2019-20 Stamps and CFL off-season thread

[MissTeeks]

Originally Posted by dash_pinched

I certainly don't object to these preliminary discussions between the CFL and XFL, but it's tough to really have an opinion until we have more details. What I would like to hear/see from the commissioner's office are some detailed plans, timelines etc. on when he thinks the 2021 season will start and how many fans will be in the stands when the season does start.

So would the players apparently.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1369732851348996099

[calf]

Originally Posted by troutman

MLB runs with alternating rule sets.

A lot of the players and coaches are Americans too, and some Canadians have NCAA experience. They should be able to adapt to 4 down ball if that's the direction it goes.

[MoneyGuy]

Originally Posted by calf

A lot of the players and coaches are Americans too, and some Canadians have NCAA experience. They should be able to adapt to 4 down ball if that's the direction it goes.

But the key would be keeping and/or growing the fan base, which won’t happen if the rules change.

[Cheese]

I'm not so sure that big change will lead to the CFLs collapse. When it expanded to the USA I think many liked it outside of the comical issues like botched National anthems and practicing in parking lots, and it sure brought an influx of good players into the league. It sure sounds like there is something significant happening that will change the structure of the league in some ways. Will Canadian content be dropped and simply go with the best player? What do they do with Can$ vs US$? I dunno, I've probably been a CFL fan longer than most here and I honestly can't remember a decade where talk of imminent demise wasn't a topic, not to mention watching the Ottawa and Montreal teams fold. That is poison to young people and the fan base in general. Something needs to change.. Drastically.

[Jiri Hrdina]

I will go the other way - absent a pivot - this league is done within the decade if not sooner.
Might happen anyway, but in its current form I see that as an eventuality.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

I will go the other way - absent a pivot - this league is done within the decade if not sooner.
Might happen anyway, but in its current form I see that as an eventuality.

I think the league is heading down the road to extinction in its current form. Attendance was dropping before the pandemic as 2019 marked the 8th year in a row of declining attendance. I've been a fan for a long time and 2019 season had more empty seats in McMahon as I've seen in a long time. The fanbase is aging and a lot of fans are dying off and not being replaced. Incompetent league management hasn't helped the cause but the league has tried and simply can't get enough younger fans to embrace the league. The TSN deal is the only thing really keeping the league a float and if they pulled out it would be over just like that.

[chedder]

I would have no problem getting rid of the no yards rule and having fair catch. I've always thought that was better. And I'd be happy if the single point went away as well. Always hated missing a field goal and being rewarded for it or kicking through endzone. Love everything else about CFL rules. Might have to give a little to make a merger work and those are two minor changes that could work.

[calgarygeologist]

I'm not crazy about CFL but if they put together some sort of merger with the XFL and they manage to move the season to spring/summer (mid April to mid July) it would probably be enough to get me interested. The summer/fall schedule just doesn't get me excited for the season. There is no need for a 21 week regular season either.

[calf]

Originally Posted by MoneyGuy

But the key would be keeping and/or growing the fan base, which won’t happen if the rules change.

Keeping things the same will result in a slow and painful death of the league. I'm not necessarily saying 4 downs is the answer, but a the CFLs main customer demographic is older folks who are only getting older/not replaced as quickly by younger fans and their families.
The league shouldn't alienate its core, but something drastic has to be done quickly to get younger people hooked to the game, because what they're doing now isn't working.

Maybe people will come back in droves after missing live entertainment, but I don't think hope and nostalgia are going to be enough to keep the league afloat.

[Joborule]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I think the league is heading down the road to extinction in its current form. Attendance was dropping before the pandemic as 2019 marked the 8th year in a row of declining attendance. I've been a fan for a long time and 2019 season had more empty seats in McMahon as I've seen in a long time. The fanbase is aging and a lot of fans are dying off and not being replaced. Incompetent league management hasn't helped the cause but the league has tried and simply can't get enough younger fans to embrace the league. The TSN deal is the only thing really keeping the league a float and if they pulled out it would be over just like that.

Yeah. The CFL exploring options with the XFL whatever it may be is a wise choice since they need to adapt to survive. They aren't drawing in new fans since the young demographic in this country are generally NFL fans first and only. The CFL is not relevant to them.

Even if this leads to the CFL changing it's game to become more American; becoming even moreso a developmental league for the NFL, it's a better option than ceasing to exist coming 2030.

[dash_pinched]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

I'm not crazy about CFL but if they put together some sort of merger with the XFL and they manage to move the season to spring/summer (mid April to mid July) it would probably be enough to get me interested. The summer/fall schedule just doesn't get me excited for the season. There is no need for a 21 week regular season either.

I think changing the start of the season would be a great idea, but I would start it mid-May and have the championship game on the last Sunday in October (would put even more emphasis on the Labour Day Classic and Thanksgiving in Canada would now be a playoff game). Also, as one of the people right in the sweet spot of the CFL demographic, I would not be opposed to going to 4 down football. Fans prefer seeing the pigskin in the air via a pass, not a punt. As cheddar mentioned above, I can live with no yards going away as well as the rouge.

That would be the extent of the changes I would make though. I like 12 men football on a longer, wider field and I like watching kick-offs being returned rather than see them sailing through the endzone. I also like unlimited motion prior to the snap of the ball.

I think the elephant in the room is the ratio, though. I know there are a lot of people that have been saying kill the ratio for several years now, but that could be the death knell for grassroots as well as university football in Canada. I realize that for the majority of Dinos games at McMahon that it's just friends and family, but they draw significant crowds for university football especially in the province of Quebec.

Just my 2 cents.

[MoneyGuy]

Three-down ball is the rule you must protect, in my opinion.

[RogerWilco]

I think we need to protect the 3 down, the feild size, and number of players on the field. Otherwise the CFL just just a crappy farm league for the NFL.

[calf]

I wouldn't mind a tweak to the single point rule. If a FG or punt goes straight through the endzone without bouncing, no point. If the team on defense has an opportunity to return the ball, they can concede the point in exchange for field position.

Maybe they could even adjust that rule to bring some strategy/further penalize a team for failure. Team can concede 2 points but get the ball from where the FG was missed. Team can concede 1 point and take the ball at the 35. Team concedes 0 points but get the ball at the 10.

[getbak]

From The Rock on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CMQojTEFLDG

Spoiler!

The CFL changed my life.

When you have nothing and you’re scratching and clawing for everything you can get - all in the spirit of making your football dreams come true.

You become the hardest worker in the room.

You will not be denied.

I knew in my heart I was going to make it in the CFL - and parlay that into a very successful career in the NFL.
Maybe even win a Super Bowl...

But neither of those dreams came close to coming true.

Truth is, I just wasn’t good enough and it wasn’t my time.

The CFL sent me home.
I was still grateful to a man who would eventually become a mentor and friend, Wally Buono for even giving me the opportunity.
I had $7 bucks.

But it’s funny how sometimes life comes full circle.

Now I’m back.
Same hungry kid, but much different man.

As an owner of the XFL, our discussions with the CFL have been very exciting. There’s a real pulse here because you can feel the unique opportunity we can potentially create together.

Wherever it all leads, I can tell you this one is personal to me and is driven by all my passion - because me being cut by the CFL was the greatest thing that happened.
It set me on a path that years later would lead me right back to the league.

To help create even greater and bigger opportunities for all our players and all our fans.

As an owner who’s had his hands in the dirt - my loyalty will always lie with the players and fans.

I’ll keep you posted as our XFL/CFL discussions unfold.
Got your back.

So yes, the CFL changed my life, in ways I could’ve never imagined

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by MoneyGuy

Going to four-down ball is the rule you must protect, in my opinion.

Here's the thing. 3 down football is dying. The league may not last another decade at its current pace. This is just my opinion but at this stage the league is better off risking the collateral damage of losing some aging fans if it leads to higher interest by younger fans that can keep the league viable long term. I'm a football fan so I will watch whether it's 3 down or 4 down and I expect others will as well (not all but many will come back). The TV ratings for the XFL weren't horrible so you add casual US fans in the mix and you could end up with a prosperous league and even a Canada vs US rivalry where the best Canadian team faces the best US team for the Grey Cup annually. I feel the league really needs to start focussing on the long term future sooner than later and this opportunity will not likely come again. Not saying it has to happen but I'm happy they are at least investigating the option.

[MoneyGuy]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Here's the thing. 3 down football is dying. The league may not last another decade at its current pace. This is just my opinion but at this stage the league is better off risking the collateral damage of losing some aging fans if it leads to higher interest by younger fans that can keep the league viable long term. I'm a football fan so I will watch whether it's 3 down or 4 down and I expect others will as well (not all but many will come back). The TV ratings for the XFL weren't horrible so you add casual US fans in the mix and you could end up with a prosperous league and even a Canada vs US rivalry where the best Canadian team faces the best US team for the Grey Cup annually. I feel the league really needs to start focussing on the long term future sooner than later and this opportunity will not likely come again. Not saying it has to happen but I'm happy they are at least investigating the option.

Want to kill the CFL? I’m convinced that going to American rules will do that. You’ll lose the core fan base - people like me who love the Canadian game and (I believe) will leave.

[Da_Chief]

Originally Posted by MoneyGuy

Want to kill the CFL? I’m convinced that going to American rules will do that. You’ll lose the core fan base - people like me who love the Canadian game and (I believe) will leave.

I respectfully disagree.
You think Sask and Winnipeg or Hamilton fans are going to go away? Don't think so. You might attract more fans in Calgary, BC, Toronto etc.

Right now the "core fan base" is an older generation, and no offence if the trade off is getting the next generation interested in the CFL while losing the current older group than the CFL should take it.

On a bigger field, can you imagine Bo having 4 downs to get 10 yards? Stamps offence would be unstoppable.

I'm a Stamps fan either way. For me the bigger issue would be US teams not having to play Canadian nationals. Thats a big disadvantage.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

I will go the other way - absent a pivot - this league is done within the decade if not sooner.
Might happen anyway, but in its current form I see that as an eventuality.

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I think the league is heading down the road to extinction in its current form. Attendance was dropping before the pandemic as 2019 marked the 8th year in a row of declining attendance. I've been a fan for a long time and 2019 season had more empty seats in McMahon as I've seen in a long time. The fanbase is aging and a lot of fans are dying off and not being replaced. Incompetent league management hasn't helped the cause but the league has tried and simply can't get enough younger fans to embrace the league. The TSN deal is the only thing really keeping the league a float and if they pulled out it would be over just like that.

Yeah, it's crazy how far it has fallen. I saw a 2008 regular game on TSN this summer. Montreal at Calgary and had this gut punch of a nostalgia feeling where the stands had like maybe 1000 empty seats out of 36850 at McMahon. Now a days we'd kill to see 30000.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Joborule

Yeah. The CFL exploring options with the XFL whatever it may be is a wise choice since they need to adapt to survive. They aren't drawing in new fans since the young demographic in this country are generally NFL fans first and only. The CFL is not relevant to them.

Even if this leads to the CFL changing it's game to become more American; becoming even moreso a developmental league for the NFL, it's a better option than ceasing to exist coming 2030.

Even worse than NFL fans over CFl fans is that the younger demographics are increasingly not into sports at all. That's immediately deadly for fringe leagues like the CFL but we're likely a decade or two away from what we thought were iron clad sports leagues (NFL/NBA/MLB) starting to die off as well.