Tuesday morning, Currah was invited to join Ryan Jespersen on Real Talk to talk about the state of the CFL.
During the chat I didn’t hit all of the points I wrote in my original “essay” to the show so I thought it would be nice to share that email with you.
Buckle up. It’s a long one.
Jespo and Johnny!
Man, I’ve always appreciated how your show invokes at least some sort of emotion in me but Thursday’s “group chat roundtable” talk on the CFL had me pissed off after Mr. Harman Kandola said his piece. Normally, I like his takes but this appearance had me fired up.
Full disclosure, I have been podcasting about the Canadian Football League since 2015 so I’m not exactly a casual observer of the league.
I just had to laugh at multiple statements during the chat. “The CFL is dying”. Yeah, we’ve been hearing that about the league for 40 years.
“The CFL isn’t entertaining”. Bahahaha! Ratings have been a success in 2023 and have been crushing the Blue Jays at times. (Link: https://3downnation.com/2023/07/19/new-heights-week-6-thrillers-help-cfl-set-multi-year-regular-season-tv-ratings-high/) I understand they were down in 2022 but the CFL is consistently #2 in TV ratings to the NHL (in Canada) and neck and neck with the NFL. The highest rated MLS game in 2022….IN THE UNITED STATES WHERE THERE ARE 300 MILLION PEOPLE IN THAT MARKET -STILL- trailed the Riders and Stamps game from THIS year by 200,000 people. When TFC is in the MLS Cup, ratings are high but not even close to the Grey Cup. (https://espnpressroom.com/us/press-releases/2022/10/2022-mls-season-viewership-on-abc-and-espn-networks-up-16-percent/)
Ottawa won two consecutive games in overtime for the first time in LEAGUE HISTORY this year. Saskatchewan had another overtime win against Calgary in June. The Grey Cup had two blocked kicks in the fourth quarter and came right down to the wire.
Does the CFL have its problems? ABSOLUTELY. The league needs to find ways to attract new Canadians and broaden the demographics in the stands. I actually spoke with the president of the BC Lions earlier this week and he told me that average attendance this year is up 45% in Vancouver as compared to 2019. In my opinion, the CFL shouldn’t hide from what it is and the ticket prices should reflect that. Families need to be able to afford a night out at a game. Unfortunately, -everything- is more expensive these days but I don’t see people calling down the Riverhawks or the Stingers and writing off the talent of those players. It’s an affordable, -fun- night out for everyone.
What the CFL has is a perception problem. There are fantastic athletes that play football here in Canada but it seems like people are almost embarrassed to admit that they are fans. -Someone- has to be watching the games! Be loud and be proud…enthusiasm is contagious!
When the Elks made their debut in 2021, there were over 30,000 people in the stands. But they suck. And continue to suck. You can say that the entertainment value in -Edmonton- is down, for sure, because the team hasn’t held up their end of the bargain. Success in sports comes and goes. It just so happens that this is Edmonton’s turn to be a bad team. Saskatchewan has held multiple telethons to save the Roughriders due to so many terrible football teams. Let’s hope it doesn’t get to that point for the Elks.
While I believe the Elks nailed the rebrand and it was incredibly well done, I wonder if there might just be a little bit more of the “go woke, go broke” crowd in Alberta than anywhere else in Canada. I have a feeling that it would have gone over a lot better in Vancouver or Montreal, for example. But ask Oiler fans, people in Edmonton celebrate the past and long for the good ol’ days. Change is hard, I get it.
Commonwealth Stadium is a massive challenge too. I’ve been to every CFL stadium except for Montreal’s and Commonwealth is a tough place to watch a game even if it’s full. You’re so far away from the field and the sightlines are some of the weakest in the league. It’s not exactly convenient either…Edmonton transit does a fantastic job every game day but getting to the stadium is a process. These amazing stadiums in places like Regina, Winnipeg, Hamilton and Ottawa are community hubs. A gathering place. If Edmonton had a 25-30,000 seat stadium, the atmosphere would instantly improve. It’s tough to give up Commonwealth and the massive acts it attracts once a year or so though.
But Victor Cui does deserve some credit since taking on the role. The Elks have had a game broadcast in Cree and just recently, in Punjabi. The new Indigenous logo is an absolute home run (I’d love it to be the full time logo) and the atmosphere that they are slowly building on game day is fantastic. The tailgates they have outside the stadium have such an amazing buzz before heading in and if the team turns it around, it will be even better.
I’m not saying Harman did this but shame on people who are cheering for the death of the CFL. I know there are only 10 or 11 home games a season for a team but look at the -army- of people it takes to put on a successful gameday in Edmonton or anywhere else. The legion of security guards, transit drivers, concession workers, ticket takers, Dee Jays (shout out to Johnny!), and that’s before mentioning the football players, Canadian or not, who get to continue to live their dream and play professional football. The Grey Cup generates millions in economic activity in the host city every year. Many American players end up calling Canada home and give back to our communities and kids in ways that aren’t promoted or celebrated but maybe need to be.
The 110th Grey Cup is happening this November and there have only been -two- events that have prevented it from being presented. World War I and COVID-19. In World War II, military teams competed for the trophy! Times change and so do people but losing that history would be absolutely tragic.
Signed,
A long suffering Roughrider fan
Travis
Maybe I need to take my own advice by being a louder, prouder fan of the Canadian Football League. So on goes my Roughrider cap as I continue to be a fan of the league and game that is one hundred per cent ours.
2 and Out CFL Podcast 