CFL Season Should Start Earlier

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Hambone
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CardiacKid wrote:
Tue Nov 28, 2017 2:08 pm
When the maritimes get a team (and it would appear that is more likely than originally speculated a couple of weeks ago) I don't see how the length of the season can remain the same. But math was never my strong suit.

I think for the league a 10th team would be a huge benefit, one that will outstrip any potential pitfalls or adjusting pains. I have to believe an expansion of the league will result in a longer schedule so which book-end gets changed?

Do we start earlier or play Grey Cups in December? Its a 6 of one, half dozen of another equation in my mind. Pick yer poison....
Math-wise they could actually shorten the season. With 9 teams somebody takes a bye every week and all teams wind up with 2 byes. It takes 20 weeks to complete an 18 game schedule with 1 team having to play twice in the same "week". With 10 teams they could play a balanced schedule every week and knock 2 weeks off the current scheme. I suppose a question could be asked about whether the bye week does have value in terms of giving players a break and rest and reducing injuries. I think the players like it as it gives many a chance to get away back home to their families part way through the season. I could see them still wanting all teams to get a bye and going back to the way they handled byes prior to Ottawa's re-entry. With 8 teams they played a 19 week slate of games with 4 teams getting a bye in mid-August and the other 4 taking the following week off. With 10 they could do the same thing with 4 teams getting a bye one week and the rest the following week. Or maybe they do 4, 4 and 2. It would still cut a week off the schedule. All teams getting their bye within a couple weeks of each other instead of scatter across the year is more equitable than the current system.
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KnowItAll
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CardiacKid wrote:
Tue Nov 28, 2017 2:08 pm
When the maritimes get a team (and it would appear that is more likely than originally speculated a couple of weeks ago) I don't see how the length of the season can remain the same. But math was never my strong suit.

I think for the league a 10th team would be a huge benefit, one that will outstrip any potential pitfalls or adjusting pains. I have to believe an expansion of the league will result in a longer schedule so which book-end gets changed?

Do we start earlier or play Grey Cups in December? Its a 6 of one, half dozen of another equation in my mind. Pick yer poison....
actually, for 10 teams, they could do away with bye weeks and shorten the season by two weeks.
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VictoriaFan
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i'd like to see 1 more week added to pre-season , I think its harder on players doing 2 weeks as far as injury and assessing the new guys and i'd also like it if they would play a game in say... Victoria!! With ferry and hotel and crappy beer at B.C. place i'm looking at 5 bills for 2 of us
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People forget that the NFL have franchises in Green Bay, Chicago, Detroit, New York and they're doing just fine in the cold weather. Heaven forbids, they even sometimes play in the snow and sleet.
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CardiacKid
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I am going to guess the players like having the bye week. If I was a player I sure would. I am also going to guess the coaching staff like having a week to re-assess the playbook if need be and give guys who are dinged up a chance to heal.
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cromartie
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In 2017, there were 22 Saturdays between Canada Day and the end of November, enough for a 19 week regular season and three playoff weeks.

With ten teams, that's 18 regular season games and one bye week.

So...what non existent problem are we trying to solve here, other than to chase non-existent American television money?
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DanoT
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cromartie wrote:
Wed Nov 29, 2017 7:47 am
In 2017, there were 22 Saturdays between Canada Day and the end of November, enough for a 19 week regular season and three playoff weeks.

With ten teams, that's 18 regular season games and one bye week.

So...what non existent problem are we trying to solve here, other than to chase non-existent American television money?
With an earlier start to the season, I think the CFL is chasing better end of season weather.

I also think the CFLPA will negotiate 2 bye weeks as a player health issue, regardless of the number of teams in the league.
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Toppy Vann
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TheLionKing wrote:
Tue Nov 28, 2017 8:16 pm
People forget that the NFL have franchises in Green Bay, Chicago, Detroit, New York and they're doing just fine in the cold weather. Heaven forbids, they even sometimes play in the snow and sleet.
And Buffalo, Boston, Philly, Baltimore, Washington and out west in Seattle - all wintery weather.

I'd like to see it start later. NFL seems to have no issues and they don't finish when the CFL does.

Players will never give up bye weeks nor would coaches and I thought I heard the Commissioner say they will go to bye weeks(?) .
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cromartie
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DanoT wrote:
Wed Nov 29, 2017 8:11 am
cromartie wrote:
Wed Nov 29, 2017 7:47 am
In 2017, there were 22 Saturdays between Canada Day and the end of November, enough for a 19 week regular season and three playoff weeks.

With ten teams, that's 18 regular season games and one bye week.

So...what non existent problem are we trying to solve here, other than to chase non-existent American television money?
With an earlier start to the season, I think the CFL is chasing better end of season weather.

I also think the CFLPA will negotiate 2 bye weeks as a player health issue, regardless of the number of teams in the league.
A couple of problems with this:

CFL ratings improve after Labor Day by roughly 10%, from what I've been able to find. In addition, there's only a 3% drop off in attendance after Labor Day.

You may be right on the CFLPA issue, and I wonder if two byes aren't better for a television contract as well.
I'd like to see it start later. NFL seems to have no issues and they don't finish when the CFL does.
I'm a traditionalist on this. I've always been of the opinion that the CFL season should start on Canada Day, and frankly I'm disappointed when the league doesn't seize an obvious marketing opportunity in doing so. Take the summer sports narrative from the Blue Jays by making the season kickoff something of a spectacle. There's a built in holiday on the calendar in which to do this and the league routinely ignores it in favor of emphasizing Labor Day (which, in and of itself, isn't a bad thing).

While you deal with the cold at outdoor stadiums in northern climates (Seattle, Buffalo, Cleveland, Green Bay, Chicago, New York, Philly, Pittsburgh and Boston) I'd submit that it isn't really until mid/late December where it starts to put a crimp in attendance in markets where the onfield product is non-competitive.
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cromartie wrote:
Wed Nov 29, 2017 1:42 pm
I'm a traditionalist on this. I've always been of the opinion that the CFL season should start on Canada Day, and frankly I'm disappointed when the league doesn't seize an obvious marketing opportunity in doing so. Take the summer sports narrative from the Blue Jays by making the season kickoff something of a spectacle. There's a built in holiday on the calendar in which to do this and the league routinely ignores it in favor of emphasizing Labor Day (which, in and of itself, isn't a bad thing).
Not necessarily that simple to start on Canada Day. In 2018 for instance Canada Day falls on a Sunday and with the current 20 week schedule setup would see the season end on the Remembrance Day weekend with the divisional semis going November 18th and Grey Cup being pushed to December 2nd.......in Edmonton. To open on Canada Day and still fit Grey Cup in on the last weekend in November the schedule must be 19 weeksin duration max.

Another factor is the fact Canada Day can fall on any day of the week. Depending on where a person happens to work Canada Day can also turn into a one day holiday when it falls on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. I've worked in places where in those cases we'd take the Monday or Friday off in lieu of Canada Day to get a long weekend and work on Canada Day. Labour Day on the other hand is static. It always falls on the first Monday in September.
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David
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cromartie wrote:
Wed Nov 29, 2017 1:42 pm
So...what non existent problem are we trying to solve here, other than to chase non-existent American television money?
:whs:

What I've been saying as well. On the list of things for the league to fix, ending the season earlier than its traditional last Sunday in November appears as far down my list as the 2017 BC Lions season appears on my list of memorable years.

I'd much rather hear changes to the command center disaster....you know....that roulette wheel thing-y in Toronto that decides whether the call on the field shall be upheld or overturned??


DH :cool:
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Sir Purrcival
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I wouldn't be opposed to starting things up a little sooner. By the time the season gets underway, it feels like much of the nice time of year has been getting under way for a month already. At least in these climes, spring starts in April and yet in the CFL, the first pre-season games are just starting about 2 months later in June. By the time the season starts, people are already preparing to have kids out of school, figuring out what they are doing with summer holidays and so on and so on. You have already lost some of their attention by that point. I don't really think the weather at the end of they year is a big issue with games but there is a certain truth to the idea that people are often much more energetic and enthusiastic in conjunction with the advent of spring. They are hungry to be out, breathing the fresh air and enjoying that spring sunshine. By not starting until summer is almost upon you, you miss that natural synergy. It would be interesting to at least try getting the regular season rolling by the beginning of June to see just what kind of interest you might be able to generate.
The football season to me is kind of like a story. Once you are hooked, you want to see it out. The danger that I see is that if your mind is elsewhere engaged, you never pick up the book.
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KnowItAll
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factor in NHL playoffs, and I don't know what other spring sports playoffs.

Students getting ready for finals and graduation and looking for summer jobs or first jobs.

A lot of this is done in May, if not April, for post secondary institutions.

as for preparing for kids out of school and summer planning, most of this is done before june.

For a lot of those people, plans will not include much sitting in stadiums, or on the couch in front of the tv.

My prediction would be a decline in revenue and reduction of whatever ever popularity the league has.
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Sir Purrcival
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You might be right, I don't know but I think it would be a worthy thing to try.

The bottom line is come spring, people are eager after a long dreary winter to be outside. Whether it be gardening, being in the parks what have you. There is often a pent up energy to be doing after having been shut in for months. That initial burst has come and gone by the time the end of June rolls around. After that, the board is often set for the rest of the summer and if you aren't already in that mix, you aren't going to be.
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cromartie
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Hambone wrote:
Wed Nov 29, 2017 7:31 pm

Not necessarily that simple to start on Canada Day. In 2018 for instance Canada Day falls on a Sunday and with the current 20 week schedule setup would see the season end on the Remembrance Day weekend with the divisional semis going November 18th and Grey Cup being pushed to December 2nd.......in Edmonton. To open on Canada Day and still fit Grey Cup in on the last weekend in November the schedule must be 19 weeks in duration max.

Another factor is the fact Canada Day can fall on any day of the week. Depending on where a person happens to work Canada Day can also turn into a one day holiday when it falls on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. I've worked in places where in those cases we'd take the Monday or Friday off in lieu of Canada Day to get a long weekend and work on Canada Day. Labour Day on the other hand is static. It always falls on the first Monday in September.
A ten team league finishes an 18 game season with one bye in 19 weeks. Get Halifax up and running and your problem is solved. You shouldn't need two bye weeks once you have ten teams because you don't run into the three games in eight days quirks from having nine teams to begin with.

I'd like one Canada Day game in prime time on Canada Day in the same manner that the NFL kicks off it's season. Make it an event, and either put the game in Ottawa or feature a Grey Cup rematch (with the exception of the year Halifax joins the league; that team should be launched there).

I'm really not concerned on what day of the week that falls, you can play the rest on Thur/Fri/Sat/Sun if you'd like. The CFL has a C in it for a reason, and the league would do well to better emphasize and strengthen that than bastardize the schedule to chase non-existent US television money. Canada Day is a great opportunity to play this up that the league wastes (aside from this year's 150 tie in, which they were left scrambling to make merchandise available for after the fact).

There are far, far better ways to increase awareness and exposure on the league domestically and internationally including....

1) Invest in a video game. There's been clamor for this for well over a decade and a half and, with all due respect to Canuck Play, only either tying in with Madden or writing EA a check for a million or so is going to matter. People play video games. A lot. It's consistent, repetitive in house impression advertising every time someone presses a Start button.

2) Better utilize and monetize mobile platforms, domestically and/or internationally. Can you watch CFL games on your mobile device in Canada? How many hoops do you have to jump through to do so? Shouldn't there be a standalone app for that? The CFL and TSN need to reassess digital access to both live games and highlights. They need a mobile strategy, and a way to properly monetize that strategy and soon.

3) Better management of international access. As someone who loves both the CFL and the IPL, I have the joy of never knowing which network these leagues will be on from year to year, or if they'll be on at all. With the CFL, over the last few years I've had less than 14 days notice of what the broadcast partner and schedule is going to be and when and how I'm going to be able to find my favorite team. The Sirius/XM partnership does almost no favors in this regard either; they do/did little to no promotion of the league and I can't even tell you if they broadcast any games at all in the US.

Get your broadcast partner and schedule solidified sooner so people seeking out your product can actually find it.

Here's a strategy worth trying; keep the July-September ESPN exposure and sell the remaining feed for a fee rather than giving it away on ESPN3 on a standalone app. The numbers can't be worse than what you're getting now.
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