Modest proposal time: a non-Canadian's idea to help out the CFL

01 Oct, 2025

I joke from time to time that I learned about sports as a defensive measure, as many members of my family were a) coordinated and b) sports-crazed, while I was neither. My approach to sports has evolved over time, as I've traveled down the path from "defensive knowledge," through points of actually enjoying sports, and finally to having some disillusionment about it all. Lately, I recognize sports as a form of entertainment that's become enshittified, similar to many other elements of the culture and society I experience. I don't have in mind a time when sports were "pure," as that time likely never existed. If I read Ancient Greek, I could probably find writings from folks in the times of the original Olympic Games complaining about the influence of earthly goods in the competitions. Instead, I can recognize when things have changed in a sport for the worse, and that's how I'll introduce my thoughts about the proposed changes in the Canadian Football League (CFL).

My first exposure to the CFL happened in 1982 during the NFL strike. The seasons of both football leagues overlap in autumn, so when the NFL went on strike after Week 2, the TV networks in the US scrambled to provide some sort of sporting coverage. NBC obtained the rights to air CFL games to fill the gap, but they pulled the plug after three weeks of too many "husky" games (aka the games were dogs, because the scores were blowouts and bad for TV ratings). On the other hand, the first game I watched of the CFL featured future CFL and NFL Hall of Famer Warren Moon at QB for the Edmonton Eskimos, so I had that going for me.

I followed the CFL off and on after the first exposure in 1982, largely to see the fates of former Chicago Bears QBs while they played up north. As it turned out, neither Doug Flutie nor Henry Burris were great as quarterbacks in Chicago--which history has proven to be more a systemic problem with the Bears rather than with individual talent--but they both excelled in the CFL. During the 90s, when the CFL embarked on a rather messy expansion into the United States, I became a kinda-sorta fan of the Memphis Mad Dogs¹, a one-and-done team from 1995 to the point where I bought a keychain and t-shirt with their logo on them. I still own them, in fact, and 30 years later, I can say I've lost enough weight where the t-shirt fits again:

Today, I still following the CFL as best as I can, given that the closest teams to me are in Hamilton (737 miles away) and Winnipeg (1055 miles away). I recognized the name of Nathan Rourke during his brief time as a Jacksonville Jaguars QB backup, leading me to wonder what the fortunes of either the Jaguars or BC Lions would be if they swapped quarterbacks. I occasionally make jokes to my wife about the quality of watermelons in our grocery stores, as some would be better for eating and others are better for wearing as helmets. And thanks to some exposure to CBC Radio 3 years ago, I knew who the Arkells were and who their favorite CFL team is.

Why do I bother with the CFL? Because it's not like the NFL or how Americans play football. I can see the American style pretty much anywhere and at any level of play, from professional to young kids. Meanwhile, the CFL carves its own identity and approach with football. The larger field, fewer downs, constant motion of players prior to the snap, the free kicks, the goalposts at the actual goal line, and the somewhat baffling single points score known as the "rouge" all stand out from what is played in the US. Both American and Canadian football derive its origins from rugby, but the American version of the sport has largely stripped out commonalities from its ancestral game. The Canadian version has still kept more elements of rugby going on, and that's why from a sporting perspective I find it fun to watch. Unfortunately, I fear that this enjoyment is close to an end, thanks to recent announcements from the CFL about rule changes that in my mind Americanize the CFL to the point of sameness.

Last week, the CFL announced several changes to their game that will be phased in over a two-year period. There are smaller changes, such as making the play clock automatic and lining up the teams on opposing sides of the field, but the headline-grabbing ones involve changing the field itself: instead of being 110 yards long, necessitating a 55-yard line or Center line in midfield, the field will now become 100 yards like in the US. The end zones will decrease in size from 20 to 15 yards (still larger than the 10-yard end zone in the US), and the goal posts will move to the back of the end zone instead of being on the goal line (a change made in US football during the early 1970s). You may wish to watch this CFL-produced video to see the proposed changes, as a visual aid could be helpful here.

A quick search of headlines from Canada shows a largely positive reaction to these changes. "The CFL rules changes are good," says the CBC. "There's thought and rationale behind the CFL rule changes, " says a report on TSN (aka the network that airs a lot of CFL games and whose former executive Stewart Johnston now heads the league as Commissioner). "New CFL commissioner Steward Johnston deserves credit for smart rule changes," says a report on SportsNet. There are some players who voiced disapproval, notably the aforementioned Nathan Rourke, and there are apparently some grumblings in the Canadian political world about these changes. There's still the significant question as to whether Canadian universities and youth leagues will emulate the CFL changes, but from where I sit outside of Canada, these headlines feel like a full-court press² is underway to bring forth a quick agreement on these new rules.

My take on these rule changes is primarily a negative one. The automatic play clock and bench lineups are small tweaks that read like padding out a resume to fill the space, so I don't feel like these are worthy of discussion. All of the other ones, though? Not good. The larger playing field requires a different coaching and playing strategy, the rogue is also a strategy and can swing a game, and even the goal post replacement affects both offensive and defensive philosophies. These are elements unique to the Canadian version of football, and there is no gain in trying to emulate the American version. A diet version is never as fully satisfying as the real thing, and the graveyard of pro football leagues who have tried to challenge the NFL runs deep. Over the past 50 years, there's been the World Football League (WFL), the first incarnation of the United States Football League, the Xtreme Football League's first version, the United Football League, the Alliance of American Football (AAF), and the second versions of the XFL and USFL, both of which merged into the UFL that's not related to the original UFL from 2009-12. The shelf life of all these leagues has ranged from a half-season (AAF, in 2019) to four seasons (original UFL). The current UFL, born of the XFL 2.0/USFL 2.0 merger, is penciled in for a third season in the spring of 2026³. Only NFL Europe survived for a longer timespan, and its name indicates why: the NFL sponsored the league as a way to grow American football exposure in Europe. While the CFL as we know it has been in existence for almost 70 years, its survival has come about by offering a distinctive flavor to the game (or flavour, to keep with the theme here) that's different from what's in the United States. Americanizing the sport brings it much closer to the graveyard, and there's only so much whistling one can do when walking past it.

So what now? Can we hope that the CFL executives receive blowback from these proposed changes and reverse their decisions? Can we hope that the universities and youth leagues reject these changes, which could also cause the proposals to be scrapped? Yes and yes, but hope is not a plan all by itself. What I propose are two ideas: one, reject the proposed rule changes; two, play to your strengths as a uniquely Canadian take on football. The first idea is obvious, but what about the second? The strength of the game isn't just in the rules or playing field, but with the fans of the game. Where are these fans? Unfortunately for the CFL, they're not evenly scattered across the nation. While there are university leagues, semi-pro leagues, and junior leagues in all provinces, the vast size of the country and population densities preclude the CFL from having a presence on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. The Atlantic Schooners, a team existing on paper from 1982 to 2023, was a phantom 10th CFL team whose inability to secure a stadium doomed the team from ever existing, let alone playing in Halifax. The symbolism of having the CFL stretch from coast to coast is an honorable one, but if it can't work in the largest city in the Maritimes, it may honestly be time to put the symbolism aside.

I would say it's time to double down on where the game is popular in Canada, and expand there. I've heard mixed reports about the BC Lions' popularity, which likely stems from both their stadium's optimistically large capacity as well as Vancouver's casual approach to some sports--baseball and basketball come to mind here. It also doesn't help out that Vancouver is close enough to the Seattle TV market where they are able to see the NFL Seahawks play, so maybe the team should seek out a different location to play? The big problem with this idea is that once you're outside of the Vancouver and Victoria metro areas, the population of British Columbia falls off significantly. However, there's a chance to test out this idea next year: due to Vancouver hosting games in the 2026 World Cup, the BC Lions have opted to play two home games in Kelowna, 4 hours northeast of their original home. Maybe Kelowna could be a future home for the Lions if fans in Vancouver or Victoria are starry-eyed for the NFL? At least you won't have to change the team name!

Saskatoon could also host a CFL team. Before I get hit in the head by tossed watermelons, hear me out. Calgary and Edmonton already have a strong rivalry in the CFL and NHL. Canadian football is at its strongest in the provinces of Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Manitoba. I believe Saskatoon could host another team, and they'd have a strong rivalry with both Regina and Winnipeg. You could also use similar rivalry logic for placing a team in Quebec City, as they'd have an instant rivalry with Montreal. With that, you'd now have 11 teams in the CFL, with six in a Western Division (BC, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Regina, Winnipeg) and five in an Eastern Division (Quebec, Montreal, Ottawa, Hamilton, Toronto).

Before evening out the divisions by putting in a 6th team in the East, it's time to address a bigger problem: Toronto. Earlier in September, the owners of the Toronto Argonauts struck a deal with the NFL's Buffalo Bills to "engage fans and grow the game of football on both sides of the border." The Bills had previously hosted one "home" game in Toronto from 2008 to 2013, and the agreement could pave the way for a return of this arrangement. Buffalo is in no danger of relocating to Toronto, as the Bills are set to open a new football stadium in 2026. For me, the agreement with the Bills is a way for the Argonauts' owners to say they want a "real football" team in their portfolio. Toronto already has representation in 4 out of the 5 major men's professional leagues, with the NFL as the only missing piece. As far as the pro sports world is concerned, Toronto is as American as Buffalo, so I'd acknowledge this by relocating the Argonauts somewhere in Ontario. Let the current owners pursue an NFL team like the Toronto Bandits⁴ that will start a rivalry with Buffalo, and let some new owners of the Argonauts start afresh somewhere else...like London, Ontario, where they already know football really well.

Now let's talk about that sixth team in the East. After some consideration, I think the best spot would be to add a third team in Quebec by putting a franchise in Sherbrooke. Halifax had over 40 years to get their affairs in order, and they obviously aren't interested. Moncton had success in hosting a Touchdown Atlantic game, and it is a growing city, but its population is way too small to support them. In Ontario, Sudbury has no football facilities whatsoever and it's really isolated in comparison to the other parts of the province. Windsor and Niagara have the population to support a team, but both border American cities with NFL teams so it'd be the Seattle/Vancouver situation all over again. Unless I'm missing somewhere obvious, I'm going with Sherbrooke (who, like London, knows une chose ou deux about football).

We have our 12 teams, so let's wrap up by looking at two last issues: playoffs and stadiums. The first part is relatively easy, as six teams will qualify for the CFL playoffs. The East and West Division winners get a bye for the first round. The second-place and third-place teams in the division square off, with the host city determined by head-to-head records--so in this case, it would be possible for the third-place team to host the playoff game. Winner of this game plays the Division winner in the semifinals, then those winners meet in the Grey Cup. As for the stadiums, I would not go larger than 25,000 for most of the new locations, except perhaps in Saskatoon where you could probably get close to 30,000 in attendance. Most, if not all of these new stadiums, would share tenants with a university football team as is the case with about half of the existing CFL teams.

The Canadian author Cory Doctorow has written extensively about the decay of technology, using the term "enshittification," which often overlaps with the influence of private equity in business. Most PE firms buy a company and strip its assets, leaving behind a broken shell while the buyout firm cashes in. The change in the CFL rules is, in my mind, along the lines of a private equity buyout as it strips away the uniquely Canadian assets of the game. The broken shell left behind will be barely distinguishable from American football, and when the time comes to pull the plug on the broken CFL, it will barely be missed. Let's avoid this turn of events, and let's keep the "Canadian" in the CFL. Caving in with NFL-style rule changes is not the answer, as there are far too many dead pro football leagues who thought they could offer an NFL-like experience in a slightly different package. Let's get to 2033 and celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Canadian take on football that's its own approach, and not just a watered-down American experience.

#Canada #Sports #WhatIf