Since Labour Day it has been a busy time for the entire league. Here are some of my musings:
Retro Game:
The Retro Game was a lot of fun. The TSN panel went 50’s Old School style along with the front office staff of the Argos, the owners, the cheerleaders and your Commish. The team at Reebok made me an amazing 1950’s Retro leather jacket. It was a great night and one that will be repeated in Winnipeg on October 10th in the rematch between the Argos and Bombers – in addition to the Retro themed night this will be an important game for an Eastern Playoff spot. In 2009 look for the CFL to roll out CFL Retro to the entire league.
Hall Of Fame:
What an amazing class this year consisting of Doug Flutie, Pinball Clemons, Mike Pringle, John Bonk and Tom Shepherd. It was great to be at the Hall of Fame Game in Hamilton and see the reaction of the fans to these legends. I had a chance to speak one-on-one with Doug and to hear, first hand, the remarkable passion and love Doug has for our league. I tell you, if he could suit up, I bet he would play again in our league.
While we were celebrating the Hall of Fame weekend it got off to a sad start with the passing of Ron Lancaster. I was at the Hall of Fame annual golf tournament when I received word of Ron’s passing. Everyone was truly in shock, but it also had an amazing feeling as former players and friends of Ron told great stories about this iconic Canadian.
As I wrote on the site a few days ago in reference to the passing of many CFL greats, the brilliant British physicist Sir Isaac Newton once acknowledged the greatness of the scientists who preceded him by saying: “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”
If we see a bright future for the CFL, and we truly do, it is because we stand on the shoulders of these extraordinary, and ordinary, men.
Stegall Records:
What can I say about Milt, he keeps on breaking records and I keep on flying to Winnipeg to show our respect for a true Champion. I felt like Bill Murray in the movie Groundhog Day (everyday was the same), where I would wake up each morning and find myself in Winnipeg in a pre-game ceremony honouring Milt Stegall.
Friday night was a lot of fun – Milt again showed why he was one of the all-time greats in our league. Great job Milt.
Future Travels:
I will be in Regina this Friday for their game against the Stampeders – this will be an important night for both teams. Following that game I will be celebrating Thanksgiving in Calgary where, again, I get a chance to see the Stamps and Riders battle it out.
I definitely have the best job in the country.
Player Safety:
As commissioner, I have a profound responsibility to protect the players of our game. That’s why yesterday we established a new set of player safety standards that are in effect for this weekend. The new standard provides our players with clear notice that any illegal act that creates a substantial and unnecessary risk of injury to an opposing player will be subject to a mandatory suspension. This helps us with player discipline in the event that we are faced with such a play. Players still have the right to arbitrate disciplinary action, but this new standard now provides players advance notice, which arbitrators must take into account.
All that said, it’s important to understand that in the vast majority of time, our players act and play in an exemplarily manner. But it’s important that we are always doing whatever we can to protect our players. And that’s what we are doing with these new standards.
Your Questions:
Thanks to the fans who emailed me questions. I will do my best to answer them throughout the year. Here are a couple of answers to some of the most frequent questions I have received:
- Video Game
A CFL video game is something that we have looked into in the past. It would be great to help attract the next generation of fans. However, creating a video game is a significant investment and on top of that, the Canadian market is very small to support solely a Canadian specific video launch . In order for the CFL to go down this road, we would need an economic model that worked for our league. We have yet to find one, however, we are always open to the idea if it makes sense for our business. With technology constantly changing, we are keeping abreast of the industry and if there is a opportunity that works, we will attack it.
- US Broadcasts
We appreciate all of our fans south of the border. It’s our goal to provide as many CFL fans with access to our league as possible. We will always thrive for that goal. As for this season, we are still working on expanding our coverage in the US, specifically for the Grey Cup. So stay tuned for news on that front.
Talk to you guys soon,
Mark
