THURSDAY COMMENTARY – THE BRALEY EFFECT

(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary at 9:50 am and 5:20 pm on Cat Country 98 FM)

WE’RE ABOUT TO FIND OUT HOW MUCH IMPACT THE “BRALEY EFFECT” REALLY HAS.

THE CFL WORLD’S STILL BUZZING FOUR DAYS AFTER BC LIONS OWNER DAVID BRALEY PASSED AWAY AT AGE 79 AT HIS HOME IN BURLINGTON, ON.

BRALEY WAS – AND ALWAYS WILL BE – SYNONYMOUS WITH THE CANADIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE AFTER HIS OWNERSHIP OF THREE TEAMS AT DIFFERENT TIMES, INCLUDING THE ARGOS AND TICATS.

CLEARLY BRALEY’S LEGACY IS COMPLICATED AND HAS BEEN DEBATED AT LENGTH THIS WEEK. HE SAVED THE LEAGUE ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION, BUT HIS OUTDATED VIEWS ON HOW TO RUN A TEAM HELD THE LEAGUE BACK IN MANY WAYS.

THERE’S NO DOUBT HOW MUCH POWER BRALEY WIELDED AT THE OWNERS TABLE BUT I CAN ONLY GO BY STORIES I’VE HEARD, BECAUSE I WASN’T THERE. BUT JUST THIS PAST SUMMER, IF IT’S TRUE THE RIDERS AND BOMBERS WANTED TO PLAY BUT BRALEY DIDN’T AND HE WON OUT, THAT SHOWS YOU HIS INFLUENCE.

SO NOW WITH BRALEY’S PASSING, THE CFL HAS HIT A FORK IN THE ROAD.

IS THERE MUCH MORE FREEDOM NOW FOR THE CFL AND ITS OWNERS AND GOVERNORS TO OPERATE? WILL THE MICKEY MOUSE NATURE OF THE CFL BE SHED BECAUSE, AS IT APPEARS, BRALEY’S BEEN CALLING THE SHOTS FOR MUCH OF THE LAST 30 YEARS?

ORRRRR IS THE CFL IN MORE TROUBLE THAN IT’S EVER BEEN BECAUSE IT DOESN’T HAVE BRALEY’S BIG BUCKS TO BAIL THEM OUT?

I DON’T THINK ANYONE HAS THE ANSWER TO THAT. BUT WE’RE ABOUT TO FIND OUT.

THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY ON CAT COUNTRY 98.