THURSDAY COMMENTARY – WHERE THERE’S SMOKE, THERE’S FIRE
(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary on Cat Country 98 & Rock 98.5 FM)
AS THEY SAY, WHERE THERE’S SMOKE, THERE’S FIRE.
CFL COMMISSIONER RANDY AMBROSIE SENT UP THE FIRST SMOKE SIGNALS DURING GREY CUP WEEK WHEN HE MENTIONED THE LEAGUE IS REVIEWING POSSIBLE RULE “IMPROVEMENTS” INCLUDING, POTENTIALLY, GOING TO FOUR DOWNS.
THE NOTION GOT A UNIVERSAL THUMBS-DOWN FROM CFL PURISTS; A LARGE GROUP WHICH INCLUDES COACHES, PLAYERS, MEDIA AND OF COURSE THE FANS.
THE IDEA CAUGHT MORE STEAM THIS WEEK WHEN AMBROSIE KICKED OFF HIS “RANDY’S ROAD TRIP” TOUR OF CFL CITIES WITH A STOP HERE IN CALGARY.
JUDGING BY MEDIA REPORTS, THE BULK OF HIS ADDRESS TO STAMPEDERS STAKEHOLDERS CENTRED AROUND THE LEAGUE’S NEW DIGITAL ASSETS PARTNER GENIUS SPORTS.
SPORTSNET’S ARASH MADANI THREW ANOTHER LOG ON THE FIRE ON WEDNESDAY’S ROD PEDERSEN SHOW, SAYING GENIUS SPORTS IS THE ONE PUSHING THE FOUR DOWN IDEA.
AGAIN, THE VOCAL PURISTS CAME OUT OF THE WOODWORK WITH A VENGEANCE, WITH SOME CALLING ARASH A “CFL HATER”.
BUT, AS USUAL, MADANI WAS JUST REPORTING WHAT’S HE’S HEARD AND WHAT HE BELIEVES TO BE THE TRUTH. (PEOPLE DON’T LIKE HEARING THE TRUTH, DONCHA KNOW?)
WHO REALLY KNOWS WHERE THIS IS COMING FROM? IT COULD BE THE SAME FACTION WHICH WAS PROMOTING THE XFL PARTNERSHIP, WHICH QUICKLY FIZZLED.
BUT THE COLD HARD TRUTH IS THAT THE CFL ISN’T OUT OF THE COVID WATER JUST YET. IN FACT, FROM WHAT I’VE HEARD, THEY’RE STILL IN PRETTY DEEP BUT IT’S NOTHING THAT CAN’T BE SOLVED BY YOU BUYING TICKETS TO CFL GAMES THIS SEASON.
IF GENIUS SPORTS TURNS OUT TO BE THE SAVIOUR FOR THE CFL WE’VE BEEN LED TO BELIEVE, AND THEY FEEL GOING TO FOUR DOWNS WILL LEAD TO LONG-TERM SURVIVAL, WOULD YOU BE IN FAVOUR OF IT THEN?
I GUESS WHAT I’M ASKING IS IF THE CHOICES ARE A FOUR-DOWN CANADIAN GAME RATHER THAN NO LEAGUE AT ALL, WOULD YOU TAKE IT?
I’M BETTING YOU WOULD.
THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY.
(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm ET on Game+ TV Network across Canada and the USA. Call your cable provider for details. You can also watch on YouTube Live and RodPedersen.com/ListenLive)
I an totally against going to 4 downs and taking a unique CFL game to a version of NFL lite. I can’t see that a change to NFL style of having a down to waste would make the CFL game any more exciting.
As far as I’m concerned Randy Ambrosie should be shown the door. He’s constantly trying to sabotage the CFL. He wasted a lot of time and countless dollars over his scatterbrained ‘International’ scheme, he’s talked of reducing the Canadian ratio and now four downs. The CFL Board of Governors has been infiltrated by Larry Tannenbaum who’s sole mission in life is to land an NFL franchise for the centre of the universe and his attitude is, if it means the demise of the CFL then so be it. We need a commissioner that isn’t Tannenbaum’s ‘yes’ man and Ambrosie doesn’t… Read more »
Right and wrong. First off you’re right about R.A – now who he takes orders from that’s one thing. His job is to present a vision and implement it. To my knowledge he has never presented a 10 year growth agenda. I’ve never seen any type of CFL outreach and I have never seen any type of marketing narrative to differentiate us from the NFL. We are not the NFL. The XFL was not the NFL. The XFL branded “For Love of the Game” – and for 5 weeks I watched those guys break themselves in half to get game… Read more »
I am trying to understand why 4 downs would make the CFL a better league. I wonder what the agenda is? Do they think 4 downs are going to put more backsides in seats?
Agreed! Or is it to sell more games, which has never worked……
Nope, I wouldn’t. You asked,I’m just sayin’…….that’s how I feel.
No. I would honestly stop buying tickets to games until this hybrid league folded (which it would because of people like me and because 4 downs will do squat to solve the problem) and a cfl-rules product merged from the ashes. I don’t dispute that the CFL is in a dire situation and I don’t mind big picture changes to address it. But someone needs to explain to me how moving to 4 downs is any kind of a solution to dwindling revenues.
I do not need to do a diatribe on the state of the CFL. For one they are so lucky that guys like me that rain or shine will plop down the money to go watch the games. There is noting wrong with the CFL brand of football. Jim Hopson took over the Roughriders and took what was a mom & pop shot and turned it into a multi million dollar business. People can spare me the Rider Pride b.s. Prior to 2007 the average was 17,000 – 23,000 fans in the seats. Now how did he do this? 1)… Read more »