The CFL is considering one of its biggest rule changes in league history with how many downs they will have.
TSN's Dave Naylor and Farhan Lalji are reporting that the league will be looking over potential rule changes in the upcoming offseason. One rule change that will be considered is whether to move from three downs to four downs.
This is one of many rules the league is looking into as they look for ways to improve the game. The CFL just made an agreement with Genius Sports Limited, a data and technology company to have an equity stake in the league's revenue to help drive a new audience to the league. Scoring has been down since 2017 and the league is looking at alternatives to improving the league including potentially four downs.
Three downs have been a staple to the CFL since the league first started as far back as the late 1890s. It's been one of the defining traits to the league that has separated itself from the NFL. Despite the growing popularity of the NFL in Canada, CFL fans still enjoy the rule differences between Canada and United States rules.
When the CFL was considering working with the XFL earlier in the year, a debate ensued between fans as to whether they would be open to the CFL moving to a four-down system. The majority of CFL fans showed their support to keeping three downs to continue the century-long tradition of three downs.
There's no doubt this will be a highly talked about subject among the die-hard CFL fans. While it may seem unlikely the league will make a drastic change like that, fans should be prepared for changes to occur in the upcoming seasons. Bringing in a new audience can only strengthen the league for the future.