For those of you who have never watched a Canadian Football Game, it is played similarly to the NFL with a couple of different rules. It is an exciting game, and for those who love football a chance to see it played year around. As with every sport it goes through its time of success and drought. This is usually when the leagues make changes to the rules to rev up their audience.
A recent article by The Hamilton Spectator reported that league attendance is down in the CFL by 1.6 % with the exception of Toronto which is up 4% through 53 games of the 2018 season. The league hasn’t reached 2 million fans for a season since 2014. The all-time high for league attendance in the CFL was 2.3 million set in 2005.
The CFL remains the destination for football players not drafted, relegated to the practice squad, or failed to make it to a roster. The CFL represents a chance to showcase and hone their skills. But how can the CFL create more excitement and gain back the audience it once had? It requires some changes that should be considered to improve the chances of gaining and keeping an audience.
Move the season to spring! The CFL plays the regular season beginning in June and concludes in November with the Grey Cup championship game. The season is twenty weeks with nine teams and this is a bit too much for the league, especially with the number of teams it currently has.
The league should cut the season down to twelve weeks with both the East and West divisions playing each other two times and one time for non-division games. The season could start three weeks after the NFL Super Bowl game. The games could continue to be played with one game on Thursdays and three games on Sundays. The Sunday games could start at 1 p.m., and 4 p.m., and the Sunday Night game at 8 pm.
Moving the season to the spring would avoid them competing for an audience when the NFL, College, and High School Football seasons begin. The only football leagues they would be competing against with are the upstart AAF (Alliance of American Football) and the XFL in 2020. The league also competes in the fall for an audience with the NHL, MLS, and NBA.
More competition is needed. The CFL is currently looking to get a 10th team, which is looking more likely it going to be Halifax, Nova Scotia, maybe the long-awaited Atlantic Schooners team will finally arrive and the league would have a balanced schedule going forward.
The CFL has some good players in the league. In fact, over the years the league has seen CFL Hall of Fame players in the league like Warren Moon, Doug Flutie, and Jeff Garcia play in the NFL. Today, the league has stars like Bo Levi Mitchell, Mike Reilly, and Duron Carter, who is the son of Hall of Famer Chris Carter playing right now.
Another player trying to prove himself is Johnny Manziel, who is looking to reinvent his playing career after dealing with issues on and off the field. The CFL is a great place for young players to work on their skills, older players trying to reinvent their playing careers, and others who are trying to be given second chances.
Moving the season to the spring would allow players after the CFL season is over to go try-out for the NFL. Several players have been signed to NFL teams and it was their play in the CFL that sparked the interest of some teams to give them a shot.
However, when the next collective bargaining agreement comes up, the CFL and CFLPA should have an option where if a player signs with an NFL team, their current contract freezes for them with the team they play for in the CFL.
This would allow for players that do get released by the NFL during cutdown day to return to the CFL not having lost a position on the team or salary. Should they remain part of the NFL roster the CFL team could then release them from their contract.
The CFL draft could also be changed to October or early November. College players would still go through the combine for the NFL. Should players not get drafted in the NFL, they could have the opportunity to enter the CFL draft.
The league could do one of two things with college players in the United States. Get their combined records from the NFL or the players go through the same process as the Canadian players do.
The league can also scrap the negotiation list, some of these players will never play in the CFL like Colin Kaepernick. The only negotiations the CFL teams need to worry about are those who are interested in playing for them.
The CFL should consider these changes along with lowering ticket prices at some stadiums. Give the fans a reason to want to watch, a want to attend a game, a time when this league is not in competition with other sports leagues. Change is inevitable, and making moves sooner than later would be advantageous for the league.
