TUESDAY COMMENTARY – THE CFL’S TRIANGLE

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

IT’S REMARKABLE REALLY.

WEDNESDAY MARKS THREE WEEKS SINCE THE CFL AND XFL BOTH ANNOUNCED THE TWO LEAGUES ARE INVESTIGATING A COLLABORATION IN THE YEARS AHEAD.

THREE WEEKS! AND REALLY THAT’S ALL THAT WAS SAID. NO DETAILS, NO HINTS, NOTHING.

THE FUROR SINCE HAS BEEN OUT OF CONTROL, WITH CANADIANS TROUNCING ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE XFL AND ITS NEW OWNER THE ROCK, AND MANY PROCLAIMING THEY’D RATHER SEE THE CFL FOLD.

SOME FANS!

PERHAPS THE MOST RIDICULOUS COMMENTS CAME FROM, IF YOU CAN BELIEVE, THE TORONTO BUSINESS JOURNAL WHO REFERRED TO THE ROCK AS “A PIMP” IN A COLUMN THIS WEEK.

THEY ALSO SAID FIXING THE CFL IS A “NO-BRAINER” AND THEIR PLAN INVOLVED USING CANADIAN UNIVERSITY PLAYERS AS SCABS WHO WOULD PLAY FOR NEXT-TO-NOTHING UNTIL THE PANDEMIC IS OVER.

ALL THIS DID WAS SHOW HOW LITTLE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND ABOUT CFL BUSINESS.

WHAT’S HOLDING THE CFL BACK RIGHT NOW IS NOT PLAYER WAGES, DESPITE THE FACT SOME HAVE BEEN ASKED TO TAKE UP TO A 40% CUT.

NO, IT’S THE FACT THAT LARGE CROWDS STILL AREN’T ALLOWED IN THIS COUNTRY DESPITE THE FACT WE’RE SEEING CROWDS IN THE THOUSANDS IN THE U.S.

WHATEVER. IT’S BEEN OVER A YEAR OF THIS AND IF ONE THING’S BEEN MADE ABUNDANTLY CLEAR, IT’S THAT CANADIAN GOVERNMENT & HEALTH OFFICIALS WON’T BE PUSHED INTO DOING ANYTHING THEY DON’T WANT TO DO.

THE CFL’S PLAN IS TO HOPE & PRAY FOR THE MAJORITY OF CANADIANS TO BE VACCINATED IN TIME FOR THE LEAGUE TO PLAY THIS YEAR.

THAT’S IT.

THAT, AND THEY DON’T HAVE THE MONEY TO PAY FOR A BUBBLE AND ARE EITHER UNWILLING OR UNABLE TO RAISE THE FUNDS TO PULL IT OFF.

THAT PART IS THE NO-BRAINER.

AND EVEN THE ROCK AND HIS BULGING MUSCLES CAN’T INFLUENCE THAT.

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