The Year The CFL Failed To Conquer America

[ArgoGabe22]

Might be a good read for those like Paul who followed the league in 1982.

http://deadspin.com/every-game-was-terrible-the-year-the-cfl-failed-to-con-1476731855?utm_campaign=socialflow_deadspin_twitte r&utm_source=deadspin_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

It's too long to quote.

[ArgoRavi]

Might be a good read for those like Paul who followed the league in 1982.

http://deadspin.com/every-game-was-terrible-the-year-the-cfl-failed-to-con-1476731855?utm_campaign=socialflow_deadspin_twitte r&utm_source=deadspin_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

It's too long to quote.

One of the strange things was that the other games on the weekend would be terrific ones but not the one or two that NBC would show. I remember watching a good, close Hamilton/Ottawa game one Sunday that fall followed by Calgary getting blown out by Saskatchewan 53-8. Guess which game NBC televised? BTW, Phil Kessel's father was one of Calgary's QBs that day.

[paulwoods13]

I haven't had a chance to reads the Deadspin piece yet, but I am going to devour it momentarily. I actually wrote a chapter about that whole NBC thing but ended up cutting it from the book because it really didn't fit. Now that someone else has written about it, maybe I will post the chapter on my blog and send a link to Deadspin.

[ArgoRavi]

I haven't had a chance to reads the Deadspin piece yet, but I am going to devour it momentarily. I actually wrote a chapter about that whole NBC thing but ended up cutting it from the book because it really didn't fit. Now that someone else has written about it, maybe I will post the chapter on my blog and send a link to Deadspin.

I would love to read it, Paul!

[paulwoods13]

My take on the CFL on NBC circa 1982 can be found at the Bouncing Back blog: http://bouncingbackbook.ca/

[Will]

http://www.cbc.ca/archives/categories/sports/business-of-sports/playing-hardball-sports-labour-disputes/1982-bush-league-football.html

This is what the CBC archives had on the matter.

[1argoholic]

The year was great in this Argo Fans eyes. Screw the US and there views! As I've brought up on here many times 82 was the first year in many that we beat Edmonton at the CNE with the crowd all chanting Edmonton Sucks! My first Grey Cup was the Toilet Bowl in Nov at The CNE. Another reason I don't want the Argos back in a stadium down there. Poured cold rain all game long and Edmonton got us back. Still remember running on the field after the Eastern Final win against Ottawa and patting Carl Brazley on the shoulder and telling him thanks and this win wasn't possible without him. He was with Ottawa at the time. Never forget the shock on his face that this drunk Argo fan would say this.

[Will]

Almost one year later winning the Grey Cup was made possible in large part by Brazley.

[OV Argo]

The CFL never was about to and never will "conquer America" - a ludicrous notion IMO; those NBC televised games back in 82 could have all been the greatest games in CFL history and it would have been lost on the majority of viewers there (not to mention the American commentators and football "experts" down there). IMO - the CFL is a Canadian game - it's not just another variety of football that Americans could care about, and Americans in general care very little about things outside their borders. The CFL will always be some sort of minor league variation of the game down there; though there could be some gradual, small increases in CFL profile in the States - with more TV exposure and some smart marketing - but forget about the CFL ever being big in the States; just like forget about soccer ever becoming huge there, or even the NHL and hockey accepted as a big national sport there - they have tons of other established, deeply ingrained sports to hold the sports' public's main attention: NFL and college ball, MLB, NBA and college basketball, golf & Tiger Woods type hero worship and other stuff like Ricky Bobby racin' a car around a track.

[Argo]

The CFL never was about to and never will "conquer America" - a ludicrous notion IMO; those NBC televised games back in 82 could have all been the greatest games in CFL history and it would have been lost on the majority of viewers there (not to mention the American commentators and football "experts" down there). IMO - the CFL is a Canadian game - it's not just another variety of football that Americans could care about, and Americans in general care very little about things outside their borders. The CFL will always be some sort of minor league variation of the game down there; though there could be some gradual, small increases in CFL profile in the States - with more TV exposure and some smart marketing - but forget about the CFL ever being big in the States; just like forget about soccer ever becoming huge there, or even the NHL and hockey accepted as a big national sport there - they have tons of other established, deeply ingrained sports to hold the sports' public's main attention: NFL and college ball, MLB, NBA and college basketball, golf & Tiger Woods type hero worship and other stuff like Ricky Bobby racin' a car around a track.

The CFL is actually a damned fine professional football league, and smart people know all the reasons why this is so.
Yes, it's not the NFL, nor even a scaled-down replica of that behemoth, and thank goodness for that.