A few months ago I was reading a discussion online about the problems facing the CFL and how to fix them. I have read many discussions/articles about it over the years and it’s always the same thing; aging fan base, more entertainment options, quality of football, etc… It’s no secret the CFL was a big deal to our Daddies Generation however the next generation had more options so we are just not as connected to the league. But during this specific discussion something caught my attention that I hadn’t really seen before, someone brought up the fact that a CFL game was not considered an option to the “Date Night” crowd meaning if you wanted to go on a date with someone you were seeing you weren’t taking her to a CFL game. This person lived in Calgary and said you always heard about people going on dates to a Flames game but not a Stamps game. Somebody from Vancouver posted similar experiences in BC. And after thinking about it I realized that they were right, a CFL game isn’t even on the radar for most people when it comes to a date, especially young people which is the demographic you need to be attracting. This got me thinking about how the CFL needs to overhaul the entire pre-game experience to try and bring in the “Date Night” crowd.
Right now in the CFL it’s basically just show up, watch the game and leave. In the NFL the pre-game tailgate is one of the biggest selling points for the live game experience. I know people that have wanted to go to a NFL game specifically to experience the tailgating that happens before the game. Take that away and you might see some regression in the ticket sales, profits and overall league popularity. We have different laws in Canada so opening up tailgating like it is in the US isn’t really an option. But that doesn’t mean CFL teams can’t create their own controlled tailgating experience to make it a better experience for the fans.
My idea is to turn CFL pre-games into almost a carnival like atmosphere. Set up a bunch of games like throwing footballs through tires, FG kicking, Long snapping, etc… and give away exclusive Team-themed items like stuffed toys, T-Shirts, collectibles. Now if you bring your date to a game you can win her a stuffed animal before you go in. Allow food trucks to set up or set up booths for the Stadium food vendors. Make beer 50 cents or a buck cheaper than inside nothing to crazy, things like that will attract people to come out for the pre game. Yes there will be people that go past their limits but those people will face the consequences if they cross the line, no reason to kill the fun for everyone. You want to turn every game into an event so people are excited knowing 9 times a year they can have a great night doing the Pre-Game/Game/Post-Game experience. You could even create Date Night ticket packages, (2 tickets, Food/drink voucher, Date Night team T Shirts, something like that). It’s easy for me to visualize in my mind so I know with proper planning and execution this could be a great success. Winning the “Date Night” crowd could be a big key to increasing and solidifying the popularity of the league.
That addresses the off-field issues but on-field are a bit more complicated. The addition of a 9th team was a reality check as to how deep the talent pool the CFL has to work with actually is. Clearly due to the drop off in high quality games the last 2 years there were not enough players to sustain 9 teams at the level the CFL had been playing at. But that also means there is also 1 more professional team trying to help players improve and develop which will balance things out eventually. Just takes time but unfortunately the CFL doesn’t have a lot of it. I really think the CFL office needs to be monitoring the scouting operations for each team to make sure they have the proper checks and balances in place because recruiting and coaching is becoming much more important especially with a 9th team and maybe even a 10th down the road. We can’t afford to have any teams lagging behind not doing their share to increase the depth of the talent pool.
We have reached a point were a fan can’t really be solely a fan of their team, we need to be CFL fans first then for our teams. My main point is we can’t be cheering against or laughing at the struggles of other teams because the league depends on every team being healthy. But there has never been a better opportunity to grow the game especially in the TV world. CFL has a great deal in Canada with TSN where every game is televised with professional coverage. CFL has a great deal with ESPN to show games on their Channels growing the fan base in a crucial market like the US. With those deals in place it makes it much more disappointing that the CFL game has struggled the last couple years. But now that we are into year 3 with 9 teams the quality should go up significantly. We just need to have CFL and it’s teams actively looking at ideas to try and grow the game’s popularity but considering the change in Logo to an older style I don’t have much faith in the current CFL leadership.
With Toronto now in BMO field this is a big chance to grow their fan base having an intimate, outdoor environment instead of the Sky Tomb, really excited to see the energy at games there this season. Ottawa coming off their epic Grey Cup run that just fell short should have their fan base jacked for this season, they have done a phenomenal job building a tradition there. Hamilton has established themselves as 1 of the great CFL teams the last few years but the absence of that Ring should create an intense season as they chase for it. New digs and solid front office hopefully keep them good for awhile. Montreal after riding high for so long are going through some struggles but when they get back they will be back big time. Hope their fan base continues to grow it’s a great tradition there. Edmonton probably doesn’t feel like they won a Grey Cup with all the changes, might not be another dynasty but they still have a solid foundation to work with. Calgary never seems to regress despite roster turnover they should be good again, testament to the coaching/front office. BC will be interesting with Buono back, has it passed him by or will he be back with the old magic, should have a good team. Winnipeg went shopping this off-season so they should be better than last year but o-line still a big concern as always. They need success badly, to say their fan-base is fed up is an understatement. Hoping for a good year. As for the Riders, I will address them in detail for the next blog but I’ll go out on a limb and say we will not be close to the same team we saw last year.
2016 could be a great year for the CFL but it could also be another one full of struggle. The time is now to address the goals of increasing popularity before it’s too late. I don’t think you can say the CFL is in trouble but I think it’s closer to “in trouble” than it is to “in good shape.” With the TV deals in place, increasing popularity now could mean better TV deals in the future allowing the players to benefit by making higher salaries. I really feel turning the Pre-Game experience into a carnival like party in addition to all 9 teams working together to increase the talent pool could ensure that the CFL is around on a larger scale for a long time.