The CFL announced some major changes last Monday, creating a lot of controversy by sacrificing beloved elements of the Canadian game. The changes were done in a fashion that took no feedback from anyone and bypassed the rules committee. Goalposts to the back of the end zones, end zones shortened to 15 yards, and a change to the rouge that makes it much more rare among the most significant changes. Not all of the changes were bad, and some are arguably good, but there are some headscratchers among them.

As a person who likes all forms of football, in my opinion, the overall effect of these changes is bad, and the fashion in which they were delivered is embarrassing to the CFL and, by extension, embarrassing to Canada. I will explain.

Shortening the CFL down to 100 yards to increase scoring is embarrassing. The CFL is in a high-scoring era, shortening the field from 110 yards is sacrificing what the CFL is arguably most distinctly known for, to solve a problem that does not exist. A century of Canadian history thrown into the trash for no good reason. The only place I know of where you can play head-to-head fantasy football for the CFL is a site named after this distinctly Canadian Element, 110yards.ca. This could increase scoring, but at a great cost of lowering yardage numbers, which drives fan interest significantly.

The problem with the CFL from the NFL Modern fan’s perspective

The main problems modern NFL fans have with the CFL are the number of punts and the amount of QB sneaks.

The punt problem, I would argue, is not truly a problem for the CFL, because there are no wasted plays in the CFL, thanks to there being no fair catches. I enjoy CFL punt plays, but I understand that the high frequency of them is not for everyone.

The high presence of QB sneaks is undeniably a problem with the entertainment value to modern fans, and the CFL rule changes do nothing to remedy that. The rule changes of the field goal posts being moved will increase the amount of punts, which is a turn-off to modern fans.

CFL leadership is moving the wrong goalposts

I understand the reason for these changes. The CFL has not been thriving for a long time and has clearly thought that the status quo has got to go, and change needs to happen to move forward. The league needed to start making headway in attendance again. However, these changes are moving the wrong goal posts.

The change with the end zones going to 15 yards instead of 20 isn’t one I celebrate but it also isn’t one I care a lot about. I think it’s a good idea to allow it to fit better in stadiums with less space. I also think it’s fine to have some fields have different dimensions as needed. No one complains about this in the MLB. I would have kept the field at 20-yard endzones in the stadiums built to accommodate them.

Unfortunately, if the CFL moves forward on these changes, they will greatly hurt fan interest in seats near the endzones of the stadium, as they will now feel uncomfortably spaced far away from the action. Stadiums like Princess Auto Stadium and Mosaic Stadium are beautiful venues that will suddenly not fit the game they were built for.

The change to the play clock is not one I oppose, provided the final 3 minutes remain as action-packed as it is under the current ruleset. Commissioner Stewart Johnston stated to Andrew “Hustler” Paterson last week, Thursday, on the Winnipeg Sports Talk, that they are still working out the details on the final 3 minutes. CFL games have the most exciting finishes consistently of any sports league in North America because of the current ruleset.

While CFL and TSN leadership scoff at the notion that this is moving toward an NFL product or “Americanizing” the CFL, it is clear that this was to make things more similar to the NFL. Presumably, the Toronto-based thought processes see the NFL game as more marketable to Canadians. The NFL is not the top league in the world simply for its ruleset. There was great oversight in missing the mark on just how much Canadians enjoy the idiosyncrasies that make the CFL unique.

These changes fail to modernize the CFL, and actually unmodernize the game in my opinion, as we will see a greater amount of punts, fewer big scoring plays with a shorter field, and lower passing numbers. As a child, I used to become excited when offenses would be pinned deep because that meant there was a very small but very real chance for a 90-yard touchdown. We will never again see a touchdown over 100 yards in the CFL due to this change.

These sudden changes have seen a petition from fans to Delay changes to CFL rules until a thorough consultation starts to gain traction.

Football fans are obsessed with talking about passing yardage numbers, it drives a lot of conversations around the sport. I’ve seen CFL fans mock the UFL for its significantly lower number of passing yards per game. The CFL now will see drastically lower passing yards per game from quarterbacks moving forward.

Defenses will also cover tighter to the line of scrimmage more often, making there be fewer freebies in the CFL for passers due to softer coverage schemes that often exist with the high presence of prevent style coverage.

Moving the goalposts to the back of the endzone is clearly to align more with US ball. This is a sacrifice to special teams excitement in the form of the returns on missed field goals, which many CFL fans love. With the goal posts on the goal line, missed field goals are normally returnable. 

The irony of this move to sacrifice a loved aspect of special teams in the CFL to look more like the NFL, is that fact that the NFL is going through its own renaissance regarding making special teams more present and exciting. NFL kickoff returns this year are happening on 79.3% (before this past weekend of games) compared to last year’s kickoff returns happening on just 34% of kickoffs.

The talking heads at TSN and the CFL point to how there was a lower amount of completions in the middle of the field for the moving of the goal posts to justify the sacrifice of the missed field goal returns that many fans love. The NFL also sees fewer passes in the middle of the field.

How I would “Modernize” the CFL

I will preface this by saying that I do not feel the on-field product of the CFL needs any changes, but there are elements that are turnoffs to younger/modern/NFL-centric fans.

No More QB Sneaks

Bryson Vesnaver of Pro Football Focus drew attention to the problem as well of there being too many QB sneaks. He pointed out that it’s the most common run concept in the CFL at 14%. In the NFL, the Eagles use the tush push on 9% of their run concepts, and the NFL community is enraged by this.

He further pointed out that since 2022, there have been 551 rushing TDs in the CFL, and 292 of those were QB sneaks. The year before that saw Sean “Money” McGuire lead the league in rushing touchdowns as a backup quarterback. This does not sell tickets, particularly to young fans. What if instead those 8 rushing touchdowns went to hometown star running back Andrew Harris? He would go from 3 rushing touchdowns to 11. That sells tickets and drives fan engagement!

I would propose making it an illegal formation for the quarterback to be under center. Instead, they are required to be in shotgun or pistol to eliminate this play from the CFL entirely. I have respect for that play, but I know for a fact it does not resonate with new or modern fans. The younger crowd the CFL is desperately trying to reach thinks it is boring. Getting rid of it would lead to a greater variety of run plays, and if we stop having QB2s vulture all the rushing touchdowns, it will lead to more fan excitement.

Other Rule Changes

Amend Fumble Out of Bounds Rule

Current Rule: Fumble out of bounds has possession awarded to whoever touched it last.

New rule: Fumble out of bounds goes to whoever had possession last.

Reasoning: No longer rewards players for having the ball doink off them out of bounds.

Amend Onside Punt

Current Rule: Currently, any player behind the line of scrimmage can punt the ball 1 yard and recover it for a first down, regardless of how far the first down marker is.

New rule: The ball has to travel past the yardage required for a first down. I.e., on second and 10 must recover at least 10 yards downfield.

Reasoning: The current rule is stupid.

Potentially: Add 3-Point Conversion Option

Copy the UFL and add an option to go for a 3 point conversion after a touchdown from the 10-yard line. It’s fun and makes comebacks even more possible. Not a hill to die on if people hate the idea, though.

Potentially: Add 4th and 12 onside kick option

Copy the UFL again and add an option for, instead of attempting an onside kick, you can spot the ball on offense in a 4th and 12 scenario. This has proven fun in the UFL, aiding in comebacks. But it’s also not a hill to die on. It’s less needed in the CFL, where kickers can use the wider field to give an onside kick more hang time.

Amend Rouge SLIGHTLY

Current Rule: A single point is awarded for missed field goals or punts that go through the end zone or result in a touchback.

New rule: The rouge stays the same, but you cannot win on a rouge. You can tie the game on a rouge, but you cannot win by 1 point when the last point scored was a rouge.

Reasoning: Instead of the game ending in an unsatisfying way, we go to overtime. CFL overtime is awesome, and ending on a rouge is not awesome. Going to overtime on a game-tying rouge is also awesome because CFL overtime is awesome.

Amend Unnecessary Roughness to Account for Recklessly Punching at the Football

Current Rule: We often see defenders recklessly punch for the football with no care if they strike the ball carrier, if they do recklessly strike the ball carrier, there is no consequence.

New rule: Punching carelessly and striking the ball carrier in a reckless manner can result in a 5-yard penalty or higher at the discretion of the officials.

Reasoning: Contact sport doesn’t mean you can repeatedly punch your opponent. This doesn’t happen often, where a ball carrier is recklessly and carelessly struck, but it does happen.

Eliminate the running clock at the start of the second and fourth quarters

Current Rule: The game clock will run at the start of the 2nd and 4th quarters when the referee blows the play in when the ball is made ready for play.

New rule: The game clock does not start until the ball is snapped.

Reasoning: I dislike that.

Stat Adjustment: Stop counting Jet Sweeps as Passes

Current Rule: A jet sweep gets tracked as a pass as the quarterback drops the ball slightly forward for the receiver to grab out of the air rather than hand it to him. This is so if there’s a fumble on the exchange, the play is dead for an incomplete pass rather than a fumble.

New rule: This is recorded as a rushing play, and QB stats are not affected by incompletions from this play as well.

Reasoning: Recording a 12-yard run as a completed pass when the QB just literally drops the ball forward is stupid and creates misleading metrics. This is done in other leagues as well, but the CFL can be a leader in modernizing the game by making this small but intelligent change.

Stat Adjustment: Record Assisted Tackles

Current Rule: A CFL tackle is recorded to 1 tackler only, even when multiple defenders are in on the tackle.

New rule: If multiple players are in on the tackle, it will have 2 players recorded as having an assisted tackle. If one player on the tackle, that player is recorded for having a solo tackle.

Reasoning: The current tackle stat never rewards 2 players for being in a tackle, which is unacceptable for a modern league. U Sports and the CJFL record assisted tackles. CFL needs to catch up to the rest of Canada and other leagues on this metric and modernize by recording assisted tackles.

Change Playoff Seeding: Divisional winners get home field, remaining 4 spots are wildcard

Current Rule: CFL seeds playoffs divisionally, where the 2nd seed hosts the 3rd seed, then the winner is hosted by the divisional winner. There is the caveat that the 4th place of one division can crossover and take the 

New rule: Divisional winners still get home field and a bye. However, the remaining playoff spots are 3-6 seeds across the board, regardless of division. Wildcard weekend sees the 3rd seed host the 6th seed and the 4th seed host the 5th seed.

Divisional weekend sees the top-ranked CFL division winner host the lowest of the 4 teams left, and the other divisional winner hosting the other team to make it through wildcard weekend.

Reasoning: This will create better playoff matchups. There have been CFL seasons in which the 3 strongest teams are all in the same division, making it so the greatest powers of the league clash before Grey Cup. This will also reward the top 4 ranked teams with at least 1 home home-field playoff game.

The current format often sees teams having nothing to play for with multiple games left in the season. This adds more meaning to late-season games as wildcard teams have more competition in the race for home field on wildcard weekend, without abandoning the tradition of the divisions. With every CFL team playing each other twice, the divisional seeding is not as essential from a competitive balance perspective.

Assign Each Team Its Own Sideline

Current Rule: Currently, some CFL stadiums have both teams use the same side of the field for their benches. The sideline the broadcast faces is used for advertising placement.

New rule: Each team has their own sideline moving forward.

Reasoning: It’s commonly accepted that each team on separate sidelines is the best practice in football. This is a rule that the CFL announced they are changing, and it is sensible.

Stadium, Field, Expansion

Field Size Flexibility

Maintain the standard 110-yard field, but allow shorter fields for expansion locations or if a game takes place outside of Canada. Specifically, shortening the end zones for Montreal’s stadium. I do not enjoy seeing receivers and defensive backs fall onto a hard track in the back of an end zone for games in Montreal, as it does not seem ideal for player safety

Calgary Stadium Upgrade

Require Calgary to add structures behind the end zones similar to additions made in Hamilton. This will make the stadium feel more enclosed and professional rather than the sense of open bleachers currently in Calgary.

League Expansion (Seatbelts on)

My goal would be to increase the number of teams in Canada to 12. Locations such as Halifax or Moncton (NS), Windsor or London (ON), and possibly a team in Victoria or Kelowna (BC).

I’d even explore a second team in Toronto, but that would be a multi-faceted approach. Many Torontonians seem to think they’re too cool for the rest of Canada in their neglect of the CFL, but they’re not too cool for Toronto. Based on population alone, you would expect Toronto could have 2 CFL teams if you can finally get the city infected with CFL fever. Perhaps a cross-town rivalry would get the masses of Toronto finally interested in the CFL.

Expand to Quebec City Yesterday

Quebec City would be the first location I would put an expansion team in and I would start working on it the first hour I was commissioner. They would play at Laval University and have additional seating added in a similar fashion to what Hamilton did for the Grey Cup. This increased Hamilton’s seating capacity from 23,218 to 31,000.

Stade Telus could probably have its seating increased close to 20,000 from its current 12,750 seating capacity. Currently, it has a 20,000 capacity, including standing room. Down the road, you can look to a new stadium, but Stade Telus would be just fine for the first several years.

Pierre Karl Péladeau, owner of the Montreal Alouettes, was a big reason why Quebec City has an NHL-ready arena. He could perhaps again be a leader in a new sports venue in Quebec City and another team in Quebec would serve the interests of Videotron which he is the President of.

Neutral Site Games

Look to have 3 neutral site games a year, such as in Canadian expansion prospective locations, the USA, and a game in Europe every few years.

International TV deals are a potential future revenue source. The CFL’s deal with CBS Sports pays $1 million annually for 34 games a season, of which each team receives $100,000. That’s minor in comparison to the $50 million annual from TSN to the league, but it’s an improvement from the ESPN deal that was estimated to be within $100,000 and $200,000. When money is tight, an extra $100,000 to your club is nothing to scoff at, and it is concrete evidence of the value to US broadcast networks. Let’s increase that perceived value with neutral-site games in US cities.

Explore USA Expansion Down the Road

Yes, yes, this “failed when tried in the 90s”, iIf you count a 2-year effort before giving up, which I do not count as a real effort. Most of those teams were averaging around 15,000 fans per game despite being a new team and an unfamiliar form of football. Baltimore had 30,000 on average, although the arrival of the Baltimore Ravens hurt fan interest, and the league gave up when their season tickets dropped to 17,000 (per Wikipedia). 17,000 is a good base still for a new team; it’s more than Toronto.

I’ll explore the topic of US expansion separately in the future in a later article. In short, my philosophy is that US fans can get drawn into the CFL by seeing great environments at CFL games in Canada. You get a couple of US teams in the league and suddenly you’re a strong commodity for broadcast rights to 330 million people, and the league is suddenly cool enough for the many Torontonians who are too cool for Canada in and of itself. In going to America, you reach America and the most populous area of Canada.

Diversifying the revenue stream would make the CFL less reliant on a singular broadcast deal, avoiding the need to do something like hiring a TV network President as commissioner who immediately starts changing the essence of Canadian football.

Fan Engagement and Events

Mascot Fight League

Introduce a WWE-style mascot fight league, with them having a wrestling match typically after the first quarter of games. Teams bring mascots on road trips to have them fight the home team’s mascot in a wrestling ring in a match that’s dramatic, fun, and playful. The winners are tracked in a Mascot Fight League standings, and it all builds toward a championship mascot fight before the Grey Cup.

This is admittedly a gimmicky idea, but imagine being a young fan of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and seeing Simoni Lawrence coming in with the steel chair to save Stripes. That’s a lasting memory.

An event in Winnipeg could have guest competitors like Mick E. Moose from the Manitoba Moose/Winnipeg Jets and Goldie from the Winnipeg Goldeyes for a royal rumble in Winnipeg.

The Mascot Fight League intermission show is a billion-dollar idea, and every sports league should immediately contact me to offer an executive position for this wonderful idea.

All-Star Jerseys

Develop and promote annual All-Star jerseys that commemorate those who are recognized on the CFL All-Star teams. This is a layup of an opportunity for merchandise sales and fan appeal. It could easily have it also tie in as a charity fundraiser.

Preseason Tournament

Elevate the preseason into a seeded tournament based on last season’s standings. People will scoff at it at first, but after a few years, there starts to be a sense of tradition that adds a greater sense of meaning to the “meaningless games”. It could be structured to have a rematch of the East and West Finals in preseason week B and then have the winners meet in preseason week C as imagined below. The final could have a trophy awarded to the winner named after a notable figure in the CFL.

Another option that would be more cost-effective would be to have 2 separate brackets for East and West. In recent weeks, we lost 2 great men who were leaders in the CFL Community with the passing of Hamilton’s General Manager Ted Goveia, and just last Thursday, Edmonton Elks owner Larry Thompson passed. If their families desired it, then you could have those divisional preseason cup games honor their memory with a fundraiser toward a charitable cause to further honor their legacy.

A tournament format for preseason football is a bit of a crazy idea, given the nature of preseason football. But this would make the preseason a lot more fun for everyone involved. Small changes to add fun are good. This is an entertainment business.

Lower Concessions Pricing for Preseason

Lower concession prices in the preseason to show appreciation to fans for supporting the league in the preseason. Offer $5 beers and $3 pops, $2 hot dogs, $10 burgers, and $10 poutine at all preseason games to reward fans.

Youth Sports Activities

At every single game, I want there to be some form of a youth sport event. Whether it’s youth football, flag, or even a youth soccer game. I would want 2 youth teams to have the opportunity to share the field for a short period on game day with the CFL by playing a short period of time during an intermission or before or after the game..

This says to the community that we are invested in you, we are a part of you, and we invite you to be a part of us. My younger brother will still talk about the time when he scored a goal at a Grand Rapids Griffins intermission.

Whether it’s hockey or football, everyone enjoys the small kids getting a moment to scramble around in big helmets. 

Student Programs

Create a program granting offseason and training camp access to high school and college student journalists, photographers, and videographers. Other opportunities for students to apply to shadow different areas of the business for a period to discover a passion through sport that inspires them to develop employable skills.

Broadcasting and Media Improvements

Preseason Broadcast Tuning

Provide individual teams with refreshers on camera angles for games not on TSN, avoiding overly zoomed-in pocket views that make film unusable. Preseason film is really important for the athletes who may not see the field in the regular season to build their resume. In recent years, there were a couple of games where the preseason tape was almost unusable due to the camera being so zoomed in on the quarterback, and that cannot continue for the sake of the players.

The preseason games should all be available on one of the 5 TSN channels.

US Tryouts Publicity

CFL teams will often hold multiple tryouts in different US cities, looking for new talent. WR Cole Spieker for Montreal is an example of a player who was discovered in this manner.

Make CFL open US tryouts more publicized by sending media to film, sharing data publicly, and mandating that all teams participate. This enhances scouting and league exposure, as tryouts often attract 100+ players with large followings.

Years back, I attended a tryout for Edmonton, where athletes ran the 40, the 3 cone, and did a broad jump. Afterward, receivers would run 1 on 1 passing drills against defensive backs, and running backs against linebackers; linemen had separate 1 on 1 sessions elsewhere.

I would mandate each team hold at least 4 offseason tryouts. The testing numbers would all be made public, as well as a video recording of the 40, the 3 cone for testing, and then a video of the drills for the passing and lineman drills. This would require 2 people managing cameras for the tryout.

The purpose of this transparency would help good players be seen by all teams and add publicity to the league. This transparency would be good for league exposure. If a team wishes to sign a player within a time period of them being at another team’s tryout, then the team that worked them out could have the opportunity to match the contract offer to sign that player instead, similar to a restricted free agent deal in the NHL.

Adjust Alternate TSN Broadcast

Similar to how the Thursday night Amazon broadcasts offer an alternate broadcast for their Prime Vision stream, TSN should make their alternate broadcast more available. TSN offers a CFL enhanced on TSN Plus, but it should be made available on one of the 5 TSN channels. TSN 3,4, and 5 were added by Commissioner Johnston in 2014 when he was TSN President; it’s fitting that the CFL should be utilized on those more as a result. Additionally, the TSN alternative CFL broadcast should be from the sky cam angle, which, in my opinion, is a thousand times better of an angle for watching football than what we are accustomed to in the traditional football broadcasts. The perspective from behind the quarterback allows you to see the entirety of the play as it develops.

More CFL Specific Programming

There is very minimal CFL-specific programming. There are lots of NFL-centric shows that will air on TSN. Friday, September 26, there was NFL Live on TSN 1 for 1 hour at 4, then a half hour of College Football Live, then Pardon the Interruption, then SportsCenter. Then, finally, the CFL programming starts at 7 PM for a game scheduled at 7 PM. 

There should be regular CFL-centric programming in addition to the game itself, and there should be more pre-game and post-game programming. NFL football coverage will often start 2 hours before the game on Fox, for example. I would like to see CFL games have more pregame coverage moving forward and more frequent weekly programming.

Video Game

I wrote about this in 2023. CFL needs to make its own game in partnership with a company like Axis Sports or Maximum Football, or have the teams included in their already established games. Another good option would be to have CFL teams and players added to Madden.

Officially licensed video gameplay for the CFL is a MUST for the CFL’s objectives of “modernizing” and reaching new fans.

It’s Time For a CFL Video Game! Here’s How to Make it Happen

Head-to-Head Fantasy Football

The CFL added Game Zone 2 years ago for fantasy games like daily fantasy and pick ‘em. It lacks head-to-head fantasy, however. Head-to-head fantasy has been a big factor in the NFL’s growth as fantasy football grew, non-fans turned into casual fans, and casual fans into hardcore fans.

Head-to-head fantasy has a draft, a league format, and scheduled matches against league opponents. That’s a format for community. Daily fantasy is that you have a budget and pick these players this week, and this is your score, and you do not have a specific opponent. That lacks the community element that people love in NFL fantasy.

Head-to-head CFL fantasy is available at 110yards.ca. 110 Yards is named that in recognition of the 110-yard length that the CFL is iconicly known for, which is suddenly no longer tied to our Canadian identity by those in the league leadership and TSN.

Player Safety

Encourage Guardian Caps Way More

Per the NFL’s data, there was nearly a 50% reduction in concussions among players wearing Guardian Cap in mandated sessions vs. the pre-mandate average. Guardian caps are a tremendous leap in protecting players from brain injuries. If I were commissioner, I would want every player to use them.

Admittedly, they were not pretty initially. However, look how far they have come already in their appearance. In the photograph below, from this past UFL season, worn by DC Defenders Andre Mintze.

This style of Guardian Cap should be acquired in mass and highly encouraged for all players to wear. The NHL’s slow transition to helmets was a good example of the importance of looking good vs being safe. Now that they can also look good, there is no reason not to use them. 

Transparency and Administration

Public Negotiation List

Make the negotiation list public. Each team has a list of 45 players currently unsigned or playing elsewhere, whether it be the NFL, college, or another league.

This used to be kept confidential until the CFL publicised this list 3 months ago. This was a great step toward transparency by the CFL.

Public Salaries

Disclose player salaries publicly. This is not only fair to the players in seeing around the league what comparable players make, but it will actually significantly help drive fan engagement. I cannot think of any other major leagues that do not share their player contract details publicly. The CFL needs to modernize by making that information public and joining the NFL, NHL, MLS, MLB, and NBA in making that information public.

Fans of those leagues love to discuss player salaries and contract durations. It drives a lot of discussion on how fans discuss team rosters. It’s a massive conversation driver, particularly in the offseason. The CFL should not disappear from the minds of fans over the offseason.

CFLPA Collaboration

Increase transparency and communication with the CFL Players’ Association. The way these changes were rolled out without any prior communication with the PA is not a recipe for a sense of family.

Ameuteur Football Collaboration

One of the first things the new CFL Commissioner, Stewart Johnston, talked about was his desire for every kid to be touching footballs and get more familiar with football. The CFL making these swift changes without any discussion with Canada Football or U Sports drives a wedge in the relationship between the CFL and amateur football. Moving forward, changes should be made from a spirit of collaboration. Even if they do not get a say in the decisions, ultimately involving them will build the sense of family and community, which is the backbone of the CFL.

Financial Transparency

Promote overall financial openness in league operations. Fans of the CFL are extremely passionate and want to see the league do well. Sharing these details transparently on how different financials are will increase the sense of family that is so strong in the CFL and drive conversations further among fans.

CFL Leadership Should Strive for General Transparency

Transparency goes a long way in building goodwill with the public. The way last week’s Monday announcement was rolled out like a blitzkrieg of changes with no consultation of the general public has done damage to building trust with the fanbase and related communities. Moving forward, the CFL should operate with heightened transparency, seeking to engage with the community on changes and make fans and many players feel as though they are a desired aspect of the processes in the evolution of the game.

Side Tangent on the Unanimous Approval by the Board of Governors

The Commissioner pointed to how these changes were unanimously approved by the board of governors when he announced the changes on Monday. This was to help provide a reason for the sudden changes that did not allow for any feedback from players, coaches, or fans. That implies everyone was completely on board with everything. There is the possibility that they may not have fully agreed with every detail. Governors would understand the importance of a unified movement to maintain strength for the league in the face of backlash from such large changes.

Nearly every time the board makes a decision, it is announced as being unanimously approved by the board of governors. Such as in 2022, the approval of Hamilton Sports Group finalizing ownership structure, fine-tuning rules ahead of the 2023 season, appointing Scott Banda as Chair of the Board in 2022, approving the 14-game season for 2021, midseason rule change in 2016.

Since 2020, the only story on the board doing something where it was not clearly specified that it was unanimous that I could find was when they ratified the CBA in 2022, but even that was preceded by the BoG voting unanimously to amend the CBA.

The word unanimous is thrown around anytime the CFL BoG does anything to the point I wouldn’t be surprised if part of their contracts includes an NDA that all board decisions are unanimous at the conclusion of a board meeting. But that’s speculation and not important right now.

My hypothesis on why the CFL is quickly moving toward change

Stewart Johnston worked for TSN starting in 1997 and left Bell Media after being the President of TSN since 2010. The CFL’s biggest customer is TSN with the $50 million annual TV rights deal. This deal expires in 2026.

Anyone with more than 1 brain cell can put 2 and 2 together and see that he was hired for the primary purpose of securing the next TV deal. These swift changes and the acceptance by the board of governors are, I assume, happening because Bell Media wants them to happen.

My Concern

Frankly, I do not have confidence in Bell Media’s ethics since they abruptly abandoned all sports radio stations in Vancouver, Winnipeg, and Hamilton in 2021. Radio stations ceased operations that day, and employees were suddenly unemployed. I have seen how they will treat their own. It’s no wonder there is no one employed for TSN who has disagreed with anything in these changes.

If I were an evil Sith Lord who happened to be in charge of Bell Media, my evil plan would be to try to sway things to have apprentice, President Stewart Johnston, become CFL Commissioner under the assumption that this would lead to a big TV deal. I would have Johnston, in turn, make sweeping, controversial changes to the CFL game that, as we are seeing, have led to many fans pledging to cancel their season tickets.

This will lead to a less valuable TV product if the fan environment becomes weaker in the stadium. The rule changes might not make the game more exciting, but just lead to more punts. Thus, the CFL TV value drops. As a result, we arrange for less money and more years in the deal, fleecing the CFL. Then the CFL struggles, and Bell Media buys equity from the CFL in the form of league or team equity and, as an investor in the league, injects cash to the business, making them the saviors of the CFL. After that point, you start making real improvements and then market the product.

Closing

I think Sewart Johnston is well-meaning and trying to help the CFL, but I don’t think this is going about things the right way to “modernize” the CFL. If it results in a big TV deal leading to the players being better taken care of, then I will be overjoyed. Football is like ice cream. Some are better than others, but you can never ruin ice cream. As long as these talented players are taken care of and the fans are kept happy, then I will be happy with whatever happens.

But I am concerned because none of the real issues were addressed, while great sacrifices were made to the identity of Canadian football.

@JonathanClink on Twitter