SPORTS TALK: CFL needs to look north of the border for expansion

By Greg Buchanan

With the CFL down to the final four after this past weekend's semifinals and the Grey Cup just two Sundays away, many are asking that off-season question yet again: What does the future hold for our Canadian Pigskin?

With the Commish riding into retirement, who will take over his role? Many feel it's time for expansion. The East Coast or football-crazed Quebec City (honestly, that City with the growth of CIS football would love to have a team).

Speaking of expansion, there is some discussion of heading south again. (Wait! Hear me out…) The CFL might have an opportunity.

I don't think having an eight-team spring football league is bad for the CFL. In fact, I think it's probably good because you are keeping more players active. Just look at the number of players in our league right now who have UFL, USFL, or XFL on their resumes. It's a lot. And those guys wouldn't be playing football without those leagues.

At one point after the COVID-19 pandemic, the XFL and CFL were discussing some kind of partnership, but it wasn't specified whether it was a merger or just a partnership. Those talks ended in 2022, with the CFL moving forward with its season and the XFL playing in 2023, eventually merging with the USFL to become the UFL. Both leagues have had a cross-over with players in both leagues, with the biggest example being Montreal Alouettes linebacker Darnell Sankey winning an XFL title with the Arlington Renegades and now starting for Montreal.

Do you know what most players love about the CFL? Fans, history, record books. It's a more meaningful league to play in than it is when playing in a league where, in some cases, there are almost no fans. There's no question there's a certain type of players those leagues are better for.

From 1993 through 1995, the CFL had seven American teams that played during that span, as the Baltimore Stallions were the only team from America to win a Grey Cup. The CFL abandoned the U.S. format and went back to just Canadian teams due to financial issues.

If the CFL stuck with a potential U.S. team not having to follow the seven Canadian starter quotas, in many football experts' eyes the level of competition between Americans and Canadians are close

I mean, just look at the number of Canadians playing in NCAA football. There were 37 Canadians under contract in the NFL in early July. The talent level of Canadians is so much higher than it was 30 years ago. Some teams that required seven Canadian starters going up against all-American rosters, but of course, not NFL talent level. I don't think we would have a competitive issue with that.

But before looking south, the CFL needs to look North of the 49th for a 10th team in Canada. Enjoy the CUP in two weeks.