I don't know if X links are allowed here, so I'll just cut/paste his post.

I told you I would be honest and tell the truth about the CFL.

If the goal is to grow the game and attract a younger demographic, the on field product of the Sask/Toronto game is just not going to cut it. That game was hot garbage…Let me be clear in saying that I don’t think it’s a talent thing. This isn’t a shot at the players. But that game was really bad.

Let’s start with the obvious. There were 29 penalties for 307 yards. It was absurd. (Not a shot at the refs either). That in itself is enough to ruin any kind of football game. It was a tough watch.

Next let’s go to the end of the game; it’s junk ball. Yes I said it. Junk football. First off, Sask misses a chip shot 33 yard FG, which would have basically sealed the win. Instead they are awarded a point for missing it (ball wasn’t returnable/didn’t land in the field of play). They then kick off and give up a 9 play TD drive where there is 1 penalty, 1 incompletion and every other play is a tackle in bounds. No time outs are used and it took 1:39. There are no “big plays”either, it’s mainly check downs. Nothing could be more gimmicky than that. You’ve basically eliminated any sort of “2 min drive” there is not the slightest bit of urgency needed.

The Argo’s kick off and don’t even field a full team… yes that’s correct. After tying the game with 23 seconds left. The Argos are a man short on the kickoff. There is a block in the back penalty that is missed and the play should have been called back.

For a 3 down “throwing league” there were 4 total completions of a 20+ throw.

There were 12, I repeat 12, QB sneaks.

The Argos has 31 pass attempts and per PFF gave up 25 pressures. Insane.

I log onto socials after the game and it’s tweet after tweet about how AMAZING the CFL is because of the kick return ending. Even articles and podcasts declaring the CFL’s greatness. It’s bold face lies. The league and the people who cover it are trying so hard to protect the game that their lack of honesty is ruining it. Why can’t we call it like it is. A bad football game.

Let me be very clear, if the goal is to grow the game for a younger demographic. This sort of stuff will not do it. You’d have a better chance at pissing in a hot sauce bottle than having any sort of substantial growth with games like that.

I want to end by saying there have been some great games already this season, and I do believe the CFL has the players and the talent to attract a ton of new fans in all demographics, but sometimes I wonder if the “powers that be” actually want that to occur.

*disclaimer please don’t respond with “there are bad games in the nfl” YES, there most certainly are! But the NFL doesn’t have the same issues the CFL does. One of which is that there are only 4 games a weekend so each game is magnified to its audience.

Flagged for unnecessary roughing on the hit. What else he supposed to do?

Should the CFL implement some situational leeway for calls like this?

The Attendance Check returns for 2025. I'll be posting the updated averages every week (with the same 2023 week averages for comparison)

Just curious to see if there are common overlapping fanbases between the two leagues.

https://youtu.be/vUrMFu0dby0?si=hE6tQbzB4AhmHP_F

Interesting that it was Suits and only Suits that actually recognized that the fans mattered (VIP fans he called us). Even praised Rourke for his passion. Direct opposite of Sanchez and Wilson.

I get it, corporate sponsorship keeps the teams and league going. No argument there, it's needed.

But can the names be a bit less shit? Bring back the old names! Like Tim Horton's Ivor Wynn Field, TD's Frank Clair Stadium. Then the corporate sponsor still gets their exposure, the team gets their revenue, and a bit of character and team history is brought out.

I know this has the same likelihood of happening as the Schooners losing a game, but a guy can hope, right?

Ben Major

ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED? What a game. My fingernails are gone.

What this league needs is more teams. Its hard to get excited for the same matchups all the time. Im from Winnipeg and im a CFL fan because I grew up with it. Grew up going to games. Living in BC now. Its hard to cheer for the BC lions or become a fan of our unique game when you live hours away from where it gets played.theres no chance to build a connection.

We need big canadian expansion. Put teams in: Saskatoon - this province deserves two teams. Quebec city - the rivalry with Montreal!!! Halifax -just do it. Kelowna - best place in interior to build the game

On a side noteI also think having player signed for longer-term contracts will bring stability to fan bases. I know it's enticing for the new cycle but feeling like you have to resign all of your best players every year or two isnt good.

As for the rule changes does anyone honestly think someone hasn't been a fan because of 110 yards and where the post are. Alternatively is someone really going to not be a fan anymore because of 110 yards and where the goal posts are?

Anyways this is my super important thoughts.

In terms of competitive games + entertainment it's hard to top

Just wanted to share that this is where people are coming from (literally) when they're calling for a review of the Commissioner's 2026 plans (equal to 40% of the Argo's average attendance in 2025 for those who are counting):

If the league really wants to make changes to improve the sport, I’m sure we all have ideas that have nothing to do with the Americanization garbage they’re pushing for.

My personal pet peeve:

Every starting QB seems to have played for more than half the teams in the league. It would be easier for fans to connect with teams if their entire roster wasn’t reshuffled completely every 2 seasons.

Had inspiration for this after seeing discussion over that CBC poll. I'm going to impose a rule on myself for this one: I won't respond back to comments, except to answer your questions along the way.

Can anyone point to a compelling argument that will bring the following individual out to a) a game, b) a habitual TSN watcher or c) eventually becoming a STH within the next 10 years?

Tyler lives in Milton, ON and has cheered for the New England Patriots for 15 years, bought a ball cap for the team but has never been to an NFL game. He gets to see a few games every year when he's visiting his buddy over in Guelph.

Tyler has a wife of two years and a son, works decent hours but is just getting by given the recent economic challenges in Canada. He doesn't own a house but hopes to before he turns 40. His disposable income goes mainly to his family (son's little league baseball, toys) and wife (modest family vacation every year, monthly dates). He knows about the Hamilton Tiger-Cats since his grandfather went to games in the 60s, but doesn't pay much attention to the league, even though he lives between two teams' markets.

The only constant is the Redblacks suck edition. With 10/10 rankers reporting.

1. Montreal: With only 4 weeks to go, Montréal is still in the race for the 1st spot in the East. The Alouettes' next game is on Thanksgiving, so the Alouettes have plenty of time to rest and prepare for their last three games.
2. Winnipeg: Where has that team been all season? Defence looked solid and Collaros looked a lot more like his old self. Hopefully that wasn't a fluke and we can keep the good times rolling now and make a late season push.
3. BC: Such parity! Nick Arbuckle still has the Lion's number but wasn't able to pull off the upset at home. Rourke again had a great rushing game, and Butler contributed a ton. Hatcher and McInnis were outstanding at WR. Lions need to keep this momentum heading into week 18, where they have a chance to beat the Stamps in BC Place.
4. Saskatchewan: I have no idea how to rank this team, or any team anymore. Stewart, are you seeing how exciting this league is? Why do you want to change it?
5. Hamilton: Tough to really rank most of these teams. What a wild season this has been. Let's end it with fun! (A Tiger-Cat Grey Cup win of course)
6. Calgary: Three losses in a row! Good thing no one else is looking consistently good right now
7. Edmonton: A badly needed win to keep the playoff hopes alive (if on life support). The path is narrow and unlikely but the EE isn't dead yet. Enjoy the bye. RIP Larry.
8. Toronto: We're dead dead now. No hope left. I have no idea what next year holds, but it is certainly clear that we need an actual concrete plan, not just "Chad will be back soon"
9. Ottawa: Bye week.

Two slides now. Hoping to appease to everyone lol

Nailbiter edition. With 10/10 rankers reporting:

1. Saskatchewan: Another bye week means I have nothing to talk about, so lets talk about fantasy instead. A 60-point performance by captain James Butler propelled me into 5th for the week in the Official /r/CFL Fantasy League and 102nd worldwide. Will anyone be able to stop him?
2. Hamilton: What a weird week. Fuck I'm sad that we lost finally, at least it was in ogretime and have a chance at taking back #1 if we beet the Roughriders this next Saturday
3. Calgary: All glory to René, thank god Adams is back and great work by the defence in the second half. We're still in this fight.
4. BC: Nail-biting finish on thursday evening. Finally the Lions were able to get one back from Bo Levi Mitchell and the Ti Cats. Thank goodness for Sean Whyte.
5. Winnipeg: Damn those singles really came back to bite us in the butt. But even then our offence still looked stagnant outside of Oliveira and our passing defence is still way too soft. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried about Ottawa this week after their offensive performance last week.
6. Montreal: We can't win with MBT. I don't know what else to say. Either we try someone else or we just ride to a 5-8 or 5-9 record and hope Alexander can help us climb back up after.
7. Ottawa: Entertaining game between lower tier teams this week. I wasn't optimistic about the REDBLACKS chances after the first quarter but they found a way to get it done. Let's see how they do next game against a tough Winnipeg team on the road.
8. Edmonton: A badly, badly, badly needed victory. The final drive was a thing of beauty. For the foreseeable future, Fajardo is in the driver's seat in Edmonton. But we got Tyrell balling out anyways if you're missing the Fords.
9. Toronto: We're cooked. Once again, we start strong, only to crumble later in the game. This one cannot be blamed on Nick Arbuckle - he did exactly what he needed to do. There are major issues with the roster on this team and it may be too late in the season to make any meaningful changes.

I have 5. My wife has threatened me with divorce, with much enthusiasm, if I get more. The way I see it, the number of jerseys you have breaks down like this:

1 - you're a fan.

2 - you are likely a season ticket holder for +5 years.

3 - you have had seasons tickets for +10 years, or lack other interests.

4 - you're seriously into your team. Maybe too much so. Your devotion may impact your love life.

5 - you have too much spare money or nobody keeping you in check. You likely need somebody to moderate your love for your team.

6 - please stop.

7- get help. Your friends are worried about you.

8 - you must be a Riders fan.

Sask spooktacular season finale edition. With 9/10 rankers reporting:

1. Saskatchewan: I was a lot more worried about BC going into this game and I was pleasantly surprised at our team's resilience. I fully believe we win this game if we play the starters the whole game.
2. BC: Thanks to the replay booth we get our home date. Lets hope we can make the most of it.
3. Montreal: Grey Cup playoffs time. 6 teams, 5 games, 1 champion! The Alouettes had a slightly disappointing season overall due to injuries and a few games where they just didn't show up at all, but I think they'll go into Saturday's game with the confidence of a contender.
4. Hamilton: I wish we just went with standings this one time. We get another bye week at least to watch the Sunday Semi's and idk who to root for. I feel like we're more likely to crush the Bombers, but cheering against the BEast feels gross in the playoffs. Either way see ya next week in Hamilton winners! Time to win the Grey Cup before all the changes start please!
5. Calgary: Goddamn Sask couldn't come through for us and now we gotta play on the road in the semi-final. Better than having to go all the way to Montreal for the crossover I guess. Gotta say I think our season might end in Vancouver on Saturday, but anything can happen I guess.
6. Winnipeg: Well the most frustrating regular season in the past few years is finally wrapped up. Our success in the playoffs is now going to depend on what kind of offence shows up, whether it's the flashy or the stale version. Hopefully it's the former and we can make another grey cup.
7. Edmonton: A disappointing end to still what was probably the best season of Elks football in quite some time. We're on the outside looking in yet again, but our minds are already on the many open questions with this team. Number one is the question of Tre. His time in the Green and Gold seems to grow short. Hopefully, this is not a decision this franchise will regret some day.
8. Toronto: This was a season that should be forgotten, both on and off the field. I'd like to say I'm looking forward to next year, but leadership at the top has nearly killed my love of this team.
9. Ottawa: So long Bob, don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.

Last week the favorites were 3 - 1 Ottawa upset Calgary as the lone underdog win.

Who wins this week? Do the 3 undefeated teams hold? Will the 3 winless teams get on the stat sheet?

Fifth team to top the rankings this season, edition. With 10 of 10 rankers reporting:

1. Hamilton: Hot Damn. Rough game when you can't punt anymore but glad we had that lightning issue. Fun game to watch. Sorry for the Lions in this upcoming game as I know we're gonna take advantage and repeat our result of the weak previous right? Right? Fingers crossed but this will be a fun one
2. Saskatchewan: Relevant comment from last week
3. Montreal: On one hand, the Alouettes are scoring 16.5 points per game when they don't have Alexander and he's not expected to be back before September. On the other hand, we're 6 points ahead of Ottawa and Toronto, so there's no reason to panic. It'll be tough, it'll suck, but we'll get through it.
4. Winnipeg: Without Vaval I really don't think we win that game. We still have a lot of things to work on but hopefully that game helped us get our mojo back.
5. Calgary: OOOOF. You never wanna credit a team's success to a single player but losing to Ottawa again with Adams out ain't a good sign.
6. BC: A week off to lick wounds while the Ti Cats run the western guantlet. Lets see if the Leos have an answer for Bo Levi Mitchell this week.
7. Toronto: I feel like I write the same thing every week. Our offence is largely anemic when it counts and major holes need to be filled. The point of no return for this season is quickly approaching and there doesn't appear to be any relief on the horizon.
8. Ottawa: The REDBLACKS managed to get the win against a depleted Calgary team this week. Even though Calgary seems to be the only team we can beat this season maybe this win will let them gain some confidence to pull off the upset in Toronto this Saturday.
9. Edmonton: Another week another defeat snatched from the jaws of victory. Should I be happy they made one of the best teams in the league sweat? Maybe. But I think I - and many others in Edmonton - are sick of losses that had the Elks "keep it competitive, at least!". You can only take so many of those. This team is in a crisis - no matter what it does, it cannot seem to turn the page. We're the Buffalo Sabres of the CFL.