“CFL is for NFL wash-ups”, “The CFL is a joke”, “CFL?”
Those lines are just somethings you’ll hear when you ask a typical die-hard NFL fan what they think of the CFL, because the CFL is not very popular amongst NFL fans in both U.S.A. and even in Canada.
As the Canadian Football League is set to kick off its 67th season Thursday night in Winnipeg at Investors Group Field, 2014 seems to be the best possible season for the league to grow its game and its brand, and give those NFL fans a sign of doubt to just how good the league really is.
2014 CFL Season Time to Shine
For many years the CFL has been looked at as essentially a minor-lague or development system for America’s NFL. Many players have elected to play up north in Canada to either get a better chance at making it to an NFL team or to still play football without going through the rigors of an NFL season.
There have been players who have been cut following NFL training camps then head to a CFL team for a couple of seasons as a starter before getting their dream shot with an NFL club. There have also been (undrafted from the NFL) players who start their pro careers at the CFL level and afterwards head back to the States to pursue their NFL careers. It is rare that an American will be a starter their whole career in Canada, even more unlikely outside of the quarterback position.
One of the most famous examples of an American heading north for a shot back down south is 1984 Heisman winner, quarterback Doug Flutie. The legend failed to solidify a starting role between 1986-1989 playing for the Chicago Bears and New England Patriots.
Prior to the 1990 CFL season, Doug Flutie signed with the B.C. Lions to get his once great career back on the right track. Flutie became the starter for the Lions for the next two seasons, also throwing for 38 TD and 6,619 yards in 1991, after an average first season.
From then on until the conclusion of the 1997 CFL seaso, Flutie played 4 more seasons in Calgary plus 2 in Toronto winning a Grey Cup and the Grey Cup MVP in 1992, 1996 and 1997. Flutie was a 6-time all-star only missing out during his CFL career in 1990 and 1996. He also won the leagues Most Outstanding Player award in 1991, ’92, ’93, ’94, ’96 and ’97. His best season came in his last season, in Toronto, throwing for 5,505 yards and 47 TDs along with 5 rushing touchdowns on 542 yards with his mobile feet.
Upon returning to the NFL via Buffalo in 1998, Doug Flutie became a starter for the Bills, even being named to his only Pro Bowl that year after passing for a modest 20 majors and 2,711 yards. He remained a starter for the Bills for the next two seasons then started his final season with the San Diego Chargers in 2001. He did not enjoy the success that he had in Canada.
Flutie was an example of the CFL giving him a second opportunity to pursue a career in the States, a second chance. However, this year a player came up to the CFL for a different second chance, a chance to simply continue his once brilliant career.
His name is Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson.
Now this is exactly who the CFL can use to get their name out there. Mr. Johnson has 3.61 million Twitter followers and frequently tweets about his life in Montreal as he’s playing for the Alouettes. He has also shown the world his text message conversations with soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, about his time in Canada.
So Cristiano Ronaldo knows about the CFL now, how hard can it be for the name to get out there?
With multiple games being broadcasted on ESPN south of the border, bar-going Americans may easily find out more about “Our League”. Last year I was at a restaurant just outside of Boston, coincidence that I wasn’t too far from Gillette Stadium- home of the New England Patriots. On the TVs at the restaurant a CFL game happened to be on, between the Montreal Alouettes and Edmonton Eskimos.
It turned to be one of the more exciting CFL games of the year, coming down to a goal line stand by the Als. I spoke to a middle-age American man and he told me “man this game seems exciting, these players work harder than some in the NFL. Maybe one day I’ll come up to Canada to catch some action.”
Another point in the worldwide attention category for the CFL.
Chris Berman, the famous football analyst from ESPN is a huge fan of the CFL himself, as he frequently mentions what’s happening north of the border on his weekly feature on Sportscenter, “2 Minute Drill.” It’s almost as if analyzing the CFL is as important to him as analyzing the NFL for him.
With all this southern and even global exposure of the CFL right now, 2014 has to be the leagues time to capitalize on this attention. Expand. Have a Grey Cup game for the ages. Maybe the players can create more exciting action. Do something to get world wide attention!
The past attention stemed from Doug Flutie and now with Chad Johnson, Chris Berman and ESPN focusing fan attention towards the CFL, the motto “Our League” has to change to “Our Time to Shine.”
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