Mike Florio ,
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The CFL is going to look more like the NFL.
The Canadian cousin to American football is making some changes, aimed at making the game more entertaining.
Via the Canadian Press, CFL Commissioner Stewart Johnston said Monday that the CFL will be shrinking the length of the field from 110 yards to 100 yards. Also, the time between plays will be extended, from 20 seconds after the ball is set to 35 seconds from the end of the prior play.
End zones will shrink from 20 yards to 15, with the goalposts moved to the back of the end zone, from the front.
The CFL field will continue to be 65 yards wide; the NFL gridiron has a width of 53 yards. Benches will always be on opposite sides of the field, making substitutions easier.
The league also will revise the procedures for awarding a one-point “rouge.”
“This is going to create more touchdowns, more touchdowns creates more highlights and highlights drive through all forms of media,” Johnston told reporters regarding the changes. “And that does drive fandom.”
Traditionalists won’t like the changes. Players already don’t. Per the Post , B.C. Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke called the tweaks “garbage,” and he claimed that players and coaches weren’t consulted.
Johnston defended the effort.
“We understand the passion of our fans,” Johnston said. “But I’ve also heard as I’ve gone market to market that a lot of our fans are yearning for some change. . . . I truly believe this is going to elevate our game and as people think about it and what we’re trying to achieve, I believe we’re going to have a really good reception.”
The question is whether the effort to attract more fans will alienate the existing ones. The CFL is willing to take that risk in the hopes of boosting interest, and in turn revenue.
Because even in Canada, it’s always aboot the money.
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