Sign in to follow this  
Captain_Smiley

rumor mill

Recommended Posts

The sports commentator on the local news just said that rumors are that when the NFL expands again,possible within the next 5-7 years,that a CFL franchise may be invited to jump leagues (possibly Toronto).He said that this is because Los Angeles still doesn't have its act together,and there are very few attractive choices left in the United states for NFL expansion.Has anyone heard anything about this?

On the one hand,I think its great.But on the other hand,will Canada allow the NFL to take the Argonauts,knowing that further encroachment may result,as well as the possibility that the NFL may devour the CFL's big market teams and kill the CFL.That league has been around a long,long time.That would be a shame.

I tend to think that this is another unfounded rumor.I checked the CFL and NFL websites and found nothing about this.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
The sports commentator on the local news just said that rumors are that when the NFL expands again,possible within the next 5-7 years,that a CFL franchise may be invited to jump leagues (possibly Toronto).He said that this is because Los Angeles still doesn't have its act together,and there are very few attractive choices left in the United states for NFL expansion.Has anyone heard anything about this?

On the one hand,I think its great.But on the other hand,will Canada allow the NFL to take the Argonauts,knowing that further encroachment may result,as well as the possibility that the NFL may devour the CFL's big market teams and kill the CFL.That league has been around a long,long time.That would be a shame.

I tend to think that this is another unfounded rumor.I checked the CFL and NFL websites and found nothing about this.

Don't count on this happening. In fact I will be surprised to see the NFL expand again at all.

 

They won't expand to have a Canadian team because of the Canadian labor laws that require a majority % of players to be Canadian. Plus I believe it would be too big of a transition for a canadian team to try to convert to NFL rules and the NFL won't adopt the CFL rules. The 2 leagues are incompatible. I could see the possibility of a Canadian team in the NFL but not a CFL team joining the NFL. Though it might be interesting. I just don't don't think it'll ever happen.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Toronto has been mentioned numerous times over the years as a possible site for an NFL team. The NFL and CFL have an agreement that I believe is still in effect that as long as there is a CFL team in Toronto the NFL will NOT expand into that market. I doubt it will happen. With the exchange rate and NFL salaries I don't think Toronto could afford a team. The Blue Jays are already suffering the payroll blues because of escalating salaries and the exchange rate. The Leafs are doing fine although I've heard grumblings about the Leafs penny pinching as well. As well, Toronto is a hockey town. It would all come down to who the owner is and how deep his/her/its pockets are.

 

I don't think the NFL would expand anywhere else in Canada. The current situation with the Montreal Expos may keep the NFL out of that city. The recent experience of the NBA in Vancouver would probably keep the NFL out of the Vancouver. Once again, like Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver are hockey towns. There aren't any other cities in Canada with a population base that could even think of having a team.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Toronto has been mentioned numerous times over the years as a possible site for an NFL team.  The NFL and CFL have an agreement that I believe is still in effect that as long as there is a CFL team in Toronto the NFL will NOT expand into that market.  I doubt it will happen.  With the exchange rate and NFL salaries I don't think Toronto could afford a team.  The Blue Jays are already suffering the payroll blues because of escalating salaries and the exchange rate.  The Leafs are doing fine although I've heard grumblings about the Leafs penny pinching as well.  As well, Toronto is a hockey town.  It would all come down to who the owner is and how deep his/her/its pockets are.

 

I don't think the NFL would expand anywhere else in Canada.  The current situation with the Montreal Expos may keep the NFL out of that city.  The recent experience of the NBA in Vancouver would probably keep the NFL out of the Vancouver.  Once again, like Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver are hockey towns.  There aren't any other cities in Canada with a population base that could even think of having a team.

Interesting points, I could see only a few pluses to expand into Canada and they are mainly PR reasons. It would make the league more "International", I think there are enough cities in the United States that would be better able to support a team (Fan Base wise) then expanding into other countries. My home area is one example, the Hampton Roads area (Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Suffolk, Portsmouth) is the largest metropolitan area in the nation without a professional sports team of any kind. I don't know that this area could support an NFL team in terms of fan base, but I do believe it would likely be better able to do so then many other areas.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Why exactly do the Canadians enforce a limit on foreign-born players on the CFL teams?The NFL doesn't do that.They want the best,and if the best happens to be a Canadian,an Aussie,or another non-American they take him.It stands to reason,Canadian football fans would like the same thing,the best possible players on their teams.So what gives?This rule feels like an admission that Canadians can't play up to the level of other professionals,and I know that is a bunch of bull.

I hate rules like this.They do the same thing in Japan,and a few years ago they kicked a ton of Americans,Canadians,South Americans,and Europeans out of a pro women's volleyball league over there in order to make room for native japanese...and the level of play suffered so badly the league folded after only two more seasons.They also enforce the rule with their baseball league.

Rules like this need to go.There's no place for them in the world of sport.

 

Oops...this was totally off the subject.Sorry,Captain_Smiley.Uhm,yeah,I think the rumor is bogus,too.For all the reasons mentioned already in the other posts.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The import/non-import rule was created to ensure that Canadian players remained in the game. As much as we want to have the best players play we also want to see Canadians play as well. At one time most if not all of the teams were community owned (there still are a number that are including my Winnipeg Blue Bombers). In order to get funding from various levels of government, there have to be jobs for Canadians. It isn't a law but you can imagine the uproar if the government helped subsidize jobs for non-Canadians only.

 

Personally, I support the rule. It isn't a matter of not being the best but being given the chance. Our university football programs don't have the funding that US college football has or the following. There have been many Canadian players in the CFL that I think could have played in the NFL if given the chance. There are a number of Canadians in the NFL now but most if not all went to the States on football scholarships.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I kind of figured the sports commentator on the news was full of it.He's a new guy,thinks he's a comedian...raps the nightly scores ( :) I hate that...),and has been known to invent a rumor to spice up his otherwise lame 5 or 10 minutes in front of the camera.Well,at least I have noticed 2 or 3 rumors he started that turned out to be nothing.The first was that a New York based group were buying the Dodgers and relocating them back to Brooklyn,and the other was that a southern California group had all but inked a deal to move the Seattle Seahawks to Los Angeles.Maybe I ought to e-mail the tv station and complain. :)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Yeah, I don't really like football but I know that the Argos couldn't really "move up" to the NFL due to their ownership problems.

Oh, for the record Takara, the Leafs are beginning to penny-pinch but it is completely unrelated to the exchange rate (which is up to $0.76). The Leafs are owned in part by the Ontario Teachers Pension Fund which is only concerned with their own profit. However, they did spend enough to sign Marchment, Nieuwendyk, and Klee. I still don't like them. They hide behind flimsy excuses that rob the city of Toronto a chance to end the ever present Stanley Cup drought.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this