It’s my Parting Shot for my take on the C-F-L’s expanded playoff format and change for when the season is held…..
I really only have one problem with the Tuesday announcements – and that was the timing of them! Why would you pile big news such as that on top of the Canadian College draft? Telling the world that you’re making a massive change to your schedule and playoff format takes away from the big deal that all nine teams and 74 young men hearing their names called was supposed to be! It’s almost as if the draft wasn’t a big deal, when it really is!!
Despite that mis-step, I have no problem with what the C-F-L announced on Tuesday.
Starting the regular-season in May on the Victoria Day long weekend is genius. The C-F-L is more of a summer and fall league compared to the N-F-L being a fall and, in some markets, winter sport. Starting on Victoria Day is the perfect way to welcome summer to us hardy folk north of the 49th parallel. Ending the campaign with the Grey Cup in early November, while not a guarantee that the weather won’t be snowy and/or in the minus-30s, but the chances of it being that way – especially on the Prairies for the four cities to host the C-F-L title game – is a lot less than in late November! As far as I’m concerned, the earlier the C-F-L starts and ends in a calendar year, the better!
As for the playoffs, of course this is a money grab! Upping the number of playoff teams from six to eight and the number of playoff games from five to nine is how the C-F-L and its member teams make more money. Combined with moving the schedule earlier, the fact that playoffs in any sport draw more interest and more ticket buyers makes all the sense in the world!!
As for the eight team playoff format looks somewhat similar to curling’s Page Playoff format in that top teams get rewarded by getting a second life in the post-season if they happen to lose early, which I’m fine with! Sure, you play 18 games in order to only lose one going into the playoffs – but, again, it’s about making money and the C-F-L and many of its teams aren’t exactly flush!
And, what I haven’t seen mentioned yet is that this ends the yearly debate as to changing the criteria as to who makes the post-season because of the seemingly annual situation where the Western teams were far superior to the Eastern squads! Now, only one poor team – be they from the East or West – will be watching the playoffs from the sidelines! So long as it’s not the Saskatchewan Roughriders or the Winnipeg Blue Bombers – in my humble opinion!!
That’s my Parting Shot. I’m Les Lazaruk…and it turned out nice again!
