The recent article on the 2015 Winnipeg Blue Bombers loading up for a hometown Grey Cup run the has created some chatter among fans, who are wondering if it is worth the long term pain for the short term gain.
Most fans, players, and alumni will agree that from day one of a new season, expectations are high for both teams and players. When a city is hosting the Grey Cup the expectations rise exponentially. Case in point: the 2011-2013 championships showed what winning a Grey Cup on home soil can do for the community that wins, and for the CFL as a whole.
A team doesn’t need to win a championship every its home city hosts it. But when the stars align themselves perfectly for your franchise to win at home, the team needs to act fast, without concern for failure in the future. After all, this is a league of rotating coaches coordinators and players.
In a league this size and with an annual salary cap so much lower than other major sports leagues, the chances of winning a championship and having a successful year or two follow it is very low.
In more recent CFL history, with an eight- and more recently nine-team league, there have only been two repeat champions in the last two decades (the 1996-97 Toronto Argonauts and the 2009-10 Montreal Alouettes). This shows just how hard it is for a team to retain the same success they found just a short season ago.
The salary cap is at least partly to be blamed for the lack of dynasties in the CFL. As players age and mature at their positions, they should be rewarded with a raise. Any team that is locked into deals with future hall of famers or current all-stars on their squads simply can’t afford to hold on to someone who is just breaking out.
The other barrier to dynasties in the CFL is plain bad luck.
The Calgary Stampeders are the perfect example. They have sustained a wonderful amount of success year in and year out, but it was all for naught if they played one bad game in the playoffs, ending many of their seasons on a sour note. The 2015 version of the Stamps, who have been the class of the league for years, will see how hard it is to repeat as a champion in this league, right from the start of the season.
But fans will ask: why would a team risk short term gain for long term pain?
The answer is simple: it is hard to win a championship in the CFL, and the longer you wait, the farther you may find yourself from the top. If a team’s city is hosting the game at the end of November and they feel they are just a couple playmakers away from glory, then they will take the chance and load up on talent that is available through trades or free agency, in the hope that it is enough to win – even if it means they will have to live through a troubling couple of years and start the process all over again.
In the CFL, staff and players rotate through different franchises regularly. What’s wrong with waiting a couple of seasons to start the fun again?
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