The NFL Threat to Toronto and the CFL

[jerrym]

It's happened before with the Buffalo Bills playing in Toronto and statements that Toronto "would be a great city for the NFL", but now Roger Goodall is saying that the NFL "has its sites set on Canada as part of the expanded 17-game regular season schedule". Would the Argos and the CFL survive? If things went well how long for playing one game a year, would it be before the creation of a NFL stadium and a Toronto franchise occurred?

The National Football League has its sites set on Canada as part of the expanded 17-game regular season schedule. It marks the first change to the season structure since the 1978 campaign ushered in an era of 16 regular season and four pre-season games. All 32 NFL teams approved the addition during owners meetings and commissioner Roger Goodell called the move a “monumental moment” in the league’s history. “Our focus in the context of developing a restructured season was to create the inventory, create the games, create the matchups and create the ability for us to bring our games to a global audience,” Goodell said on a conference call.

The enhanced season will ensure that beginning in 2022, every franchise will play internationally at least once every eight years. The scheduling of up to four neutral site games per year in a country outside the United States will focus initially on Canada, Europe, Mexico, South America and the United Kingdom. “We have passionate fans in so many markets. Canada, obviously, we have a tremendous history there. We have a tremendous fanbase and our intent will be to continue to try to service as many fans. Obviously, we have limited inventory, limited number of games but Canada is a very important market,” Goodell said.

The Buffalo Bills played the role of home team for the only regular season games ever put on in Canada, which all came during the Bills in Toronto series. Buffalo played one regular season game per year from 2008 to 2013 at Rogers Centre. The NFL wants to play football that counts in the standings north of the border once again in the future.

“We have a tremendous fanbase in Canada we actively serve, and we would love to play regular season games in Canada. Any market where we’re going to play an international series game, we need the fanbase, we need the support from the local governments and then we also need a stadium that meets our standards,” executive vice president, chief strategy and growth officer Christopher Halpin said on a conference call. “The first two we think are in place in spades in Canada, but we need a stadium. We wouldn’t cut corners or any of that. We need one that meets our standards, our requirements and will hold an NFL game well. We’re continuing to work with local authorities and partners on that, but there’s definitely more work to do.”

Goodell has said in the past Toronto would “a great city for an NFL team,” but there needs to be a state of the art stadium for a team there or elsewhere in Canada. Perhaps regular season games in Canada could be a test run for another potential pitch for a franchise on the other side of the 49th parallel.

https://3downnation.com/2021/03/30/t...mes-in-canada/

[jerrym]

Having heard the siren call of the NFL, Montreal's Olympic Stadium is pushing to host NFL games, thereby creating another potential threat to the CFL.

Olympic Stadium is the first facility out of the gate to express a desire to host NFL games in Canada. After the NFL stated the league would love to play regular season games in Canada, Montreal Olympic Park vice president Alain Larochelle wants his building to be considered.

“We would be very interested in hosting an NFL game and we are eager to show the numerous planned investments and the many possibilities of the Montreal Olympic Stadium to the promoters around the globe,” Larochelle said in a statement. “The Montreal Olympic Stadium has a rich history with North American football, especially with the CFL, the Grey Cup and the Montreal Alouettes, who still holds the record for the largest sport attendance in the history of the Stadium.”

In the past, there have been two NFL pre-season games played at Olympic Stadium, but it’s been over three decades. The New York Jets beat the Cleveland Browns 11-7 on August 18, 1988, while the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the New England Patriots on August 9, 1990. Montreal has never hosted a regular season NFL game.

https://3downnation.com/2021/03/31/o...s-in-montreal/

[Mightygoose]

Why is it always the sky is falling around these parts?

Did the NHL hosting regular season games in Europe pose a threat to the leagues in Finland, Czechia etc...? Is the GFL or the future ELF threatened because the NFL is planning on playing regular season games in Germany or other parts of Europe?

Though there's no doubt the CFL has challenges that need to be worked through, the NFL hosting occasional regular season games here is not one of them. Toronto hosted them 5 years in a row and it didn't cause the league or any team to fall.

The only way a permanent team comes with is a state of the art stadium largely funded by taxpayers that will be at least 1.5 billion. Unless the summer games ever comes back to Canada there is no chance of that happening.

[OV Argo]

Wonder if the NFL team in Toronto will end up getting to use the Argonauts name ? Could you imagine all the GTA wannabes, NFL fan boys and American loving sycophants in the media here all of a sudden proclaiming themselves huge Argo fans ? Argos finally become "World Class" & "Major League" !!! ;o)

The new team might want a fresh name start though?

[AngeloV]

Why is it always the sky is falling around these parts?

Did the NHL hosting regular season games in Europe pose a threat to the leagues in Finland, Czechia etc...? Is the GFL or the future ELF threatened because the NFL is planning on playing regular season games in Germany or other parts of Europe?

Though there's no doubt the CFL has challenges that need to be worked through, the NFL hosting occasional regular season games here is not one of them. Toronto hosted them 5 years in a row and it didn't cause the league or any team to fall.

The only way a permanent team comes with is a state of the art stadium largely funded by taxpayers that will be at least 1.5 billion. Unless the summer games ever comes back to Canada there is no chance of that happening.

As I always say, If the NFL wanted to have a permanent team in Toronto, or anywhere else, they already would have. I'm sure they have taken note of how poor the Blue Jays and the Raptors tv ratings are in the US. Why do you think the Raptors are rarely on nationally in the US?

[matthew]

I recall reading this concept somewhere a few years back where it was proposed that if the NFL was to come to the city, like soccer leagues do, the Argos would elevate to NFL which would keep team name and history intact and we would get a new CFL team.

An interesting concept.

Wonder if the NFL team in Toronto will end up getting to use the Argonauts name ? Could you imagine all the GTA wannabes, NFL fan boys and American loving sycophants in the media here all of a sudden proclaiming themselves huge Argo fans ? Argos finally become "World Class" & "Major League" !!! ;o)

The new team might want a fresh name start though?

[argolio]

Why is it always the sky is falling around these parts?

Did the NHL hosting regular season games in Europe pose a threat to the leagues in Finland, Czechia etc...? Is the GFL or the future ELF threatened because the NFL is planning on playing regular season games in Germany or other parts of Europe?

Though there's no doubt the CFL has challenges that need to be worked through, the NFL hosting occasional regular season games here is not one of them. Toronto hosted them 5 years in a row and it didn't cause the league or any team to fall.

The only way a permanent team comes with is a state of the art stadium largely funded by taxpayers that will be at least 1.5 billion. Unless the summer games ever comes back to Canada there is no chance of that happening.

In theory the difference is the NFL could realistically put a team in Canada. The NHL will likely never put a team in Europe. In practice I see this as just another opportunity for the NFL to make more money. The London NFL games have been wildly successful, and if there are games in Canada, the NFL will be running things instead of Rogers.

I also think the NFL will never go above 32 teams, which severely limits the chances of expanding beyond the U.S. other than one-off showcase games.

[matthew]

Regina interested now too apparently.

In theory the difference is the NFL could realistically put a team in Canada. The NHL will likely never put a team in Europe. In practice I see this as just another opportunity for the NFL to make more money. The London NFL games have been wildly successful, and if there are games in Canada, the NFL will be running things instead of Rogers.

I also think the NFL will never go above 32 teams, which severely limits the chances of expanding beyond the U.S. other than one-off showcase games.

[AngeloV]

Regina interested now too apparently.

Oh, I hope they get a December game.