How Would Moving the CFL Season Earlier Affect the Argos?

[Neely2005]

And yet Ambrosie is talking about third weekend of October -- that's FIVE weeks earlier than now, which means (with the third bye week) the schedule would start around May 12. Heck, when I lived in Edmonton, people didn't even plant flowers until May 24 weekend because of the threat of frost.

I think that's too early but I also think that's just a negotiating tactic to ask for more than what he really wants/expects.

[paulwoods13]

I think that's too early but I also think that's just a negotiating tactic to ask for more than what he really wants/expects.

Who's he negotiating with, exactly?

[Neely2005]

Who's he negotiating with, exactly?

The owners. Plus he's trying to sell it to the fans so if he comes back later and says we decided to 'only' move it up 3 weeks it comes off better.

[paulwoods13]

The owners. Plus he's trying to sell it to the fans so if he comes back later and says we decided to 'only' move it up 3 weeks it comes off better.

So this idea did not come from ownership but is just Ambrosie's idea? If so, good luck to him getting it approved without an eight-figure annual payoff.

[jerrym]

If we wait, global warming will solve the temperature problem in November.

[argos1873]

If we wait, global warming will solve the temperature problem in November.

Of course if that's true, we'll be playing in desert like conditions in June. Geez the CFL just can't catch a break!

[Tau Ceti]

Where does logic lead on this? I'm not advocating the following, simply observing what's inside Pandora's box...

The CFL season begins at the end of March and ends the weekend before Labour Day. De facto it becomes the North American Spring-Summer B League to the NFL. The two leagues better formalize player transfer at seasons' beginning and end. (Perhaps CFL player rights' become tradeable between NFL teams.) The CFL gets not an eight figure but a nine figure television contract because now the American couch potato can literally watch pro ball the entire calendar year. The Grey Cup sees viewership figures in the low tens of millions across North America every August. The CFL's survival is assured, but it fundamentally becomes an adjunct of the NFL. Slowly pressure mounts to eliminate rule differences between the leagues...

Again, I don't want this. But if we're already talking about a five week change you can be damned sure these ideas have been discussed privately.

[argos1873]

Where does logic lead on this? I'm not advocating the following, simply observing what's inside Pandora's box...

The CFL season begins at the end of March and ends the weekend before Labour Day. De facto it becomes the North American Spring-Summer B League to the NFL. The two leagues better formalize player transfer at seasons' beginning and end. (Perhaps CFL player rights' become tradeable between NFL teams.) The CFL gets not an eight figure but a nine figure television contract because now the American couch potato can literally watch pro ball the entire calendar year. The Grey Cup sees viewership figures in the low tens of millions across North America every August. The CFL's survival is assured, but it fundamentally becomes an adjunct of the NFL. Slowly pressure mounts to eliminate rule differences between the leagues...

Again, I don't want this. But if we're already talking about a five week change you can be damned sure these ideas have been discussed privately.

The CFL season will never begin in March. Even if so, the American couch potato will never latch on. They never latched on to WAFL, NFL Europe, Europa League or whatever they called that stuff. There's no US money in it, and there never will be. Its time to realize that. Sure, get whatever US money you can, but don't focus on that, because its not happening. BTW the day the CFL becomes a de facto NFL minor league, and they start changing rules to match is the day I never tune into another CFL game again. In my humble opinion, the less NFL like the better.