News of the World

Is it just me or has March felt like it was 60 days long?  No matter as we will soon be in the glow of the upcoming season and all will be right in our world once again.  In the meantime, let's have a look at what the top 8 CFL stories were (in random order) over the last month.

1.  The Randy Ambrosie Tour.   The Commissioner of the CFL visited each franchise city to connect with management, fans, season ticket holders and who ever else wanted to gain insight.  He talked (hyped) a lot about CFL 2.0 and what that means for the leagues future successes.

2.  The CFL & Players Association met for talks over 3 days and pretty much nothing was accomplished.  At least, there's been no news and not even any rumours floating around.  The current CBA expires May 18th so there's still plenty of time to get things worked out.  Us fans are antsy and would like things settled sooner than later.

3.  Ratio Ga Ga.  There was a massive discussion surrounding the ratio rules of the CFL's Canadians but also about the proposed amount of Global players.    What we did see was an outpouring of CFL players posting their thoughts all over social media and often getting in arguments with each other or fans which was pretty embarrassing.

4.  The Combine was held.  I was otherwise distracted...Life, but thankfully I had some great people (John Strutt) who kept me in the know or at least updated about what was happening.  I understand that the Combine is like a coming out party for possible players because it gives perspective teams a chance to view their skills.  What I've always failed to see is how that might make someone a great player in the end, but that's just me, there must be something to it because it's done.  It's important to note that this was the first time Global players were invited to attend and because of that there was gained exposure from both their leagues and Canadian media.

5.  Mosaic Stadium was going to be home to an NFL preseason game...on second glance, nope it's not...or maybe yes?  Between this and Olive Garden my Twitter feed was full of the ying yang of polar opposites.  Some (John Gormley) wanted to say it was the Riders who put the kibosh on the event but when they later put out a statement about how the turnaround from an NFL field to CFL field less than 24 hours later, well I believe them and let's all be honest here...would you have really gone to see the Raiders and Greenbay's 3rd stringers anyway?  I know I likely wouldn't have especially when I'd have to travel again the next day for the Rider game.  The NFL was at first reported as unwilling to change the date and was looking elsewhere, like Winnipeg and Edmonton.  Fine with me.  Bob Irving also posted his thought that CFL franchises should be pulled for supporting an NFL game...Come on Bob!  We are versitile people and can enjoy many forms of football in the world!  For the record, I also welcome Olive Garden.  The more choice the better.  

6.  The Alouettes are for sale.  Firstly, the report was denied but then the truth came out as it always does.  It's seemed to me for some time that their owners had lost interest in what was happening with their team and so I'd think new ownership would inject a much needed infusion at a time when they desperately are in need of it.  What is curious is that the CFL wants to be the middle man here and take it off the Wettenhall's hands before selling it to...?  Call me crazy if you'd like, but isn't this akin to Trudeau buying the pipeline?

7.  Remember when we all felt the CFL was threatened by the AAF?  Well Wednesday there were several stories about how the league is out of money.  There was a multitude of potential here and I think had they secured a TV deal that allowed us all to watch instead of having to subscribe to yet another channel or streaming option most of us forgot about following it all together.  Without exposure, there's little desire for anyone to attend the games and there have been some dismal crowd shots of the games that even make the Argonauts chuckle.  Let's not forget that Johnny Manziel recently signed there too and many of us thought this was his last kick at the can but when it comes down to it there may not be a can left to kick.

8.  There are some proposed rule changes surrounding the health of our players and the rolls of the referees and who and when penalties can be called.  I'm all for progress.  When you think of the end of the Riders season and the "I couldn't see" fiasco it was apparent something needed to be done besides adding more eyes on the field.  It'll be interesting if all of this does indeed come to fruition.

There you have it!  Those are the 8 CFL Stories of March.  What does April have in store for us?  We will have to wait and see.  In the meantime, don't forget to check out ABC Football's Facebook page and if you'd like to have a fun discussion with some other passionate (and slightly crazy) Rider fans, search and join ABC Rider Fans.  When the 2019 season begins, we all want to know all the latest news and I don't know a of better way to get involved.

Go Riders!

Ratio Ga Ga

HEADLINE - Something something blah blah, Sources.

We know that no CFL reporter is going to divulge their source but isn't it easy to fall back and support your argument just stating "my source".  I wrote a whole blog (Sources Say) post about it some time ago.  I don't expect Justin Dunk to reveal who he's talking to and it remains that he's often correct in what he tells us.  Still I think when anyone cites a source we should take everything with a grain of salt.

At least that's what my source says.

So "Sources" aside, it was reported that the Canadian Football League and it's Players Association who are in bargaining have discussed lowering the ratio of Canadian football players from 7 to 5.  It didn't take very long for players to respond to this idea and many of us got the popcorn ready as we watched them spout off on social media.  Even Brian Ramsey, executive director, refuted that this proposal had never been agreed to however he never stated that the idea was false.  You can read that 3 Down Nation article here --> CFLPA Responds

What do you think?

Two things are certain.  CFL 2.0 is moving ahead.  Ambrosie has discussed having 2 "global" players added to the roster from the countries with which he's stricken deals.  Whether those 2 spots are the same 2 being removed from the Canadian ratio isn't clear.  What fans and players are most disappointed with is that in instigating this plan we are removing the very essence of what makes it the Canadian Football League to begin with.  We are at odds between expanding the horizon of the CFL and protecting everything it stands for.  Then again, fans are never very open to change...are we?

Let's be clear here, the ratio only affects Canadians who are actually on the field.  It doesn't mean any less players will be on a teams roster.  Those 2 global spots also don't dictate whether they will be starters or not, only that 2 players on the roster should be from another country neither national or international.  What this does mean, I think at this point, is that only elite Canadian players will end up making the squad.  That means someone like Robb Bagg who was never drafted may never play professional football.  I can also see the other side of wanting to ensure that the best of the best do make teams.  The CFL is the only football league to demand that a certain amount of players hold a certain passport.  Does it seem to make a difference to the NFL or these other leagues that are springing up?  No.  There is already a large disconnect between USports and grooming players for pro football.  Or is there?  We are also seeing more Canadians heading south to the college ranks or NFL.  Where does this leave us?  This is because it seems they need that American exposure to be able to compete at the next level.  Not every team can draft from Laval.  

Perhaps we need to examine football in university and other levels.  I'll be the first person to admit I know next to nothing about football at this level.  Wouldn't it be great to be able to watch these teams and games on tv or streamed to our laptops or devices?  We'd be able to see what all the talk is about and learn why players are drafted first over all.  A tv deal would not only boost this level of Canadian football but it might lead more people to view CFL as well.  College football in the United States is almost on another level of fandom and there is a loyalty found not evident anywhere else.  That feeling is one reason lot's of players like the Roughrider team and game atmosphere...it reminds them of their college days.  

There could be a CFL expansion in the future.  Is there enough Canadian talent period?  Why is it players can go south and be successful while others spend up to 3 years getting acquainted with the CFL and still don't seem to play with the passion and motivation they should?  * cough St John cough *  Or do these players not realize the precious opportunity they're getting and fail to live up to expectations?  Perhaps if there were less opportunities Canadians would work harder?  Can it also work the other way around.  Someone who never expected to be a pro football player but gets the chance and doesn't waste it.  Someone like Chris Getzlaf who living not so far from Regina felt destined to be a Rider.

It seems like a catch 22.

Every one has an opinion on the ratio and as most subjects go amongst not only football fans but everyone in 2019 having an opinion is divisive.  I watched as Duron Carter and Ricky Foley had at it on Twitter Monday.  Travis Lulay posted the most level headed opinion I've seen.  It doesn't matter what your passport says as long as you are part of the locker room.  The players need to be united if they're going to get anything done and the CFL is counting on pushing through their agenda while they're busy scrapping over something that may have little meaning in July.  When was the last time you felt united?  I know it's been a long time for me.  I think we've forgotten how to be part of something bigger than ourselves in this journey of individuality.

Is this all just really cah cah.  Sometimes things are put out in the media to distract us from what is really going on.  While everyone is over here complaining about this ratio thing perhaps they'll be over there putting some other plan into motion.  It's a political move.  You don't like our negotiations well this is what we're proposing.  If that's the case, it sure has gotten everyone worked up in what was a rather slow moment in the CFL off season.  This story isn't over yet either.

If you enjoyed the title of this weeks blog post don't hesitate to read last weeks offering titled Any Way the Wind Blows which will give you a little inside look at other aspects of my life.  Good friend Tony Brice commented that it was one of my best posts yet.  Thanks for that Tony!  He follows me on Twitter @smilingsandra but you can find me elsewhere and mostly at the ABC Rider Fan Facebook page.  Search us up - Come talk to us about this Ratio Ga Ga.  

Any Way The Wind Blows

There hasn't been much going on in the CFL lately.  Pieces of news have been few and far between.  They've resorted to articles about players pets and who can be named best dressed CFLer.

Meanwhile...

* crickets *

...a dog barks in the distance...

🎵 a birdie chirps...

With this lull in activity every off season I find that my own rabid fan status wains and I wonder over to other activities and my influences change.  Some people turn to other sports - Saskatoon Rush, Nascar and hockey of course. Many of you haven't known me a long time but March seems to be a time for when I explore.  There was the Dean Martin infatuation of 20-something.  We won't discuss the whole vampire thing. Last year I researched my family tree and actually found a cousin living in Montreal who I didn't know existed. This off season was going along like normal and then in February I watched (finally) Bohemian Rhapsody and it seemed like everything changed for me.

I've made no secret that while I write this blog and am administrator for ABC Rider Fans, that in "real life" I am a piano teacher.  While I've always maintained that music is what I do - it's not my life...it's an illusion because it really does consume my life.   Where I am able to strike a balance is that I only teach after school hours so while you are likely gearing up to go home after your work day, I am gearing up to start teaching.  'Tis the life of a musician I suppose.  What these hours allow me to do is follow football during those off times except when I need to do research or find music or actually come up with a plan or strategy for my lessons, which by the way is unpaid time but I'm dedicated and I do it happily.

So there I was coasting through CFL off season and coping with some other health things that always seem to crop up at this time of year but you know everyone has "stuff" to deal with.  One of my students...my best student if I'm honest (and fav but don't tell the others!), is playing Bohemian Rhapsody for the SAM music festival in May which runs close if not at the same time as Roughrider training camp.  We had decided on this selection before Christmas so it had nothing to do with my off season doldrums but everything to do with the reason one quiet Saturday night I decided I should watch the movie.  I called it Professional Development. I actually streamed A Star is Born the same night but for whatever reason (I'm heartless?) it had zero effect on me, yet the story of Freddie Mercury made me feel a whole myriad of things that I can't even begin to sort out or explain in any form.

I was 18 when Mercury died from Aids in 1991 and when I think back to "me" back then I often refer to myself as a stupid teenager.  Maybe I was just oblivious? I remember the news but life went on.  I didn't realize until now how excruciating that event actually was.  Is it possible to mourn someone nearly 30 years later?  Well just like I seem to be stuck in this musical cycle, many football fans are stuck as well.  Bring back Dressler is one of the newest cries.  When will Rider fans move on?  Are we still in 2009 mourning too?  The Roughriders need to continue to move on to the future instead of looking back.  Unlike, Queen's front man, most football players are replaceable even if we've loved their character and personality.  To everything there is a season.  The show must go on.

With most things in my life even when I don't think music plays a roll it's there in the background noise.  If you're still with me here and wondering what any of this has to do with the football blog you've grown used to reading well it made me realize how much I've grown in all ways and continue to evolve and how fortunate...blessed really, I am to have a slightly successful page which is somewhat accepted by a mostly male dominated sort of hobby and industry.  No one ever told me I couldn't and I always knew I could do things, mostly artistic types of things with extreme ease.  I can do anything! I've often said. So while Roughrider football is an obsession in my life, music is a thread weaving itself deeply through it.  A team wins a championship - We Are The Champions.  A Calgary Stampeders game comes to an end - Sweet Caroline.  The Saskatchewan Roughriders score a touchdown - Green is the Colour.

"Like" and "Follow" ABC Football on Facebook for my latest musings.

When the city of Regina hosted the 2013 Grey Cup they knocked the halftime show out of the park by having flying snowmobiles and a rocking Hedley (at the time) group.  Randy Ambrosie said that the Riders pitch was so good they could have landed the Olympics so naturally that makes me question what kind of half time show was pitched.  Does the halftime show need to be Canadian or should they reach farther into the stars to bring the most epic halftime ever?  Can both be done?  What's your opinion on this and who would you like to see as the 2020 halftime show? 

This time of year - March, the cold snap finally comes to an end and we are looking for signs of life.  While it'll be a while until we see daffodils here in Saskatchewan, birds are returning and the snow is sinking as the sun grows higher and higher in the sky.  Our beloved CFL teams will be re-awakening after all the moves in free agency.  The CFLPA negotiations will get settled.  Soon it'll be draft day. Some people are already looking forward and talking about training camp in Saskatoon.  Our passion is renewed.  The season is renewed.  We feel anew.

I'm ready for the next chapter.

Go Riders.

CFL Fans & The Price of Social Media

I had full intentions of this post being about the new Alliance football league.  I even posted as much on my ABC Football Facebook page on Tuesday.  The reaction I received, not even remotely football related, made it evident that perhaps I shouldn't dedicate a whole blog post to that one subject.  Especially when it's possible another subject landed in my lap.  Wednesday was Pink Shirt Day and that coupled with the fall out of my Facebook post was a clear sign that CFL fans once again need some reminders.  Sure, who am I to tell others how to behave?  I'm not an angel either, but I try to treat everyone with kindness and know there is a clear line between poking fun and being fanatical.

We spend a lot of time with our youth telling them that it's okay to speak their minds.  It's okay to be whatever you want to be.  No one will judge you.  Is it true though?  Kids are still bullied and it's nothing like it was when I was a kid in the 1980's.  When things happened to me at school I just figured there was something wrong with the kid putting me through that and I never internalized those feelings.  The problem is that it's 2019 and we live in an age where we don't leave the bullies at school.  They follow us on Twitter.  They're on Instagram.  They're on Facebook and they likely have a couple fake accounts besides the obvious one.  They might be hanging out on your favourite football teams fan forum too.

When we post or share on social media we have to be prepared for the reaction we get.  I've said that many times.  Why should I though?  Why can't I post my thoughts and if you disagree you just pass on by?  Why does someone feel that they can call the poster names or reply incessantly?  Why do people think they can do this from behind their smart phones or laptop screens?

Would you ever do that to my face?

Would you allow your son or daughter to behave that way?

In 5 Things Said in Free Agency I ended with a point about Saskatchewan Roughrider fans.  I received some constructive critisism at number one and my thoughts lost some people.  Fan is a shortened version of the word "fanatic".  There is a very appropriate definition for this word: a person filled with excessive and single minded zeal.  That describes Rider Nation to a tee.  I'm not oblivious to the fact that I am one of them.  We ride the highest of highs and other teams fans find us hard to tolerate.  We also fly off the handle, seem to be easily offended and wallow in the deepest of sympathies which often make us the butt of jokes around the league.  It seems we are either riding the bandwagon or jumping off the cliffs.  To quote myself "As Rider fans we can be better and we should be better".  Really, that statement is true of all fans and what I meant by it was be better to each other.  We all belong to the CFL Family and love and promote our favourite teams.  We can do it together.  Diversity really is the strength of the league but not if we troll each other, lob insults and ban others from fan pages over hurt feelings.

Have you seen the disgusting video of the Live on-air licking of a TV reporter?  It's disturbing on several levels.  It appears as if a bystander begins to lick and kiss the neck of the reporter and then you see it...the Roughrider bunnyhug.  Thanks for that.  According to the CityTV story which I tagged, the man is Saskatchewan born Boyd Banks and has some film and tv credits.  In what world is this okay?  Never mind what the man was wearing, this behavior is despicable, but to do it while wearing one of the most recognizable logos in the world...well, I shake my head and sigh.

Lady Gaga said on Jimmy Kimmel Wednesday night that social media is the gutter of the internet.  It can be but it can also be a terrific place.  I've gained many good friendships through Twitter and Facebook and of course I use both to help promote and spread ABC Football and ABC Rider Fans.  Tuesday I made a post in a CFL forum and was immediately called an idiot.  Listen, I'm 46 years old and I've been through a ton of things so your little petty words which you spread through your anonymous account don't hurt me. I survived the 1980's. We need to walk the talk about being kind to each other in person and on line and just plainly everywhere in life.

Dan Clark appeared at schools in Saskatoon Wednesday to spread the news on Pink Day and everyone was encouraged to use the hashtag #besomeoneshero.  It's basically a do something mantra.  If you see someone being bullied, come to their aid because the statistics say that when you do the bullying ends.  On the internet you have to be your own hero.  When you must learn how to block and report.  Use Ignore and mute.  Sometimes even Retweet can help you out in a pinch.  Be your own advocate and think twice before you post replies.  Sometimes it's just not worth it but always...always try to get along.

You also have to be you.  Be the music teacher who is the crazy football fan.  Be the football coach who loves to paint.  Be the football player who writes books.  Live your life unapologetically because in the end none of it really matters - you have to be happy with who you are.  There is a price to pay for standing out but it is always worth it.