Statistically speaking, there’s room for improvement

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/11/2023 (930 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

HAMILTON — The main issue plaguing the CFL — for the first time in a long time — isn’t about growing audiences in the league’s three major markets.

There’s always room for improvement but there was notable growth in Toronto, B.C. and Montreal in 2023, with game-day revenue percentage increases of 41, 13 and 12, respectively.

Scoring is also up by 18 per cent since 2021 (from an average of 43 points to 51 points per game), while matchups have been more thrilling than ever, with 60 per cent of games this season decided in the final three minutes (up from 51 per cent the previous year).

The picture, however, isn’t totally rosy.

There’s still plenty of issues with the three-down game, some of which were discussed by CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie in his annual state-of-the-league address during Grey Cup week Tuesday.

Here’s a look at some of these topics:

Stats fiasco

The CFL’s statistics system was a mess all season, frustrating fans and media who either relied on or simply enjoyed the use of live data. It got better over time but still wasn’t close to the product Ambrosie had promised this year, and it remains a work in progress.

It’s at a point now where it’s finally usable, at least, even if several years of historical data still needs to be input into the new system. It’s a far cry from the detailed information, such as throwing speed and other individual data, that should be provided.

The new stats system is one of the outcomes of a partnership with Genius Sports, which began in December 2021.

Ambrosie admitted the league missed the mark by not hitting its projected targets. He stressed improving stats remains an important driver to growing the league by appealing to the younger generation of fans.

Simply put, he said the eventual payout has been worth the risk, despite the embarrassment, even though its full potential remains a mystery.

A new deadline of June 2024 — the start of next season — has been set. Ambrosie said his team will work diligently over the next six months to ensure the stats system is working at full capacity. Clearly, that remains to be seen.

League schedule

Among the biggest complaints from fans this year has been the CFL’s scheduling. The biggest beefs include why teams aren’t playing each other both at home and away each year, as well as why the season doesn’t start off with a Grey Cup rematch.

The league shifted to a new schedule format following the pandemic, resulting in additional games played between divisional opponents. It was brought in as a cost-cutting measure to ease travel expenditures, while surely some teams — most notably those in the East — didn’t mind a far less physically taxing travel schedule.

Well, that’s about to change next season, as the CFL will return to a more balanced schedule, with teams meeting at least twice (home and away). The bad news coming from Ambrosie is it’s virtually impossible to guarantee a Grey Cup rematch to start every year, because of the timing of the schedule’s release and the availability of the stadiums, some of which have multiple tenants.

The Thursday-Sunday schedule — which debuted this season, with a game each day during the summer months — has been a smashing success and will continue. Playoff games will also be staged on Saturdays next season, in what feels like a soon-to-be permanent move, according to Ambrosie.

CFL expansion

Raise your hand if you’re tired of hearing about CFL expansion? It’s been a hot topic for the league for years now. Yet, while there’s been some growing excitement with the emergence of Touchdown Atlantic games the last few seasons, there’s really no evidence to suggest we’re any closer to seeing a 10th team.

The primary focus for the league has been adding a team on the East Coast, most notably in Halifax. But securing a strong owner or ownership group, as well as convincing the provincial and municipal governments to help fund a stadium, have proven to be mostly fruitless endeavours.

Ambrosie wasn’t frustrated by the lack of progress trying to get a team in Halifax, and he did say the CFL is in talks with a “highly engaged, very qualified potential owner in Atlantic Canada.” But the commissioner also added the league can only wait so long before exploring other options.

The obsession with a 10th team is to cut down on the duration of the regular season. A nine-team league means at least one club is on a bye each week, resulting in a 21-week season for all teams to play an 18-game schedule. With a 10th team, the entire season could be wrapped up in 19 weeks.

If that happens, expect the Grey Cup to be moved to the first weekend in November.

Non-football operations cap

For those who dislike the non-football operations cap, you’re not going to like what Ambrosie had to say. The plan is to keep the $2.5-million cap on coaching staffs and other applicable personnel, with no plan to change it anytime soon.

Ambrosie said the reason the cap was put into place was because coaching salaries were becoming the fastest-growing expense category in the league, and it was creating a lot of negative attention with the players and the CFL Players Association.

While I have no doubt that’s true, I took that statement as a clever way to detract from the real reason it’s in place, that being because a majority of the CFL board of governors wants it that way.

Shrinking mainstream media

The number of scribes covering the CFL has been dwindling and this season might have seen the greatest hit. As Postmedia, the news company that owns a majority of the English daily newspapers in the country, continues to adopt the notion that travelling isn’t necessary to do strong journalism, and as they prioritize NHL over all else, the CFL has arguably been impacted the most.

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

Mike McIntyre | On Sports

Thursdays

Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter.

Sign up for Mike McIntyre | On Sports

Sign Up

I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

Just to show you how dire things have gotten, the Free Press is the only English newspaper in the country that consistently travels to cover road games. Some markets, including Toronto, don’t even have a dedicated beat reporter.

The league is clearly aware of the issues, but I don’t feel it has any real solutions to offer.

Ambrosie acknowledged the CFL will likely have to be self-reliant one day, while some teams have already taken steps to beef up their coverage.

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

X: @jeffkhamilton

Jeff Hamilton
Multimedia producer

Jeff Hamilton is a sports and investigative reporter. Jeff joined the Free Press newsroom in April 2015, and has been covering the local sports scene since graduating from Carleton University’s journalism program in 2012. Read more about Jeff.

Every piece of reporting Jeff produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.