In the United States, summertime is when teams get prepared to play football. NFL teams start training camp, and college teams start practice. North of the border in Canada, however, summertime is when their professional football season begins in the form of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
The CFL is almost as old as the NFL, coming into existence in'30. The league's Grey Cup championship trophy is even older, having been awarded to the best Canadian professional football team since'09. There have been a number of NFL stars who got their start in the CFL including Doug Flutie, Randall Cunningham and Jeff Garcia.
The CFL is very high level professional football, but there are some significant differences between it and the NFL game:
The most obvious difference is the football itself--the CFL football is longer and fatter than the NFL ball. The CFL still has their goal posts on the goal line, which the NFL moved to the back of the end zone years ago. The field is 10 yards longer and 12 yards wider than the NFL field, and the CFL end zones are 20 yards deep instead of the NFL's 10 yards.
Teams have 12 players on the field at once as opposed to 11 in the NFL. On offense, the extra player is a receiver, on defense a defensive back. And unlike the American game, where teams have 4 downs to move the ball ten yards the CFL has only 3. Maybe the hardest thing to get used to when listening to CFL broadcasts is the frequently references to teams going two and out. There are a few other subtle differences as well"teams only have 1 time out per half, only 20 seconds between plays, and all backfield players can be in motion prior to the snap (as opposed to only one in the NFL).
There's also a significant difference in the way the game is scored. The first time many US fans see a CFL score update reflecting a 1-0 game they're usually left scratching their head in confusion. CFL teams are able to score a single point, known as a "single" for a kick that lands in the end zone such as a punt or missed field goal.
The rule differences don't end there--CFL teams are required to maintain a certain percentage of Canadian born players on their roster. The idea is that this will protect the unique identity of the game, as well as prevent it from becoming little more than a farm system for the NFL. Currently' of the 40 players on a CFL roster must be Canadian natives.
Many US football fans look at the rules that include more players, a wider field, and fewer downs meant to encourage more passing and expect to see a wide open high scoring style of play similar to Arena Football. That's not really how it works out--most games end up with final score totals in the 40's, but the game itself really isn't much more offensively oriented than its American counterpart. The rules may be different, but as in the NFL you need a solid rushing game and a stout defense to win games and championships.
Furthermore, the parity that you see in the NFL where on any given Sunday any team can beat any other team is magnified in the CFL. The primary reason is the rules mandating Canadian native players. I dont think itll offend any Canadians if I suggest that football is played at a higher level in American high schools and colleges. That means that at least 50% of each team is of essentially equal level of talents. Now that may be a bit of an oversimplification"certainly there are differing levels of talent among Canadian players"but the Canadian native rules do serve to further codify the inherent tendency toward parity that you see in most professional sports.
Among the 'non-Canadians' on the team, its also important to note that the CFL doesn't get the highest level US college players. Most with NFL ability are in the NFL, or on a NFL team's practice or developmental squad. There's definitely some American players that are uniquely suited to the CFL game, but the general level of talent is similar to that seen in the Arena Football League.
Despite the differences between the CFL and American football, at the end of the day its still high level, professional football. Once you understand the unique aspects of the CFL, it'll become second nature much as NFL viewers quickly assimilate rule changes there.
You wont see CFL news on ESPN, since theyre more interested in featuring spelling bees and lumberjack competitions and letting their personalities like Stuart Scott show how clever they are than covering sports. The good news is that the CFL receives extensive coverage in the Canadian press and all you need to do is visit a couple of websites to stay up to date. Each CFL city has their own sports media, and most have pretty good websites. The best one stop shopping can be found at the leagues own and Slam! Sports, which is roughly the Canadian equivalent of ESPNs website and has extensive CFL news, opinions and statistics.
The CFL is almost as old as the NFL, coming into existence in'30. The league's Grey Cup championship trophy is even older, having been awarded to the best Canadian professional football team since'09. There have been a number of NFL stars who got their start in the CFL including Doug Flutie, Randall Cunningham and Jeff Garcia.
The CFL is very high level professional football, but there are some significant differences between it and the NFL game:
The most obvious difference is the football itself--the CFL football is longer and fatter than the NFL ball. The CFL still has their goal posts on the goal line, which the NFL moved to the back of the end zone years ago. The field is 10 yards longer and 12 yards wider than the NFL field, and the CFL end zones are 20 yards deep instead of the NFL's 10 yards.
Teams have 12 players on the field at once as opposed to 11 in the NFL. On offense, the extra player is a receiver, on defense a defensive back. And unlike the American game, where teams have 4 downs to move the ball ten yards the CFL has only 3. Maybe the hardest thing to get used to when listening to CFL broadcasts is the frequently references to teams going two and out. There are a few other subtle differences as well"teams only have 1 time out per half, only 20 seconds between plays, and all backfield players can be in motion prior to the snap (as opposed to only one in the NFL).
There's also a significant difference in the way the game is scored. The first time many US fans see a CFL score update reflecting a 1-0 game they're usually left scratching their head in confusion. CFL teams are able to score a single point, known as a "single" for a kick that lands in the end zone such as a punt or missed field goal.
The rule differences don't end there--CFL teams are required to maintain a certain percentage of Canadian born players on their roster. The idea is that this will protect the unique identity of the game, as well as prevent it from becoming little more than a farm system for the NFL. Currently' of the 40 players on a CFL roster must be Canadian natives.
Many US football fans look at the rules that include more players, a wider field, and fewer downs meant to encourage more passing and expect to see a wide open high scoring style of play similar to Arena Football. That's not really how it works out--most games end up with final score totals in the 40's, but the game itself really isn't much more offensively oriented than its American counterpart. The rules may be different, but as in the NFL you need a solid rushing game and a stout defense to win games and championships.
Furthermore, the parity that you see in the NFL where on any given Sunday any team can beat any other team is magnified in the CFL. The primary reason is the rules mandating Canadian native players. I dont think itll offend any Canadians if I suggest that football is played at a higher level in American high schools and colleges. That means that at least 50% of each team is of essentially equal level of talents. Now that may be a bit of an oversimplification"certainly there are differing levels of talent among Canadian players"but the Canadian native rules do serve to further codify the inherent tendency toward parity that you see in most professional sports.
Among the 'non-Canadians' on the team, its also important to note that the CFL doesn't get the highest level US college players. Most with NFL ability are in the NFL, or on a NFL team's practice or developmental squad. There's definitely some American players that are uniquely suited to the CFL game, but the general level of talent is similar to that seen in the Arena Football League.
Despite the differences between the CFL and American football, at the end of the day its still high level, professional football. Once you understand the unique aspects of the CFL, it'll become second nature much as NFL viewers quickly assimilate rule changes there.
You wont see CFL news on ESPN, since theyre more interested in featuring spelling bees and lumberjack competitions and letting their personalities like Stuart Scott show how clever they are than covering sports. The good news is that the CFL receives extensive coverage in the Canadian press and all you need to do is visit a couple of websites to stay up to date. Each CFL city has their own sports media, and most have pretty good websites. The best one stop shopping can be found at the leagues own and Slam! Sports, which is roughly the Canadian equivalent of ESPNs website and has extensive CFL news, opinions and statistics.
About the Author:
Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and respected authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and betting odds portal sites. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.
0 comments:
Post a Comment