What would an XFL-CFL merged league look like...

[wbbfan]

So im a CFL / blue bomber fan here. As well as a long-time fan of nfl and ncaa ball. I think everyone has a problem viewing a unified league with the vision of a melting pot rather than as a cultural mosaic.

The best merger that would be comparable is the old AL / NL mlb. The AL keeps the DH. The NL keeps sending pitchers to bat. Every year you play a week or 2 of interleague games. The home team rules are the rules of the day. Each team gets 1 home and 1 away game. At the end of the season, each respective league champion plays off for a Unified Championship. Maybe the championship game has its own set rules, maybe you alternate each year, or maybe you have an All star game where the winner gets home-field advantage in the championship that year.

You have some consolidation of rules, like punt and kick return, Extra points, etc. Maybe in the cfl we switch to a 100 yard long field, maybe the xfl plays 1 yard off the ball, unlimited motion etc. Those decisions would be made by each respective league's Board of governors.

In the mean time, maybe you have CFL teams play a couple of games in various XFL markets, maybe they feature some changed rule sets the xfl plans or maybe not.

[GDAWG]

I would think that all 9 teams in the CFL would join a merged league. If that happens, I see The Roughriders being the merged league's "Green Bay Packers." There's a lot in common between the Packers and Roughriders. Both are community owned teams (Packers were grandfathered in when the NFL changed their ownership rules in the 1980's),in relatively small towns (Green Bay has 104,000 people and Regina has 215,000 people) compared to the rest of the teams in their league and both have die hard fanbases and a lot of fans outside of their area as well. In the NFL, when the Packers go on the road, there are a lot of Packers fans on the road. I would assume it's the same for the Riders. The Riders are already the CFL's "Green Bay Packers" so why can't that be the same for that merged league? Regina, Saskatchewan is larger than Green Bay and yet Green Bay is able to thrive in a league with many of the top 40 TV markets in the US. So why can't the same be said for the Roughriders in a merged league?

[Tank55]

So im a CFL / blue bomber fan here. As well as a long-time fan of nfl and ncaa ball. I think everyone has a problem viewing a unified league with the vision of a melting pot rather than as a cultural mosaic.

The best merger that would be comparable is the old AL / NL mlb. The AL keeps the DH. The NL keeps sending pitchers to bat. Every year you play a week or 2 of interleague games. The home team rules are the rules of the day. Each team gets 1 home and 1 away game. At the end of the season, each respective league champion plays off for a Unified Championship. Maybe the championship game has its own set rules, maybe you alternate each year, or maybe you have an All star game where the winner gets home-field advantage in the championship that year.

You have some consolidation of rules, like punt and kick return, Extra points, etc. Maybe in the cfl we switch to a 100 yard long field, maybe the xfl plays 1 yard off the ball, unlimited motion etc. Those decisions would be made by each respective league's Board of governors.

In the mean time, maybe you have CFL teams play a couple of games in various XFL markets, maybe they feature some changed rule sets the xfl plans or maybe not.

This is well put. Welcome to the board!

[Tank55]

I think this is a reasonable wish list that echoes a lot of the themes wbbfan touched on.

https://3downnation.com/2021/03/14/ten- ... rtnership/

I especially liked

9. DO allow for season ticket holders to get discounts for tickets in the other league.
10. DO have some sort of fun made-for-TV event

[Tank55]

Important tidbit from Mike Mitchell's lastest:

There’s one caveat to all of this besides the weather in Canada in potentially March. TSN, the CFL’s TV partner, from sources I have spoken to, wants the league games on their networks in July and August. A season that extends into late August would be pivotal for the Canadian Game’s best tv partner.

https://www.xflnewshub.com/xfl-news/an- ... ally-work/

[johnnyangryfuzzball]

That would also play well for ESPN. There are no college sports in the summer, and while MLB gives the network a lot of material, that and MLS (which has never had a strong TV following) are just about all the network has to work with at the time (there's a reason why their The Ocho stunt is always in August, and it's not just because of the 8/8 date).

It'd be much easier to work around one league and 30 MLB teams than to try to work around 300 Division I basketball squads.

It probably wouldn't be great for ratings, but as filler programming, the XFL-CFL partnership would easily fit a niche.

[4th&long]

Important tidbit from Mike Mitchell's lastest:

There’s one caveat to all of this besides the weather in Canada in potentially March. TSN, the CFL’s TV partner, from sources I have spoken to, wants the league games on their networks in July and August. A season that extends into late August would be pivotal for the Canadian Game’s best tv partner.

https://www.xflnewshub.com/xfl-news/an- ... ally-work/

Good catch Tank.

Looking at Mike's article...

One thing I don't want to see is too leagues with different rules playing more or less separately schedules and some crossover games.

I don't mind two separate leagues aka AFL vs NFL situation where 95% of the rules are the same (# downs, field size, players in motion, and a couple others) but 3down league vs 4 down league ?, thats not a merger or partnership - it would be a pseudo-collaboration. Is that going to help fan interest? no.

worrying about TSN ? Interesting. what about American TV? No comment from MM there.

[4th&long]

I posted earlier what possibilities exist for these talks:

Code: Select all

Here's what it could be... no particular order...

A) CFL-USA 2.0. (Merger)
B) Sharing players under unified contract
C) Allowing players to play in both leagues separate contracts
D) USA-CFL where CFL adopts USA rules.
E) Pure paper tiger... ie nothing burger
F) Justification for no 2022 season
G) ??????

Later adding - With NFL merger/buy in for the Largest markets being an intended BY-Product Goal.

But lets look at option D with some A thrown in - a USA-CFL merger with hybrid rules 3/4 in favor of XFL.

1) 4 down football, and there's the BIG one (winner USA)
2) 100 yard field (winner USA)
3) End zones some where in its between the CFL 20yd vs XFL 10yd deep (split decision)
4) Fumbles can be kicked (winner Canada)
5) Forward motion at Snap, the biggest win for CFL (winner Canada)
6) Scrimmage line which is one yd off ball for Def in Canada, retain of 4th downs only (split decision)
7) Team size 11 players (winner USA but all teams save money)
8) Fair catch rules (winner USA)
9) Rouge (winner Canada) I think this will be allowed so Canadians feel they didn't concede too much.
10) Open field kick (winner Canada) I think this will be allowed so Canadians feel they didn't concede too much.
11) Extra point (split decision) - 2pt and 3 point XFL remains but 1 pt kick from CFL does too.
12) One foot in bounds (both win)
13) Tight Ends back in vogue (winner USA)
[edit 3/13/21: 14) possibly a 10 man game (winner Canada & cost savings) - reason the big field helps the passing offense in CFL going to a smaller field means less space per player, dropping to 10 players allow for a more space per player in a smaller field)]

A) also single entity to lower labor costs with assigned "owners" like MLS
B) 50 man roster size (split decision)
C) Smaller CFL markets may get Axed to spread TV money around less teams
D) Season from April to August
E) Due to #5 XFL may cut a team (LA) or Move a team (Dallas / Houston to SA) and TB to Orlando (a no brainer)

The two biggest are number of downs and field size and that's going XFL.

Canadians won't like it but this is what I think (1st take) it will take to get American fans on board and Canada will buy in eventually.

Well - might as well have some fun with it !

Since Sounder mentioned it...

I'll add I think they would have to expand the width of the field to 57-58 yds to appease CFL fans

[Tank55]

Here is what is happening with the CFL/XFL meetings:
CFL team presidents and ownership reps are pairing up with XFL reps.
They are *discussing* how a merger might look. Might mean teams playing on both sides of border. Might not.
XFL reps want to know more about global efforts.

https://twitter.com/DannyAustin_9/statu ... 4146321410

[GregParks]

Here is what is happening with the CFL/XFL meetings:
CFL team presidents and ownership reps are pairing up with XFL reps.
They are *discussing* how a merger might look. Might mean teams playing on both sides of border. Might not.
XFL reps want to know more about global efforts.

https://twitter.com/DannyAustin_9/statu ... 4146321410

This seems like one of the more concrete reports we've seen on the topic, and even then there are not a lot of answers.

It's been almost a month since it was announced publicly the XFL and CFL were talking. I think most of us assume the talks probably began before (long before?) that point. If by now we're STILL only at the stage where they are "discussing how a merger might look" (per the above tweet), there's no way the XFL is playing in 2022. Especially if they're going to keep that season on hold while the CFL talks continue.