How can the CFL fight the coming difficulties?

Question

Difficulty #1: NFL's Buffalo Bills to play in Toronto...only 8 games over five years, so far, but some are equating this to living with a girl or boyfriend before marrying.

Difficulty #2 & 3: Emergence of two new pro leagues in the US with the AAFL and UFL. Quality of these league's aside, I suspect many quality American players would decline to come to Canada and, instead, prefer to play on home soil.

As such, the CFL has dealt with previous US leagues attempting to play in Canada (with the WFL and WLAF...though not the NFL), previous leagues appearing and disappearing (WFL, WLAF, USFL, and XFL), and even survived a very poor attempt at CFL expansion into the US (which, on an aside, almost succeeded inspite of itself).

So how will they survive this time?...and please note...I did not say "how do they survive" as we all know they will, just a question of how.

Answer 1

I think the Bills will ultimately end up in LA or San Antonio. As far as new leagues go-there are a lot of good football players out there and the NFL Europe league has folded. Finding talent is the least of the CFL's trouble. Other pro leagues don't really reduce the number of players available because those leagues keep guys in the pro athlete business and they inevitably develop overlooked players.

I'm saying some guy who never thought he had a shot at the pros might get a UFL contract and decide to make football his profession. After a season or two he might decide to give the CFL a shot. Therefore if it wasn't for the UFL this guy would be out doing a 9-5 instead of improving his football skills and attracting the attention of CFL teams.

Answer 2

Rather than fighting the other leagues from competing by taking players. We should support our league by attending the games in prairie like fashion. We can't stop the NFL. There are people who will never admit that the Canadian game is a better game. They are stuck on the hype and star appeal of the NFL.

There is no question the NFL teams and players are better than the CFL teams and players. But this question is never asked are the NFL teams and players better that NCAA teams and players. Of course but is the NCAA losing ground to the NFL.

That is what the CFL should do. WE should embrace our teams with the fervour of a US college team. 40,000 a game will make the people sit up and take notice. Do what we need to do.

I have been a casual attender at Argo games in the past 2-3 games a year. When this Buffalo threat came I attempted to buy season tickets. The price doubled because the Bills ticket option was included. I couldn't get one without the other. This doesn't help the league but makes money for the Argos. I'll stick to single tickets for now.

Answer 3

#1 - Not much the CFL can do about this. If the Bills come it will be devestating. Sponsors will jump ship, TV dollars will leave if the Toronto market is not there...it would be bad news. The only issue is that while it is nice and friendly to have a few Toronto games, that is a far cry from moving a team there. A number of other cities are probably higher in line for a new team than Toronto is. So the bottom line is that it shouldn't be too much of a concern because it is not imminent and not likely to be...Not that there is much that can be done anyways.

#2 - These leagues are not really an issue. There are a number of players that don't make the NFL every year so there isn't really a crunch for talent. Not only that but the CFL has a few things going for it. Firstly it is established. Players coming here know the league will exist 2-3 years down the line. Secondly CFL teams are #1 in their markets. That's a way better environment to be in than a second rate league in the US. Thirdly is the talent. A number of good NFL players have come from Canada and NFL teams know it. They know that the CFL is a league that deserves scouting attention and players should also be aware of that if they want to make the NFL someday. Most uninformed observers are suprised by the quality of the talent in the CFL but most NFL organizations with their heads out of their butts are not suprised at all. Really though what the CFL needs are bodies in the stands and TV dollars. Losing a few players to these leagues won't really affect things that way.

Answer 4

The CFL doesn't need to fight anything!!!   The Cfl will survive because it is a good Canadian product!!!!   Why do people get their shirts in a knot over what the Americans are doing???

Answer 5

There ARE no difficulties with the CFL coming up.  American and Canadian football are two different sports requiring different kinds of athletes.  You might lose a QB or two to the NFL, but don't count on any difficulties for this great brand of football.

The Bills are staying put in Buffalo, the Vikings might move but it's not likely.  No Minnesota governor wants to be known as the guy that let the Vikings move, because fans will vote against him en masse.  The only possibility for relocation may be the Jets because New York is a two team market and the NFL desparatley wants a team in LA.

Answer 6

The CFL seems it has decreased in the past somewhat years, but I don't think that those difficulties will effect the CFL too much. In recent reports, It has been said that the Buffalo Sabre's owner is going to purchase the Bills and keep them in Buffalo. Therefore, I think that means that one regular season game for the next 5 years won't really effect anything.

For your second and third difficulties, I don't think the AFL, UFL, and AAFL have anything on the tradition of the CFL. Yes players might want to stay on their home land, but I think the CFL has too much prestige to make that a factor.

Overall, I think that the hardcore CFL fan base will stick with their selected teams, and not jump on to the Buffalo Bandwagon. For the American football players, I think that pride will overrule anything else, whether it being a league on their home land.