Throughout the majority of the 2023 CFL season, the discussion among fans and the media was when will the CFL get its tenth team. Expansion has been the talk of the CFL for quite some time ever since the Ottawa Redblacks came into the fold in 2014 which brought the league up from eight to nine teams making an unbalanced schedule.
Last month at the 110th Grey Cup festivities, CFL Commissioner Randy Ambroise gave a state-of-the-league address, and among the topics was the potential expansion of a 10th team. Since 2016, the league had discussions with Schooner Sports and Entertainment about bringing a team to Halifax but those talks ended once the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
During the state-of-the-league address, Ambroise confirmed that he is currently talking to another potential ownership group who are interested in bringing a team to Atlantic Canada.
“We need to bring this to a conclusion at some point,” Ambroise said. “No matter how much we want to be there, and it would be great to have our 10th team in Atlantic Canada, would be great to be in Halifax. The conversation with this current phenomenal ownership candidate will continue.”
The CFL attempted to put a team in Atlantic Canada in 1984 which would’ve been known as the Atlantic Schooners. However, the ownership group was unable to secure funding and the Schooners never took the field.
Earlier this year, Rod Pederson was quoted on his show saying, “The CFL wants Halifax but Halifax does not want the CFL.” At some point, the CFL are going to need to move on from Halifax. One city I mentioned this year that the CFL should consider expanding to is Moncton, New Brunswick.
Before I talk about the United States, I think the CFL should do whatever it can to expand all across Canada like Red Deer, Thunder Bay, Moncton, and Saskatoon before expanding down south.
When it comes to the United States, the CFL’s first and only attempt happened in 1993 through 1995. The league at the time was on the verge of bankruptcy. The American teams that did play were the San Antonio Texans/Sacramento Gold Miners, Las Vegas Posse, Baltimore FC/Stallions, Shreveport Pirates, Memphis Mad Dogs, and the Birmingham Barracudas. The U.S. teams that did not see the field were Milwaukee, Mississippi, and Miami.
The only U.S. team that succeeded in the CFL was Baltimore, who to this day is the only American team to win the Grey Cup in 1995 over the Calgary Stampeders. Baltimore was the only successful team as the others struggled. However, once the Cleveland Browns left for Baltimore, the Stallions were doomed and relocated to Montreal to revive the Alouettes in 1996.
The CFL did not put together a concrete plan. This U.S. expansion was out of desperation which led to the eventual failure of CFL USA. Now, the CFL should consider trying the United States again. This time, put teams near the border.
Cities like Syracuse, New York, Rochester, New York, Erie, Pennsylvania, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Fargo, North Dakota, Spokane, Washington, Boise, Idaho, Ashland, Ohio, Duluth, Minnesota, and Missoula, Montana, would make great CFL cities.
However, to get there, the league needs to experiment by playing more than one preseason game in the United States. In addition, they could play a regular season game there as well. In the CFL, the majority of the teams play each other three times a season. In one of those meetings, the league could make one of the games at a neutral site played in the United States. There is money that can be made by playing a handful of games in the United States.
Look at the NFL, they have taken their regular season games to Europe, Brazil, Canada, and Mexico. Why can’t the CFL do the same with the United States by bringing a regular season game or two to the United States? They will not know where they stand if they do not try.
If fans do not attend the games, at least they tried and found out. However, if they succeed, the league can continue to grow, make money, recruit players, and get more television revenue by negotiating contracts with American broadcasters.
Introducing the CFL Plus this year was a hit and many American fans got to watch a majority of the regular season and the entire playoffs for free. Adding American teams and broadcasters would boost the CFL Plus.
While the CFL is not perfect by any means, it is still a great product to watch. The games are entertaining and they do not get the recognition they deserve. Over the years, the CFL has been able to broadcast games in the United States and this time around, there are a ton of Americans who love watching the CFL and would love to see them come to play a game in the United States.
Would you like to see the CFL play in the United States? Leave a comment below.
