Would the CFL ever consider coming back down South again?

[uflorlandofan]

My question is this. If the Bills ever left Buffalo do you think the CFL would put a team in Buffalo? I know there is alot of speculation about the Bills leaving Buffalo and I think that would be one city that the CFL would have alot of luck in, think Labbatts Beer........

[Shootmaster_44]

I don't think the CFL has any designs on moving south in the near future. Possibly in 10 or 15 years when all the potential Canadian markets are filled. But the CFL almost folded as a result of American expansion last time, so I doubt it will consider it until it has no more Canadian markets to expand into.

[Minor League Man]

Originally Posted by Shootmaster_44

I don't think the CFL has any designs on moving south in the near future. Possibly in 10 or 15 years when all the potential Canadian markets are filled. But the CFL almost folded as a result of American expansion last time, so I doubt it will consider it until it has no more Canadian markets to expand into.

The closest I would see the CFL coming to the USA anytime soon would be if there was a team in the Pontiac Silverdome.

Still, then it would be considered Windsor, Ontario's team (not Detroit's)

[Strong Island Sound]

The only really successfulfranchise in the CFL US expansion was the Baltimore CFL Colts, aka Stallions.

They probably wouldn't make the move again. It is an interesting league and has a niche where it is.

The Buffalo Bills are looking into the possibility of playing a regular season game in Toronto next year. That would be a separate game from the NFL International Series.

[rider]

I think they would consider US border type cities such as Rochester New York or Detroit, Portland cities that are close to the border who are familiar to the CFL. example: rochester new york would be a excellent CFL city directly across the lake from Toronto. Rochester televsion broadcast cfl games.

They can't wait for Canadian cities to produce stadiums , how long has it been already years! They need the expansion revenue!

One poster said that the US expansion almost killed the CFL, actually it was the opposite the US expansion actually saved the league fiancially with the expansion fees. The league was desperate for cash.

[Pounder]

Every city getting a CFL team will be angling for an NFL team...

(This is where I would have said "including Detroit," but that was a better joke 2 years ago than it is now.)

...what good is that for stability?

[Shootmaster_44]

Originally Posted by rider

I think they would consider US border type cities such as Rochester New York or Detroit, Portland cities that are close to the border who are familiar to the CFL. example: rochester new york would be a excellent CFL city directly across the lake from Toronto. Rochester televsion broadcast cfl games.

They can't wait for Canadian cities to produce stadiums , how long has it been already years! They need the expansion revenue!

One poster said that the US expansion almost killed the CFL, actually it was the opposite the US expansion actually saved the league fiancially with the expansion fees. The league was desperate for cash.

It did nearly kill the CFL though. The league was bleeding money left and right, if the NFL had not stepped in in 1995 and loaned the CFL a pile of cash, my Roughriders would not be playing in the Grey Cup today. I remember the "Save the Riders" telethon that ran a few days before the NFL deal was worked out. The Riders didn't sell the number of tickets they needed to break even, but the NFL money balanced it out.

The reason the league was bleeding money was that yes there were expansion fees that were brought in, but the American clubs were losing so much money that the CFL had to consistently bail them out.

Either way, I think it would be a major mistake to expand into the US with viable Canadian cities without franchises. The CFL is on the best ground it has been since 1983 and doesn't need the influx of expansion fees.

The one thing I'm curious is who initiated American expansion? Was it the CFL or was it the Sacramento Surge's owner? The way I heard it was he wasn't happy the NFL suspended the WLAF and wanted to keep his team alive and went out looking for a league. He approached the CFL and they said yes and approved both Sacramento and the San Antonio franchise that never materialized. I think that same off-season was the embarrassing Orlando fiasco, where they had a press conference scheduled and the owner literally said backstage at the presser that he had changed his mind about the franchise.

[Berkshirian]

However, if the Bills DID move to Toronto, Buffalo would be a great CFL city! If there were to be American expansion, it should be focused on border area "triple A" type markets such as Rochester, NY, Grand Rapids, MI, or Portland, OR.

The league can't wait forever for Halifax or Quebec City to build stadia, or Ottawa to figure out where they are in this whole thing. The league must think about growth, and stable growth within the US would be in the types of cities I mentioned.

Thoughts?

[tops804]

...would like to see more of the CFL??? Leading up to franchises in the United
States again?

Sad to say, but past history indicates that there is not enough interest in the
United States to build on...The CFL is pretty much a non-factor.

July - November

MLB, NFL pre-season & regular season, College Football, NBA...All dominate
sports networks...I would love to see a CFL game once a week on ESPN
again. Interest leads to ratings, leading to advertisers paying more & more
for commercial time. Once a network sees no profit, they pull the plug on
the telecasts. If we won't watch it, I doubt that any major city would
or could support it.

[logoguru]

At the time, San Antonio and Baltimore wanted to continue but the CFL wouldnt let them so Baltimore moved to Montreal and San Antonio was forced to fold. Since then they have been addiment about it being Canadas game as a marketing gimmick, but I think it is in their best interest to stay. I would also like to see how the UFL and AAFL do before the CFL makes a move south.
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