Football in a Hockey Crazy Country

Football in Canada

Unless you've been living under a rock, you will have definitely heard how Toronto sports fans are going crazy after the Argonauts beat the Calgary Stampeders 35-22 in the 100th edition of the Grey Cup, which was held in Toronto. If you dig a little deeper, you will have heard that the Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton is being demolished and rebuilt, causing the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to temporarily relocate to Guelph.

So what does all this mean for football in Canada? Well, a lot. Football, more specifically the Grey Cup, is 100 years old, while football wasn't in much demand… until recent years, that is. The game at the Rogers Centre drew over 53,000 fans for game night. An average audience of 5.5 million viewers saw the game on TSN, making it the most-watched CFL championship game ever recorded on English-language television. And that is exactly what football in Canada needs.

Two-time Grey Cup champion Blake Marshall, who played for the Edmonton Eskimos, said he believes that "once people watch Canadian football, they'll be drawn towards it more than the NFL." And he's got a valid point. "I've played with American players, as we're the same calibre. People just think that everything American is better, but when they watch the Canadian game, they'll realize that it's more exciting," added the former Western Mustang running back.

It's safe to say that Marshall may be a bit biased towards the Canadian game, but you really can't blame him all that much. Not that I'm saying that the NFL is not a good league. The NFL is by far the more popular league and will be for the foreseeable future. It's also home to 32 teams, four times more than its Canadian counterpart. But that doesn't mean the CFL can't improve. And they appear to be improving slowly.

There's a new team starting in Ottawa, the third attempt at starting a team in the capital. Future expansions are being planned and considered for a number of cities, most notably Halifax, Moncton, Quebec City, London and Windsor. Mark Cohon, the CFL commissioner, has his eye set on expanding the league to Atlantic Canada, owing to the obvious football craze that exists in the region. The main challenge for proponents of a CFL franchise in the Atlantic provinces is corporate support. Financial instability was the main reason the Ottawa Renegades were dissolved after just four seasons of play in 2006.

Marshall is among other football fans in London who believe that the city would be able to support a CFL franchise. And who is to say the city won't be able to? Look at the fan following the London Knights get at every home game. The London Lightning team is seeing attendance slowly rise. The Western Mustangs are a footballing powerhouse in the region and the TD Waterhouse Stadium is almost CFL ready, save for a few renovations and more seating space for fans.

London may not be the first choice for a CFL expansion just yet, and football-crazy Atlantic Canada needs a few franchises first that would expand 'Canada's League.' Scenes in Toronto prior to the Grey Cup in 2012 are enough proof that the league and the sport are not going anywhere. Football may have lost about a generation of fans, but if recent trends are to go by, all that could soon change.

After all, as the league's motto goes 'Notre Ligue. Notre Football' or, translated into English: 'This Is Our League.'

Originally Written for the Interrobang: http://www.fsu.ca/interrobang_article.php?storyID=9130&sectionID=4&issueID=218
Image Credit: http://cfl.uploads.mrx.ca/league/images/en/inside/2011/10/en_1280x748_CFL_MapCities4743.jpg
Video Credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laeOn5DKnmA

Arkell Street, Hamilton

Hamilton's own: The Arkells.

I remember a time last year when I was torn between seeing Arkells at the London Music Hall or reporting on a London Knights game. Fortunately (or unfortunately at that time), I'd volunteered for the Knights game even before I knew what Arkells was. And then I began regretting my decision. For what it's worth, the Knights game was pretty insane and I got to speak to Austin Watson and Greg McKegg, so in truth, I'm not all that displeased.

I don't think I've been drawn towards a Canadian artist since living in the country as much as I've been drawn towards Arkells. I elucidate the difference as knowing some artists from back home (Nickelback, Simple Plan and Drake, to name a few). So what does someone like me do? Well get my hands on both Arkells albums, no doubt: Jackson Square and Michigan Left, for those who are unaware.

I don't know what I love about Arkells. Admittedly, they're no Coldplay or Green Day but they still have that unexplainable draw that causes me to fanboy over them. And by fanboy, I don't mean the way some people gush over an 'artist Canada should attempt to hide forever.' Yes, I'm talking about that teenager: Justin Bieber.

If you recall the April 9 issue of the Interrobang, where I elaborated on 10 things that Canada taught me, I did mention the Arkells performing in London, the show that I missed and the fact that my iPod would have to work overtime. Well, all that was all forgotten on September 13. If you were in London then, you'll probably know that the Western Fair was on. Arkells performed as part of the Western Fair's free concert series. Naturally, I got all excited and ecstatic and made sure to clear my schedule. I had already missed one Arkells show in London and I sure wasn't going to miss another one.

And there I was, amidst hundreds more, singing out loudly to songs I didn't know the words to. And this was probably the second-best concert I'd ever been to. (Four in my entire life isn't a whole lot, I know.) The only reason this isn't number one is simple – Chris Martin dancing on stage – but that's a different story.

Another thing I like about Arkells: the band was named after a street in Hamilton. That is beyond cool simply because you name streets after famous things, and not vice versa.

I've distracted myself long enough. For now, I need to get back to my iPod, Arkells beckon. And for the record, I've yet to pick a Canadian Football League team to follow. "Ticats Are Hummin" might just sell me on the Hamilton Tiger- Cats. But that's a decision for the future. Right now, I'll stick to learning every Arkells lyric.

Originally Written for the Interrobang: http://www.fsu.ca/interrobang_article.php?storyID=8976&sectionID=3&issueID=215
Image Credit::http://vancouverisawesome.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/arkells.jpg