SI, Peter King covering the CFL

[Neely2005]

Today's article by Bruce Arthur is up:

http://mmqb.si.com/2014/06/25/canadi...ll-town-charm/

[Neely2005]

Here's today's article:

http://mmqb.si.com/2014/06/26/cfl-of...ry-stampeders/

[Neely2005]

Today's article is up:

http://mmqb.si.com/2014/06/27/cfl-wi...nto-argonauts/

[ArgoGabe22]

Final column is up - http://mmqb.si.com/2014/06/30/canada...eter-king-cfl/

Check what he wrote at the end.....

9. I think I need your help. Tomorrow my column will be your words on our CFL coverage, and whether you want more of it or less. I’ll run the best mail from you. Be specific about what you like or don’t like. As I said when we started a week ago, you’ll determine by your visits to our site and your clicks on our stories whether you want us to write more about the CFL. No matter what, I won’t commit to covering it weekly, but if the numbers are good we’ll check in on the CFL during the season. Send your thoughts to me today, on Twitter or at the email address in the box to the right.

[Neely2005]

The final article is up:

http://mmqb.si.com/2014/06/30/canada...eter-king-cfl/

EDIT: I see that Gabe already posted it.

[Neely2005]

Today's article is feedback on Canada week:

http://mmqb.si.com/2014/07/01/happy-canada-day/

[ArgoRavi]

Peter King writes:

"Over my 30 years covering the NFL, I’ve noticed (how could you not?) this burgeoning, exploding 24/7 media frenzy around the National Football League. That’s fine. It’s helped me feed my family and live in a nice place. But there’s a point when I say, Enough. From June 20 to July 20, no one in the NFL does anything. But still the coverage continues, nearly unabated. The paralysis by analysis, the polls, the lists, the opinions … It just never ends.

In my opinion, we should pause. We should get away for a while. We should cover other things. We should think of something else for a couple or three or four weeks. The NFL will be there when we get back, and we’ll have 48 weeks to bash it over the head and cover it bigger and better than we just did. So what I felt we should do is cover something else. And why should that not be with real football—the first week of the Canadian Football League season? In the CFL, there are about 210 players you cheered for in college football and who disappeared into the vapor of the great north, plying their trade and making a decent living, and maybe even becoming candidates to play in the NFL. It’s a better version of Triple-A baseball.
Is it so much to ask that for six days a year, or maybe a handful more, we pay attention to them, when the NFL players and coaches and executives are sunning themselves in Kennebunkport? I don’t think so. But that’s why I asked for your opinions, and why in the coming weeks we’ll tell you if we’re going to cover more CFL this year and in the future."

Just replace NFL with NHL and what he wrote applies very much to Canada as well. I really appreciated SI's coverage of the CFL last week and it sounds like they will do the occasional piece on the league since they got a generally positive reaction to their coverage. It is amazing how a decent number of Americans can come to appreciate our league while so many Canadians love to denigrate it. I wonder what so many in the Toronto media thought of SI's CFL coverage and about how CFL games will be on ESPN this year. Isn't it funny how the Canadian-based teams in the "major league" (i.e. American) sports rarely get on national television in the U.S. but the CFL does? That must just infuriate the Eric Smith and Greg Brady types in the Toronto media.

[Will]

You really do get that feeling sometimes, Ravi, that some American publications/sports channels have more respect for the CFL than certain individuals in the Toronto market.

[gilthethrill]

You really do get that feeling sometimes, Ravi, that some American publications/sports channels have more respect for the CFL than certain individuals in the Toronto market.

On a simiar note, Mike Hogan stated on TSN radio not too long ago that NFL scouts have more respect for CIS football than Canadians do.

[rdavies]

Just replace NFL with NHL and what he wrote applies very much to Canada as well. It is amazing how a decent number of Americans can come to appreciate our league while so many Canadians love to denigrate it. I wonder what so many in the Toronto media thought of SI's CFL coverage and about how CFL games will be on ESPN this year. Isn't it funny how the Canadian-based teams in the "major league" (i.e. American) sports rarely get on national television in the U.S. but the CFL does? That must just infuriate the Eric Smith and Greg Brady types in the Toronto media.

Amen. SI screwed up a lot of people's agendas by pimping the CFL and the best part is the shiny object/puppy watchers can't criticize SI because SI is part of their idolatry.

Funny though, the best pieces were the first two by Trestman and Flutie, the others by the SI writers were pretty run of the mill but we're so starved for positive feedback that anything will do and they were praised accordingly.

[rdavies]

Thought this was a strange response, not sure what to read into it.

A MONTREAL CONVERT: As a long time MMQB reader and current Montreal resident, I must say that I truly enjoyed your series of articles regarding the CFL. Ironically, even though I am a huge football fan (yearly trips to Buffalo to see the Bills), I did not care much for the CFL until I started reading your series of articles. It made me see it through you and your teams’ eyes, and I must admit that I read your articles with the same level of interest as if I was reading a typical MMQB/NFL-centred column. I don’t know if it’s a testimonial of you and your team’s work, or the CFL, but anyway, keep it coming! As we say in Quebec : Merci beaucoup. - Hugues, Montreal

[argonaut11xx]

Doesnt it just figure....the CFL almost always has a slate of amazing close games, with great weather, for opening weekend.

SI covers the league and 3 games are dud's, and even BC Edmonton wasnt the best.

It just seems the CFL can never get a break.

[gilthethrill]

Doesnt it just figure....the CFL almost always has a slate of amazing close games, with great weather, for opening weekend.

SI covers the league and 3 games are dud's, and even BC Edmonton wasnt the best.

It just seems the CFL can never get a break.

The weather was not that great in Regina on Sunday..... The league will recover despite the lack of entertaining games in week 1.

[VANRIDERFAN]

Doesnt it just figure....the CFL almost always has a slate of amazing close games, with great weather, for opening weekend.

SI covers the league and 3 games are dud's, and even BC Edmonton wasnt the best.

It just seems the CFL can never get a break.

Remember the NFL strike years ago? NBC came up to broadcast some games and they were blow outs. As soon as they left, the CFL had a run of barn burners. Go figure.

[paulwoods13]

Remember the NFL strike years ago? NBC came up to broadcast some games and they were blow outs. As soon as they left, the CFL had a run of barn burners. Go figure.

For those who didn't read it already, I wrote about that in a chapter that never made it into my book. The "lost chapter" is here: http://bouncingbackbook.ca/post/7297...how-it-went-so

[rdavies]

That was a good read, thanks for that. Reminded me of the story...

In 1970, the Civic Stadium was renamed Ivor Wynne Stadium in honor of Ivor Wynne. The name change commemorated all of his accomplishments which had improved McMaster and the City of Hamilton. Some of his more notable deeds were the development of a Physical Education course and a Physical Education complex at McMaster University. Unfortunately, it was in the same year that the newly named Ivor Wynne Stadium was beginning to show its age.

Ivor Wynne Stadium was beginning to be an embarrassment for the league. The disrepair of the stadium was seen by American television audiences, and resulted in poor morale and suggestions that the Canadian Football League (CFL) was a “bush” or minor league. As a result, American television stations covering Canadian Football games refused to air games played in Hamilton. The stations felt broadcasting Hamilton games sent a message to American audiences that the Canadian Football League was not a professional athletic organization. Even the classic match-ups between the Toronto Argo's and the Hamilton Tiger Cats were not broadcast until renovations to the stadium were completed. Visiting teams issued criticisms about the stadium. They complained that there was not enough room to conduct half-time discussions, nor were there enough showers. The visiting teams also complained that there was no place to conduct media interviews. The complaints from the American media and visiting teams were acknowledged by the CFL, which prompted the city to discuss ways of improving the stadium.