WEDNESDAY CAT COUNTRY COMMENTARY

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

DECISION TIME IS HERE FOR CFL PLAYERS.

IT’S MID-JUNE, WE’RE INTO WEEK 2 OF THE POSTPONED SEASON, AND THERE’S NO INDICATION WHATSOEVER THAT THERE WILL BE GAMES IN 2020 NOR THAT JUSTIN TRUDEAU WILL BE PICKING UP THE TAB AND DISTRIBUTING CHEQUES TO PLAYERS.

IT’S SAD, BUT HERE WE ARE. MONTHS AGO I PREDICTED COVID-19 WILL END PRO FOOTBALL CAREERS AND THAT’S HOW IT’S TURNING OUT.

SO CFL PLAYERS ARE LOOKING IN THE MIRROR AND ASKING WHAT’S THEIR MOTIVATION FOR PLAYING THE GAME? THE MINIMUM SALARY OF 65-THOUSAND DOLLARS IS CLEARLY MINOR LEAGUE, BUT IT’S WELL ABOVE THE AVERAGE FOR THE CANADIAN PUBLIC WHICH IS 52-THOUSAND.

THERE’S NOTHING TO BE ASHAMED OF FOR MAKING A CAREER OUT OF PLAYING IN THE CFL, ESPECIALLY SINCE THAT SALARY IS FOR ONLY SIX MONTHS’ WORK.

BUT AGAIN, THE PLAYERS ARE EXAMINING WHY THEY’RE PLAYING AT ALL. IS IT A STEPPING STONE TO THE NFL? THEN YOU’D PLAY FOR ALMOST NOTHING. ARE YOU PLAYING BECAUSE YOU DON’T WANT TO GET A REAL JOB LIKE VETERAN PUNTER JOSH BARTEL HAS JOKED? THEN AGAIN, YOU’D PLAY FOR PEANUTS.

HOWEVER IF YOU’RE A FATHER OF THREE LIVING IN AMERICA LIKE, SAY, ALOUETTES STAR RUNNING BACK JAMES WILDER JR, THEN THE HEAT IS RATCHETED UP NOW. IF YOU’RE LIKE ROUGHRIDERS D-LINEMAN CHAD GETER WHO HAS AN UNDERGRAD DEGREE IN SOCIOLOGY AND A MINOR IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE, YOU’RE OPENLY SOLICITING JOB OFFERS ON TWITTER THINKING MAYBE IT’S TIME TO GET ON WITH YOUR LIFE.

OR … MAYBE YOU’RE CONTENT TO PLAY THE WAITING GAME, PICK UP ODD JOBS TO PAY THE BILLS, AND ARE EAGER TO GET BACK ON THE FIELD SIMPLY FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME.

THAT’S THE ATTITUDE THAT THE CFL WAS BUILT ON, BECAUSE NOBODY EVER GOT INTO IT TO GET RICH.

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