Edmonton Elks Thread

[Heavy Dee]

"CFL fans should brace themselves for a wave of change"

Here's the headline on TSN.ca right now. I wonder if the CFL is bracing themselves to lose their entire older generation of fans going this direction.

They have to change to survive. Attract younger fans. Read this about the xfl part owner. He is well heeled.

Ex-Goldman Banker Channels the Hulk for Deals With Billionaires - BNN Bloomberg

 

[rboomercat90]

CFL to explore opportunities for alignment with XFL - TSN.ca

The Canadian Football League and XFL owners Dany Garcia, Dwayne Johnson, and RedBird Capital announced Wednesday that they have agreed to work together to identify opportunities for the leagues to collaborate and “grow the game of football.”

Honestly not sure what this does

Watched Randy Ambrosie on Overdrive on TSN this afternoon and he couldn’t answer any questions about what this meant. Basically just said the CFL and XFL have agreed to talk about it. I’m not sure what the point of making any announcement about this right now was.

 

[MoontoScott]

Watched Randy Ambrosie on Overdrive on TSN this afternoon and he couldn’t answer any questions about what this meant. Basically just said the CFL and XFL have agreed to talk about it. I’m not sure what the point of making any announcement about this right now was.

Agreed- What does this mean exactly?

If there was going to be a huge influx of mega millionaires or even billionaires into a combined CFL-XFL then I'd said great let's do it but with leagues like the XFL and some pretty wealthy owners in the past how long have they lasted?

I do think however that the smaller "public" model like the Eskies, Riders and Bombers may be obsolete.

 

[Stoneman89]

Agreed- What does this mean exactly?

If there was going to be a huge influx of mega millionaires or even billionaires into a combined CFL-XFL then I'd said great let's do it but with leagues like the XFL and some pretty wealthy owners in the past how long have they lasted?

I do think however that the smaller "public" model like the Eskies, Riders and Bombers may be obsolete.

Well, the Eskies are DEFINATELY obsolete.

 

[SupremeTeam16]

They have to change to survive. Attract younger fans. Read this about the xfl part owner. He is well heeled.

Ex-Goldman Banker Channels the Hulk for Deals With Billionaires - BNN Bloomberg

There is no adapting to survive for the league unfortunately. It’s either be absorbed by the XFL or die. Guaranteed they already have owners ready to hand over the keys and walk away. This move shows how absolutely desperate they are.

 

[Heavy Dee]

There is no adapting to survive for the league unfortunately. It’s either be absorbed by the XFL or die. Guaranteed they already have owners ready to hand over the keys and walk away. This move shows how absolutely desperate they are.

Looks like the Rock is all in
The Rock excited for 'unique opportunity' CFL, XFL 'can potentially create together' - 3DownNation

 

[Chet Manley]

There is no adapting to survive for the league unfortunately. It’s either be absorbed by the XFL or die. Guaranteed they already have owners ready to hand over the keys and walk away. This move shows how absolutely desperate they are.

Is this just a prediction or based on fact or a personal wish? The XFL hasn't accomplished anything so far and people have be predicting the death of the CFL for 40 years. I haven't really been paying attention lately.

 

[oilers'72]

Eagle numbers soar in Calgary | Calgary Herald

There may be even more sightings around Labor Day.

Bald eagles fit in well with Calgary, a city so Canadian, that if you go to a born and bred Calgarian and ask them to quickly recite the first line of the national anthem, they'll to a person say: Oh, say, can you see".

It’s not just bald eagles coming to Calgary and area. An hour’s drive west of the city, golden eagles have already started migrating north along mountain ridges. Golden eagles can snatch prey as large as young bighorn sheep or mountain goats off mountain cliffs, but shy away from humans.

 

[SupremeTeam16]

Is this just a prediction or based on fact or a personal wish? The XFL hasn't accomplished anything so far and people have be predicting the death of the CFL for 40 years. I haven't really been paying attention lately.

The XFL has big financial backing and Johnson on board, basically anything he touches turns to gold. All they want from the CFL is an easy bake market, they know that the league is on life support financially and it’s an opportunity to potentially unlock a sizeable market and additional teams for their league while adding an interesting North/South conference element. But the whole thing is dead in the water unless the CFL sells its soul on things on 3 down footbal, field size as well as things like import rules.

Like I said, the fact the CFL is even entertaining these types of negotiations show how desperate they are.

 

[EchoesoftheEighties]

I don't even care for the CFL but I'm a little surprised at how all the talk seems to be about CFL essentially merging into XFL.

Why? They've had one season that was interrupted and have 0 proven success. IMO BOTH leagues might need this. XFL doesn't have an established track record or history to fall back on except for a failed season 20 years ago. They're just as likely to be in dire straits.

I say this as someone who won't pretend to know too much about either league but like really? WTF has XFL proven? They share 6/8 teams with existing NFL markets so they'll be second fiddle football wise (third in some markets).

I'm excited to see how this pans out but IMO CFL probably has more leverage here.

I mean I could be way off base but that's how it appears to me

 

[yukoner88]

I don't even care for the CFL but I'm a little surprised at how all the talk seems to be about CFL essentially merging into XFL.

Why? They've had one season that was interrupted and have 0 proven success. IMO BOTH leagues might need this. XFL doesn't have an established track record or history to fall back on except for a failed season 20 years ago. They're just as likely to be in dire straits.

I say this as someone who won't pretend to know too much about either league but like really? WTF has XFL proven? They share 6/8 teams with existing NFL markets so they'll be second fiddle football wise (third in some markets).

I'm excited to see how this pans out but IMO CFL probably has more leverage here.

I mean I could be way off base but that's how it appears to me

the league has been having it's challenges slowly pile up though. while it always trucks on, its been falling behind in the money game, attendance has been bleeding, and player committment has been slipping too, as teams are struggling to pay players to stick around long term, which is killing brand recognition and fans dont have the chance to really rally behind a player and have him become a household name like a Ricky Ray, or Damen Allen.

Im interested to see what kind of details come out of this. The league needed a shot in the arm before the pandemic and lost season. Maybe the XFL actually adapts to canadian rules in the long run with the bigger fields and playing with 3 downs and 12 men (or 3 down football at the very least).

Im not worried about Ambrose not having much to say, he never does, but he's not like Bettman and the NHL, the ownership structures are different in the CFL, and he's literally their lacky and doesnt have the pull that Bettman does with owners. Hes literally just a mouthpiece

 

[MoontoScott]

the league has been having it's challenges slowly pile up though. while it always trucks on, its been falling behind in the money game, attendance has been bleeding, and player committment has been slipping too, as teams are struggling to pay players to stick around long term, which is killing brand recognition and fans dont have the chance to really rally behind a player and have him become a household name like a Ricky Ray, or Damen Allen.

Im interested to see what kind of details come out of this. The league needed a shot in the arm before the pandemic and lost season. Maybe the XFL actually adapts to canadian rules in the long run with the bigger fields and playing with 3 downs and 12 men (or 3 down football at the very least).

Im not worried about Ambrose not having much to say, he never does, but he's not like Bettman and the NHL, the ownership structures are different in the CFL, and he's literally their lacky and doesnt have the pull that Bettman does with owners. Hes literally just a mouthpiece

A model I like better (as I've said before) is how the Stamps are actually part of the Flames organization.

I don't know if Katz would want any part of the Eskimos but the team could then be promoted by the Oilers and any losses by the football club would be a tax write off for the Katz organization. Its worked in Calgary but of course this model doesn't answer the questions for other teams around the CFL.

Last I heard the Lions are still looking for an owner. The new Alouette owners must be shaking their heads over their timing.

 

[oilers'72]

A model I like better (as I've said before) is how the Stamps are actually part of the Flames organization.

I don't know if Katz would want any part of the Eskimos but the team could then be promoted by the Oilers and any losses by the football club would be a tax write off for the Katz organization. Its worked in Calgary but of course this model doesn't answer the questions for other teams around the CFL.

Last I heard the Lions are still looking for an owner. The new Alouette owners must be shaking their head over their timing.

It would take the current public ownership to figure out their model has failed. The only reason they're still clinging on is because of hosting the Grey Cup and having a slush fund. Once that runs out, I'm not sure where their next handout comes from.

 

[MoontoScott]

It would take the current public ownership to figure out their model has failed. The only reason they're still clinging on is because of hosting the Grey Cup and having a slush fund. Once that runs out, I'm not sure where their next handout comes from.

Public ownership may be going out of style but it served the Eskies, Riders and Bombers pretty well in its day.

When you look at some of the Stamp owners like F-troop Feterik and Larry Ryckman and the near death experience of the SOS campaign it makes the Eskimo model look great in comparison.

Murray Pezim in B.C., Horn Chen in Ottawa, John Candy in Toronto to name but a few colorful characters--private ownership has been entertaining if nothing else but hardly a good business practice.

Even with its declining fortunes the legendary Eskimo stabilization fund held its own through the decades and more than once came to the rescue of the CFL. Without the good ship EE the league would have been gone a long time ago.

Yup, looks like that's history now-- along with the name-- but it served us pretty well.

Let's raise a glass to another 4 down team called the Eagles. Admittedly its better than extinction.

 

[MoontoScott]

the league has been having it's challenges slowly pile up though. while it always trucks on, its been falling behind in the money game, attendance has been bleeding, and player committment has been slipping too, as teams are struggling to pay players to stick around long term, which is killing brand recognition and fans dont have the chance to really rally behind a player and have him become a household name like a Ricky Ray, or Damen Allen.

Im interested to see what kind of details come out of this. The league needed a shot in the arm before the pandemic and lost season. Maybe the XFL actually adapts to canadian rules in the long run with the bigger fields and playing with 3 downs and 12 men (or 3 down football at the very least).

Im not worried about Ambrose not having much to say, he never does, but he's not like Bettman and the NHL, the ownership structures are different in the CFL, and he's literally their lacky and doesnt have the pull that Bettman does with owners. Hes literally just a mouthpiece

With expressions like "pile up" and "truck on" you'd almost guess that this poster has white line fever

Remember Will and Sonny jamming gears and solving all those crimes on the road while driving??--hey I miss that show.

 

[oilers'72]

Public ownership may be going out of style but it served the Eskies, Riders and Bombers pretty well in its day.

When you look at some of the Stamp owners like F-troop Feterik and Larry Ryckman and the near death experience of the SOS campaign it makes the Eskimo model look great in comparison.

Murray Pezim in B.C., Horn Chen in Ottawa, John Candy in Toronto to name but a few colorful characters--private ownership has been entertaining if nothing else but hardly a good business practice.

Even with its declining fortunes the legendary Eskimo stabilization fund held its own through the decades and more than once came to the rescue of the CFL. Without the good ship EE the league would have been gone a long time ago.

Yup, looks like that's history now-- along with the name-- but it served us pretty well.

Let's raise a glass to another 4 down team called the Eagles. Admittedly its better than extinction.

3 plus the extra down? Postage stamp sized field? The fairy catch? No, thanks. Maybe Commonwealth could be modified to handle AAA baseball. Not enough outdoor concerts to keep it open.

 

[joestevens29]

Watch after all of these non-news that comes out the only thing they do is use the same football.

 

[Captain Fantastic]

3 plus the extra down? Postage stamp sized field? The fairy catch? No, thanks. Maybe Commonwealth could be modified to handle AAA baseball. Not enough outdoor concerts to keep it open.

Wouldn't mind seeing 4 downs on the larger field. That would bring some pretty high scoring games. If they could do a hybrid of some sort , I'd be open to it. There'd be an issue with stadiums being able to handle the field size of the CFL in the US. I think getting rid of the fair catch and touchback BS would be a good start. Everyone mentions the CFL's shorter game clock but between snaps , I don't find much of a difference (vs NFL) in time so have a shorter clock that starts at the end of the play without waiting for the ref's whistle. Have a flat 30 seconds. I think that 4 down football is inevitable though. The US football fan won't widely accept a 3 down version of the game which is unfortunate and that's where the money will come from.

 

[CanmoreMike]

I think the XFL would be wise to find ideal sized US stadiums for their next season. I think trying to look legit in a 50-60K stadium when you might get 20k fans is silly. If possible, try and use MLS fields. Those stadiums are usually between 20-30K and the XFL would look nice in a crowd that size.

 

[joestevens29]

Honestly how the media blew up on this story and went so far in every direction is worse than the posters on here when a guy misses a practice and Tippett says nothing.

Like there seems to be a lot of people on an edge right now that CFL football as we know it is done. Which could very well be, but we don't know that. I did hear one guy though say that while he is a long-time CFL traditionalist he also realizes this might be the only way to keep him going to Canadian stadiums to cover the sport. Which I think is something that we all should realize.

 

[yukoner88]

Honestly how the media blew up on this story and went so far in every direction is worse than the posters on here when a guy misses a practice and Tippett says nothing.

Like there seems to be a lot of people on an edge right now that CFL football as we know it is done. Which could very well be, but we don't know that. I did hear one guy though say that while he is a long-time CFL traditionalist he also realizes this might be the only way to keep him going to Canadian stadiums to cover the sport. Which I think is something that we all should realize.

Also, The Rock (Dwayne Johnson) Isa very aware of the CFL's long history and the tradition that the Grey Cup is. He holds a high regard towards the league and is a huge fan, which is probably why he's looking to form a partnership.

I personally believe The Rock wants to add and inject some life back into the league, rather than reform everything and turn everything upside down. I'm excited to hear what ideas that Dwayne is pitching to the league.

The CFL is literally dying for good news to come it's way, and the buzz this is creating is one of the best things that could happen.

Don't screw this up CFL

 

[Paralyzer]

Also, The Rock (Dwayne Johnson) Isa very aware of the CFL's long history and the tradition that the Grey Cup is. He holds a high regard towards the league and is a huge fan, which is probably why he's looking to form a partnership.

I personally believe The Rock wants to add and inject some life back into the league, rather than reform everything and turn everything upside down. I'm excited to hear what ideas that Dwayne is pitching to the league.

The CFL is literally dying for good news to come it's way, and the buzz this is creating is one of the best things that could happen.

Don't screw this up CFL

Agreed. I think the Rock will keep things as close to CFL as it can get. This is good news for the CFL, not bad news.

 

[joestevens29]

Also, The Rock (Dwayne Johnson) Isa very aware of the CFL's long history and the tradition that the Grey Cup is. He holds a high regard towards the league and is a huge fan, which is probably why he's looking to form a partnership.

I personally believe The Rock wants to add and inject some life back into the league, rather than reform everything and turn everything upside down. I'm excited to hear what ideas that Dwayne is pitching to the league.

The CFL is literally dying for good news to come it's way, and the buzz this is creating is one of the best things that could happen.

Don't screw this up CFL

If the only thing The Rock does is tell people how much he likes the CFL, it'll be a win for the CFL.

Him showing up to game that is broadcasted in the United States would even be bigger for the CFL.

There is all these talks about ambassadors of pro teams now and for the most part they really don't do much. The Rock having anything to do from a marketing stand point will be one of the best things to happen to the CFL in a very long time

 

[trick91]

Get rid of the Canadian ratio or whatever its called where a certain number of players have to be from Canada on your team. CFL and XFL should strive to have the BEST players outside the NFL.

I think CFL should try to do one more season this year, then combine with the XFL next year. Have a north and south division, with some interleague play like baseball does. CFL needs to do something. Even before COVID, attendance was down in most places.

 

[MoontoScott]

the league has been having it's challenges slowly pile up though. while it always trucks on, its been falling behind in the money game, attendance has been bleeding, and player committment has been slipping too, as teams are struggling to pay players to stick around long term, which is killing brand recognition and fans dont have the chance to really rally behind a player and have him become a household name like a Ricky Ray, or Damen Allen.

Im interested to see what kind of details come out of this. The league needed a shot in the arm before the pandemic and lost season. Maybe the XFL actually adapts to canadian rules in the long run with the bigger fields and playing with 3 downs and 12 men (or 3 down football at the very least).

Im not worried about Ambrose not having much to say, he never does, but he's not like Bettman and the NHL, the ownership structures are different in the CFL, and he's literally their lacky and doesnt have the pull that Bettman does with owners. Hes literally just a mouthpiece

There is no question that the CFL we once knew is gone and we have to focus on some of the positives as opposed to the negatives.

I'm not sure how this proposed "merger" (if indeed that's what it is) will work from a business standpoint but with so few details its only guesswork as to how you combine a bunch of smaller American fields and the larger Canadian turfs. I know that most American football players like the bigger field so they won't have many objections.

As a devout CFL fan for a very long time I have never been a big fan of the import ratio so I won't be sad to see it go but I hope the bigger playing fields will always be around. I also hate the "fair catch" nonsense and a few other American football rules but I think that 4 downs is probably inevitable. On the bigger playing surface that will make for some real shoot-outs and pass happy entertainment.

Even prior to the virus and the name change the writing was on the wall for the Eskies. I will never understand the string of bad hires and how the club stubbornly clung to some of these characters when it was obvious that they were out of their league. It badly damaged the EE mystique and the legendary team administration and class was essentially gone. The BOD just looked at the financials and failed to understand what Eskimo football was really about.