The Canadian Football League (CFL) has announced a number of changes to the rules for the game over the upcoming years.

For me, I totally disagree with these changes as they make the game more ‘Americanized’ and seems to be a start for the game to be more like the National Football League (NFL) rather than as a league of its’ own.

Let’s discuss some of the changes:

1. The Rouge. The Rouge will no longer be awarded following a missed Field Goal. This takes away possible scoring opportunities for the offense and should not be changed.
2. 100 yard field. The length of the field will be shortened from 110 yards to 100 yards. While the width of the field will remain, this has a very “NFL feel” about it. It is claimed that this will increase scoring, but there is no guarantee of that.
3. Goal Posts moved back. The goal posts will be moved to the back of the endzones.
4. Endzones will be reduced. How does that ‘increase’ scoring?

I really dislike the changes and feel that they should not be implemented. They all come from a more NFL style of play and move the Canadian game away from its’ roots.

If the CFL really wants to make changes, how about focusing on making on marketing. When the Toronto Argonauts won the Grey Cup in 2022 and 2024, there was no parade and I found the media attention was lack luster to say the least. There should have been a parade and more focus on the whole celebration. The media attention should, at least, made it sound like the city came to a standstill for the celebration. People are not going to ‘get into’ the CFL if people are not aware of the league properly.

Also, not everyone gets TSN. How about airing games on more than just TSN as the NFL does? There’s Sportsnet and the CBC for a start.

The CFL also has the ability to work with the other major league sports teams in Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, and Vancouver to gain more exposure as well. This is especially true in Toronto where Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) owns the Argonauts, Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors, Toronto Marlies, and Toronto FC. Plus, Rogers Inc., the majority owners of MLSE, also own the Toronto Blue Jays. There is great opportunity there to gain more exposure that way.

I feel that the upcoming changes are watering down the CFL and making it feel more like the NFL.