily the second best pro football league in the world, and the difference in rules are a big part of their success.

[Johnny Makarov]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

I like the CFL.

But if you want new fans, you have to adopt NFL rules. Especially the field and endzone size.

If you don't want new fans, continue doing what you are doing because you are certainly achieving your goal.

I can't even tell you how many Americans I've had LOL at "you guys have TWO fifty yard lines?!?" That attitude definitely permeates Canadian culture too.

eff that crap.

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

I like the CFL.

But if you want new fans, you have to adopt NFL rules. Especially the field and endzone size.

If you don't want new fans, continue doing what you are doing because you are certainly achieving your goal.

I can't even tell you how many Americans I've had LOL at "you guys have TWO fifty yard lines?!?" That attitude definitely permeates Canadian culture too.

Not a chance.

That is what would absolutely KILL the league.

Christ....how many iterations of XFL/USFL have tried this??

Weird comment.

[tvp2003]

The NFL is growing in part because it is adopting more of a wide open, passing friendly game. Kind of like the CFL. Nobody watches 3 yards and a cloud of dust anymore.

I agree with others that changing to US rules won’t draw in new fans, it will just push away old ones.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

I like the CFL.

But if you want new fans, you have to adopt NFL rules. Especially the field and endzone size.

If you don't want new fans, continue doing what you are doing because you are certainly achieving your goal.

I can't even tell you how many Americans I've had LOL at "you guys have TWO fifty yard lines?!?" That attitude definitely permeates Canadian culture too.

This is literally the exact opposite of reality.

[White Out 403]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

I like the CFL.

But if you want new fans, you have to adopt NFL rules. Especially the field and endzone size.

If you don't want new fans, continue doing what you are doing because you are certainly achieving your goal.

I can't even tell you how many Americans I've had LOL at "you guys have TWO fifty yard lines?!?" That attitude definitely permeates Canadian culture too.

Where is a dislike button when u need it

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

I like the CFL.

But if you want new fans, you have to adopt NFL rules. Especially the field and endzone size.

If you don't want new fans, continue doing what you are doing because you are certainly achieving your goal.

I can't even tell you how many Americans I've had LOL at "you guys have TWO fifty yard lines?!?" That attitude definitely permeates Canadian culture too.

If the league was at a critical juncture where it was teetering on folding I would be okay with them going this direction as a last ditch effort but at the present time I'm not sure it would bring in enough new fans to offset the longtime fans that may boycott. There are a lot of CFL rules I don't like but there are some that make for a quicker flow than the NFL.

[Spurs]

I don't see how changing to NFL rules helps the league at all. People would then just say it is just the minor leagues to the NFL and we have seen that minor league hockey, a sport much more popular gets barely anyone to the games, not sure why minor league football would be any better.

I know many would say that it is already minor league but I think the rules differences and history of having those rule differences is enough to distinguish the league from a typical minor league.

Unless changing the rules came with a massive injection of NFL money to prop up the league I think changing to NFL rules would actually hurt the league because it would alienate a number of the hardcore fans the league has.

[jayswin]

I've never once heard anyone in real life complain about rules or suggest it's the reason for not being into CFL. 100% of the time it's fans that either don't give it a shot because "it's second rate football" or do give it a shot and simply suggest the NFL just too much better in terms of the quality of players.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by jayswin

I've never once heard anyone in real life complain about rules or suggest it's the reason for not being into CFL. 100% of the time it's fans that either don't give it a shot because "it's second rate football" or do give it a shot and simply suggest the NFL just too much better in terms of the quality of players.

I think the rouge has been ridiculed forever.

[Sainters7]

Yeah the rouge can go away, but outside of that, I like the rules. Doesn't the CFL rules / field size predate American rules anyway? I seem to recall reading the original reason for smaller U.S. fields was that they originally played in baseball stadiums, so they had to make the field smaller to accommodate smaller, baseball field dimensions available. Otherwise they may be the same size today.

I don't think it's the rules difference, I think the CFL is just presently lacking elite skill at the QB position around the league (and I don't know how you fix that problem, with the new league alternatives available to players now). When you have great players at that position, the CFL is a very exciting brand of football. And that's coming from a diehard NFL fan.

[White Out 403]

I just got a pair of tickets for the Bomber home opener. Me and my son are going, row 4 around the 30 yard line. 104 bucks each, that's a great value for a fantastic product.