Kelly Bates
CFL.ca
So here we are… by the time this blog is posted the CFL season will be 3 weeks young and there is certainly no shortage of storylines. Here in Winnipeg we are 1-2 and are currently a team that nobody really knows how to assess or what to think of.
The media dubbed “Spygate” is all the rage and seemed to take up most of the headlines around here last week. I will not comment on it as it is a non issue and has been handled internally.
The East has come out of the corner swinging, something no CFL critic believed would occur, and the defending Grey Cup Champion Stampeders have stumbled out of the blocks to a 1-2 start. Take caution though as I remind you that the CFL season is a marathon, not a sprint, and football in general can be a very humbling sport.
I, however, choose to bring attention to a fellow blogger. I present to you, the fans, a blog written by Mike Toth of Sportsnet. I have decided to retort as I feel it is my duty as a Canadian and a fan of the CFL. Please refer now to the blog by Mike Toth. Go on… the rest of my blog will wait. Here is the blog.
OK… my retort.
First Issue: Expansion
When I came into the league in 2002 the CFL was nearing the end of an economic downturn that had been snowballing since the mid ‘80s due to numerous factors. Business practices, lack of a lucrative TV deal, salaries that did not match the money coming in and the eventual failure of CFL expansion had made the CFL a place that was on the verge of its demise. Currently the CFL is the most stable it has been since the early ‘80s. In my mind there is one key aspect that creates this atmosphere of business success and that is compromise.
With the CFL and the CFLPA working together tools such as the Salary Management System have made the CFL a viable business. As well, the current commissioner and his team understand and have shown that if there is going to be expansion it has to have a solid foundation in place. I believe that is what we are seeing with Ottawa’s latest attempt to re-enter the league.
Conclusion… I like the cautious approach of the CFL in regards to expansion.
Next Issue: Hired Goons
Well I will admit in the heat of the battle it can be very hard to control your temper and football is not traditionally a game where you see on-field antics such as sparring and ‘after the whistle’ activity. I have certainly been guilty of such infractions and yet I do not think they have a place in the game of football. At the best of times it can be very difficult for a referee caught in the middle of a scrum to determine exactly who was in the wrong. I think the way the CFL is handing it is correct. They are issuing fines that will hit players in the pocketbook, where it hurts the most, and my estimation is that this will curtail that type of activity.
Conclusion… extra-curricular activity after the whistle has no place in football, whether you are defending a teammate or starting the melee. The CFL’s issuance of fines is the right way of handling it. I will not be surprised if we see several key game ejections if this activity continues.
Third Issue: Canadian Content
Well, well, well. This issue of Mr. Toth’s caught my ire quite a bit more then any of the previous issues. I, however, was reminded by a much smarter individual than myself that Mr. Toth is certainly allowed to have an opinion no matter how generic and uneducated it may be in my opinion (Note: apparently my opinions are sometimes seen in the same way… who knew). Within this topic I will discuss three points that are key to me.
When Mr. Toth suggests there would always be a place for home grown talent he may be correct, but not in the way he may think he is. It is well known by all General Managers in the CFL that your team is only as good as its Canadian content and, that being said, it can be difficult to find mass Canadian talent.
Here we have what is called supply vs. demand in effect. The supply of Canadian talent drives up salaries for all playing members of the CFL, American or Canadian. If there were to be no Canadian quota salaries would deflate due to the fact that there is an endless supply of great football players from the US. Supply would outweigh demand, salaries would decrease, and I believe it would be increasingly difficult to attract top notch talent from the US to play for less compensation. That coupled with the ever changing dollar would not make the CFL as attractive to American players.
I believe that CFL fans love to have the opportunity to see players from their own city or province playing for the hometown team when possible. You can find examples of it on every team. The media love to talk about a hometown player who has success because they know the fans love to see their hometown heroes succeed.
For example, look at the Saskatchewan Roughriders. They have between 8-10 home province players. The team has had great success over the past few years and the product sells out both in the stands and off the field. Clermont jerseys flew off the racks at a higher rate then any other Rider jersey from December through June and he had not yet played a game in green and white.
Final Issue: CIS Football
Lastly I will speak to Mr Toth’s thought that nobody cares about the CIS. I believe this was a blanket statement thrown out there by Mr. Toth to create controversy as well as conversation.
Is the CIS a big draw in places like Toronto or Vancouver? No. But do people still care about it throughout this country? Absolutely.
There is a transformation that is occurring in CIS football where a middle ground is being reached in regards to maintaining a high academic standard while creating opportunities for full scholarship compensation for CIS football players. CIS football is providing an opportunity for young Canadians to garner scholarships for the purpose of acquiring a university degree while a select few players earn the opportunity to play football at a professional level in their own country. At the same time CIS football programs throughout this country are graduating young men that have garnered great work ethic and social values by playing CIS football; skills that will make them positive contributors to our society.
Conclusion… The CFL is a great combination of American and Canadian talent that creates a great on-field product as well as great opportunities for growth in all aspects of life for Canadians. That is what makes it a truly Canadian game.
