LONG REPLY...
I am a long-time CFL fan, and let me give you a little context to what is happening in CFB based on what has happened up here.
20-25 years ago, players up here signed 2-, 3-, 4-year contracts like they did in the NFL. Before that, it was typical for CFL players that thought they might want to stay to become Canadian citizens and settle in the city in which they played. Then after the CFL tried putting teams in the US (mid-90's), management agreed to a "new" contract system: Just about EVERY American player signed a contract with a player-option year, so they could leave easily for an NFL opportunity. That meant that American players then started signing shorter contracts; the 3- and 4-year contracts stopped, and 1- and 2-year plus an option became the standard.
That meant that, unlike before the mid-90's when fans got to know players because they stayed with the teams they came up to play with, fans kinda lost touch with the players because of the short-term contracts. The player-option contracts died out a few years ago, and now, most American players sign one-year contracts with teams. This has basically eliminated connections between the fans and the players (they move around every year), and has put a lot of stress on the fan-team relationship.
As examples from the past season, and this upcoming off-season / season, Hamilton had 70 players under contract at the end of the season (roster, practice roster, injured list) and 38 are free-agents as of Feb. 1st; they brought in 22 new players last year. Winnipeg, that played in the Grey Cup, had 62 players on the roster at the end of the year, and 37 are free agents; they brought in 10 new players last year. Montreal brought in 24, Ottawa brought in 27, and all of this was because of one-year free agency.
College football is headed down this path, and it seems bad here, but I am talking to fans of tOSU, USC, Clemson, Texas Tech, Kansas, Missouri...they all expect 20% or more turnover this season and expect it to be ongoing. The effect it's had on the CFL has been pretty drastic. Teams out west (Edmonton, Calgary, British Columbia) have seen attendance cut nearly in half over the past 20 years; Edmonton used to draw 55,000 in a 65,000-seat stadium as late as the 90's, and today, they average about 25,000. Toronto's attendance has gone from 35,000 in the 90's to about 15,000 today. And when the league does focus-groups and surveys to ask why, player turnover is the number one reason why fans are losing interest.
Personally, it's one thing for a professional player to change teams every year; he's making a living, but as an educator, it makes me laugh to imagine a kid getting an education in the day of the portal...maybe a bigger reason than NIL to start calling this NSPAA football (National Semi-Professional Athletic Association).
I am a long-time CFL fan, and let me give you a little context to what is happening in CFB based on what has happened up here.
20-25 years ago, players up here signed 2-, 3-, 4-year contracts like they did in the NFL. Before that, it was typical for CFL players that thought they might want to stay to become Canadian citizens and settle in the city in which they played. Then after the CFL tried putting teams in the US (mid-90's), management agreed to a "new" contract system: Just about EVERY American player signed a contract with a player-option year, so they could leave easily for an NFL opportunity. That meant that American players then started signing shorter contracts; the 3- and 4-year contracts stopped, and 1- and 2-year plus an option became the standard.
That meant that, unlike before the mid-90's when fans got to know players because they stayed with the teams they came up to play with, fans kinda lost touch with the players because of the short-term contracts. The player-option contracts died out a few years ago, and now, most American players sign one-year contracts with teams. This has basically eliminated connections between the fans and the players (they move around every year), and has put a lot of stress on the fan-team relationship.
As examples from the past season, and this upcoming off-season / season, Hamilton had 70 players under contract at the end of the season (roster, practice roster, injured list) and 38 are free-agents as of Feb. 1st; they brought in 22 new players last year. Winnipeg, that played in the Grey Cup, had 62 players on the roster at the end of the year, and 37 are free agents; they brought in 10 new players last year. Montreal brought in 24, Ottawa brought in 27, and all of this was because of one-year free agency.
College football is headed down this path, and it seems bad here, but I am talking to fans of tOSU, USC, Clemson, Texas Tech, Kansas, Missouri...they all expect 20% or more turnover this season and expect it to be ongoing. The effect it's had on the CFL has been pretty drastic. Teams out west (Edmonton, Calgary, British Columbia) have seen attendance cut nearly in half over the past 20 years; Edmonton used to draw 55,000 in a 65,000-seat stadium as late as the 90's, and today, they average about 25,000. Toronto's attendance has gone from 35,000 in the 90's to about 15,000 today. And when the league does focus-groups and surveys to ask why, player turnover is the number one reason why fans are losing interest.
Personally, it's one thing for a professional player to change teams every year; he's making a living, but as an educator, it makes me laugh to imagine a kid getting an education in the day of the portal...maybe a bigger reason than NIL to start calling this NSPAA football (National Semi-Professional Athletic Association).
