There has been a lot of speculation about the future of our league, the CFL, ever since the COVID-19 pandemic hit.聽
The league cancelled its 2020 season, and there鈥檚 no guarantee the CFL will have a 2021 campaign, either. People have wondered aloud whether the league will ever play again. After all, it鈥檚 a gate-driven league, and it can鈥檛 make ends meet off of TV revenues and sponsorships alone.
The major pro sports leagues can get by without fans in the stands. The CFL cannot.
If the lack of revenues doesn鈥檛 kill the CFL, a loss of interest from fans after losing one or two seasons might do it in.
There鈥檚 been a lot of talk about a partnership between the CFL and the XFL, with many believing it could result in a merger.
I鈥檓 all for the CFL working with the XFL to some degree to better each league. But a merger? Absolutely not.聽
History indicates that the XFL will die within the next few years, and I have no interest in seeing the CFL die with it.聽
Every professional football league in the last 50 years that has tried to provide a U.S.-based alternative to the NFL has failed. The United States Football League in the 1980s was likely the most viable option; it lasted all of three seasons. 聽
We鈥檝e seen the World League of American Football, the original XFL, the Alliance of American Football and others start up in an effort to bring a different brand of four-down professional football to Americans. None of them lasted. A couple were only around for a season.聽
(For those who don鈥檛 remember, the 2001 version of the XFL happened after the CFL spurned WWF owner Vince McMahon鈥檚 efforts to buy our league and reinvent it. Thankfully, the CFL said no. The original XFL lasted one season, while the CFL went on to have more than a decade of stability and growth).聽聽聽
As much as the CFL鈥檚 American expansion into the U.S. was largely a punchline, it still lasted three seasons, meaning it had as much longevity as any of the leagues mentioned above.
Version 2 of the XFL was actually doing pretty well last year. It was much more serious than what we saw in 2001, which placed a heavy emphasis the sex and violence within the game.
The 2020 version was a much better brand of football.聽
The COVID-19 pandemic put a stop to the XFL鈥檚 rebirth. The league filed for bankruptcy and was solid to a group that includes mega star actor (and former CFL practice roster member) Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson.聽聽聽聽
I believe there could be a partnership without a merger. The XFL could draw on the CFL鈥檚 longevity and experience. The CFL could draw on Johnson鈥檚 celebrity and his social media following.
That might not seem like a big deal for us, but it is. It would enhance the CFL鈥檚 profile, especially with young American players south of the border overlooked by the NFL, whether it be because they weren鈥檛 good enough or because they don鈥檛 fit the profile of an NFL player.
The CFL needs to find a way to reach out to younger fans in Canada as well, because its fanbase is aging, especially in the key markets of Toronto and Vancouver. 聽
For all its struggles, we should be very proud of the CFL. Name me an independent, non-major league in North American sports that has had the success of the CFL? As far as calibre of play, it鈥檚 the No. 2 football league on the planet. As much as some like to diminish the league, a CFL team would trounce an NCAA Division 1 team. There鈥檚 a reason the CFL waiver wire is filled with former Division 1 players every year. 聽
The CFL has had staying power that few independent leagues have had. Most leagues outside of the big four (NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA) that have lasted are affiliate leagues.聽
The CFL has lasted because it鈥檚 an alternative, because it鈥檚 unique. The rules are unique. The teams, with the exception of the Toronto Argonauts, are in markets that would never have a shot at the NFL. It gives Canadian players a shot, although I鈥檇 like to see more. And while the NFL has better players, those in the CFL are still terrific, capable of doing great things. 聽
And until the past decade, the games tended to be more wide-open, exciting and offensive-minded than their NFL counterparts. 聽
I鈥檓 opposed to the death of our league.聽
And that鈥檚 why I鈥檇 be opposed to a full-on merger with the XFL.聽聽
