5 of the Most Viewed Posts of 2019

Here we are at the end of the first month of 2020.  I've decided to look back at 2019 and see what the most viewed blog posts were.  Enjoy!

5.  The 5th most viewed blog post of ABC Football is a bit disappointing and shows that drama draws people in.  I want to say that the experience in the blog Gong Show was reviewed and corrected.  There was a follow up blog explaining what happened but it didn't seem to get viewed in the same light.  Please read A Feel Good Story so you know the entire outcome.

4.  5 Things Said in Free Agency was a fun blog.  It was about things the media thought was going to happen and then didn't or other surprising things and how Free Agency 2019 transpired.  It would be fun to track Free Agency 2020 in the same fashion and then compare the outcomes.

3.  5 Reasons the CFL Beat the AAF.  Well we all know what happened to the AAF.  In 2020 we have the XFL starting up and many are saying since there's more money injected into it that it's going to be successful.  I find it hard to think that because it's very hard to compete with NFL dollars.  We just have to wait and see!

2.  If you've noticed the trend here - it seems lists are a popular blogging style of the last year.  I haven't gone back to the Friday Five trend and I've also noticed other writers haven't either.  Maybe that's over.  At any rate, the 2nd most viewed ABC Football blog was actually the 5 Most Popular Blog Posts of 2018.

NUMBER ONE

5 Reasons CFL Trumps NFL  In this blog post I give reasons why the CFL is a more fun league to follow.  Obviously football fans can follow both or all football leagues and don't need to chose one over the other.  We are diverse like that.

Most Viewed ABC Football Posts of 2019

Global Grief

It's been 4 days since the news of Kobe Bryant's death and that tragic accident broke.  Even though this is a page dedicated to football and the CFL and Roughriders in particular I can't help but be moved by the outpouring of emotion from athletes world wide.  This was a shocking event that a lot of us are going to remember for a long time in a way that we might talk about it years from now and include the question where were you.

The CFL has a global initiative coined CFL 2.0.  From my perspective it's a movement to sign football players from around the globe and gain viewers (TV Contracts) and popularity world wide.  Combines have been held in a few European countries already in 2020.  In 2019 each CFL team had to carry global players on their roster.  Very few actually saw playing time.  I am told that this will take time.  The global players have to get up to speed with CFL football and it will also take time to see the fruits of the television labours.  

CFL fans and Rider fans in particular are not the most patient group of people.  We want to see a difference and we'd like to see it now.

One of the biggest criticisms of CFL 2.0 is that many feel issues should be fixed on Canadian soil before setting abroad for greener pastures.  Both Toronto and Vancouver have low game day attendance.  The Argonauts and Lions struggle in a market that seems to prefer NHL and NFL over everything else.  Just this week in a news article it was stated that Toronto could host an NFL team and the NFL was interested in that prospect.  

Is it possible the CFL has given up on "fixing" these two CFL teams?

These aren't the only teams seeing a downturn.  Attendance has slumped across the nation.  Many fans complain about the cost of attending games.

Regardless, the CFL is focused on the global community.

Or is it?

On Sunday when we all found out about the death of Kobe Bryant, his daughter, friends and team mates condolences poured in from every corner of the world.  The CFL Twitter account wasn't quiet and tweeted CFL related news all day but never once issued a statement like the NFL, NHL and even Nascar did.  It wasn't until the evening that Randy Ambrosie tweeted a message and it was the next day that the CFL quietly retweeted it.

No he wasn't a football player but Bryant was a sports ambassador for many athletes and the very least the CFL should have done was join in the sporting community to share in the grieving process.  

I was very disappointed in the lack of response.

If the CFL wants to lead the way with expanding the game worldwide then they also need to learn to play with the big boys.

They dropped the ball big time on this one.

Touchdown Atlantic & The Riders

It was announced on Thursday that Touchdown Atlantic would be played on July 25th in Halifax and would feature the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Toronto Argonauts.  We had all suspected this was going to be announced since the CFL schedule came out before the Christmas Holidays.  On a week like many other weeks when nothing at all is going on in the CFL and we are all clamoring for any tidbit of news it was leaked that the this would be announced on Thursday.  Then came the CFL announcement of a press conference for Thursday.

Well, we all knew what it was, right.

Don't get me wrong.  It's terrific for the community in Halifax and terrific for tourism.  It would definitely help promote the idea of the 10th CFL team, the Atlantic Schooners, which we are all wanting to come to fruition except for those who work on city counsels.  

Imagine a Canadian Football League with 10 teams.  There's be no need for that 3rd bye week.  Each team could play each other twice.  There'd be no play off cross over scenario.

*sigh*

A girl can dream.

Anyway, soon after (and because I'm married to an accountant) curiosity got the best of me.  How much would it cost to fly to Halifax?  How much are hotels?  What would the average joe have to pay to attend this game.  After all Rider Nation is touted as being the best traveled fan base in the league.

I've heard mention of some people, podcasters and others, putting together a travel package probably like they do for Grey Cup or Labour Day.  That would really help out with the old pocket book.

I'm also wondering just how much of a turn out they're counting on.  I've seen a few aerial shots of the stadium they're going to use in Halifax and the seating is very limited.  It's going to be expanded by 10,000 seats.  With so few available will this be marketed as THE place to be in July?  

Will there be a point at which Rider Nation says, "nope, it's too rich for me?"

We already buy our jerseys and other merchandise.  We help sell out other stadiums in the league.  Will there be a point at which fans start to push back?  I think we might already be seeing a bit of this as attendance at games is on the decline.

At any rate, we have something exciting to look forward to in July.  I will be watching from my living room where I have the best seat in the house.  

If you like where I'm going with this, then by all means enjoy this video on the same subject.  It's the newly launched ABC Football YouTube page.  You can easily access the page by clicking on the YouTube tab at the top of the page.  Thanks for reading and now, thanks for watching!

5 of the ALL TIME Most Popular Blog Posts

A lot of CFL fans are done looking back and are now looking forward to the new season.  Well, I'm not one of the usual fans.  I think it's interesting to always take stock of where we are because it helps us to see where we want the future to go.  So I've compiled a list of ABC Football's 5 most popular blog posts of all time - all time being since the inception of this blog page approximately 10 years ago.

Yikes, it's been that long.

< Narrator: It's actually been longer >

So here we go.

5.  This is a little bizarre.  It's a list.  A list on a list.  It's the 5 Most Popular Blog Posts of 2018. Wait...2018?  Well I guess I'm going to have to do a list for 2019 as well! 

4.  Weighing a Response is the 2nd in a two parter about the sizing of CFL merchandise for not only women but every fan in general.  I'm glad that I wrote to the Commissioner and I'm pleased I got a response.  I also think that for the most part this issue has been addressed.  You can read more down below though.

3.  5 Reasons CFL Trumps NFL is number 3 on our list.  I'll admit timing and wording helped me out with this post but it did garner a very nice comment from Drew Edwards telling me he enjoyed this post.  I really appreciate that and am always shocked to find out actual people continue to read my page and follow along!

2.  The Elephant in the Room continues to be a popular post.  It's a recap of the whole Darian Durant saga.  At the time there was a great divide in how fans saw the ex-Rider.  Now that he's been retired basically for the 2nd year there is still nothing that irks more fans than the subject of Chris Jones and Durant as will as the release of other favourite Roughriders.  Do Rider fans ever get over anything?  No not really.

*drum roll*

1.  The number one ALL TIME Most Popular Blog Post on ABC Football (get on with it Sandra) is...Sizing Up the CFL.  This was the first part that went along with Weighing a Response.  It was about the poor sizing of fan merchandise, poor quality and pricing.  Last year NuEra took over the licencing of CFL branded team merchandise.  I saw more variety in fabrics and quality and sizes were available in more options.  The price though... It's not easy to be outfitted in Rider gear without breaking the bank.  Some fans own multiple jerseys and that is great but this fan just can't justify even upgrading from my old Reebok style.  The options have certainly gotten better but they still have a way to go in my opinion.  I know the pricing isn't likely to change soon but I'm happy that the CFL saw a problem and worked to fix it.  That rarely happens...but I'm not naming names there.

This is ABC Football's Top 10

Well Now I've Done It

Introducing a brand new way for you to follow and engage with myself and ABC Football.  I've started a YouTube channel!  L I N K  Hold the applause *smile*  

I'm finding I'm less and less engaged with written things and meanwhile visual platforms are surging and more popular than ever.  If I'm feeling this way and escaping to the realm of video watching then it's probable that followers of this blog and ABC Rider Fans feel the same.

I can't promise a lot at this point but I can say that it will be fun to embark on a new adventure.

Look up the Channel and hit the Subscribe button to join me on this visual journey.  Here is my debut video which is a short take on Let Me Introduce Myself 2020.  Enjoy!

Let Me Introduce Myself 2020

You might be a long time reader of this blog or you might have just happened upon this site from a link from social media and I thank you regardless of how you found your way to ABC Football.  We are only a few days/hours/minutes away from the opening of the 2020 CFL season and I thought this was a good time for me to reacquaint myself after an interesting off season.

If you'd like the condensed version, I don't blame you at all, after all our attention is pulled in several different directions these days... then please click on my About Me tab.  You'll find all the necessary information there.  If you prefer the long winded version, then by all means stick with me. * smile *
This is not a blog post about how I became a Rider fan because I think I've already been there, done that, and bought all the Rider tee shirts. If you are interested, this is my Origin Story.

I grew up in Prince Albert and in 2001 moved to Saskatoon.  I took music lessons all of my teenage years and when I was 17 I began teaching piano lessons.  Music has always been a huge part of my life and livelihood.  Except for a 5 year hiatus when we moved, I've always been a teacher.  My interest in practice ebbs and flows but I strive to keep learning and being the best instructor and mentor I can be to all the students who cross my path.  I probably should have become a school teacher but...well, I didn't.

I thought I was going to be a writer.  I did a few years of Arts & Sciences...basically enough to know that I was neither good at learning in that forum and that the learning how had nothing to do with the act of actually doing it.  Now I know that I could have made different choices but things always have a way of working out and because of them I met my Husband who you may have seen me refer to as "Hubby". We celebrated our 27th wedding anniversary in December and the one thing we enjoy doing together is going to football games.
I've always been able to succeed at pretty much anything I've ever tried.  That's not me being egotistical.  It's the truth.  No one ever told me I couldn't do something.  I always felt that I was free to pursue my passions.  I play music, I bake, I travel, I draw, I snap photos.....

On a social media forum which has long become extinct I began blogging about every day life, my love of donuts and my teaching stories.  My readers ( a handful of friends ) became wildly aware around 2008-ish that a lot of my blogs were about football.  Some of those very early blogs can be found in the archives on this very page.  It became apparent that I could just write about sports and eventually my page got moved here to Blogger and eventually through a few name changes we arrive at what ABC Football is today.

This page will always be from the fans perspective and over time I think I've become more level headed and logical and less radical.  Yes, I know, crazy words from a Rider fan!   I try to not take football or myself too seriously and I think that's evident through my CFL Power Rankings.  I think we can look everywhere, especially in Saskatchewan, and be bombarded with Roughriders news from sports media people.  I try to not let what's going on around me influence my perspective.  Why try to fit in?  The 2019 Power Ranking can be found by looking for "power grouping" in the Search This Blog box.  If it's just the Art you are looking for then click on the Garfunkel's tab at the top of the page.

Sometimes you have to excuse me.  I am the music teacher after all and that often takes precedent.  It also means you might be swamped with vague musical quotations from my current obsessions.  It might mean I don't get to write regularly because of my schedule.  I'm okay with it and I hope you are too.  I will always share my newest posts on my Twitter account, Instagram and the ABC Football Facebook page.  I firmly believe that while I am a Roughriders fan first and foremost, that is not all that I am.  I am diverse and sometimes complicated.  I can enjoy several things at the same time and remain smilingsandra or smilingriderfan or whoever I am :)

I am the administrator of ABC Rider Fans on Facebook.  The group doesn't have the big numbers that some Facebook groups do but the people who are on the page have fun.  It's not uncommon to go off topic or to joke around with each other.  We are friends.  If you've joined, you can expect Game Threads hosted by moderator John Strutt and we love it when everybody posts and shares.  You can expect CFL news while being Rider fans.  The rules are simple and easy to follow.  Search the group up and join in.

A question I get asked often is "why ABC?".  At the time, I wanted something that would come up on a Google or Facebook in an alphabetical type of search.  I also thought ABC could refer to the abc's of football and almost in a football 101 type of way.  Yes, it is also an acronym for Anyone But Calgary and that's a cool thing too but it does not mean the group/page is completely anti-Stampeders.  Not really anyway.

I am a Roughriders season ticket holder and this year will be in section 118.  I'm pretty excited to sit in a different part of the stadium.  I'm also pumped for the home opener on Canada Day.  Who doesn't love cheering on Canada's Team on the same day we get to celebrate our nation?!  If you see me, stop me and say hi!
I'd love to interact with you.  If there are blog topics you'd love to see me discuss then by all means let me know.  Thanks for reading and as always...

...Go Riders!

Memory Lane with Doubles

Happy 2020!

I know I have sure let things slide around here and I had really good intentions of posting some things as a follow up to the last season, year and decade, but when I woke up this morning and checked Facebook, it told me that on this date 3 years ago Darian Durant's rights were traded to the Montreal Alouettes.  Well I couldn't just let that go.

Here is the link to that blog post simply titled D U R A N T.

I hope you enjoy my walk down memory lane.  While you're waiting for something new to be posted feel free to check out the rest of ABC Football and don't forget you can always find me on ABC Rider Fans.

Stay warm in these frigid Saskatchewan temperatures and don't forget that it's weather like this that makes the CFL season so much sweeter.