Canadian Football League (CFL)

Before Canadian football, there was rugby and soccer. While soccer played a major role in influencing the game of modern-day football in Canada, it was particularly the English game of rugby that helped lay the foundation of the game by formalizing the sport with codification. An evolutionary process over many years, the legitimization of Canadian football and the subsequent formation of the Canadian Football League (CFL) are not only a story of sports history in Canada, but also a story of culture, since many factors including Canada’s relationship with the United States, have greatly influenced the way Canadian football is played.

From the inaugural season of the Canadian Football League in 1958 to modern sporting events with attendees in the millions, Canadian football has been the product of political and social change in Canada, most notably demonstrating the journey of cultural recognition and distinction from its American counterpart, with an eventual acceptance that has played to Canada’s favor.

Brief History

Canadian football, or rugby football as it was previously known, dates back to the late nineteenth century, with roots in both British and American culture. While England is the proclaimed rightful birthplace of the modern version of the sport, there are claims to the contrary by other nations. Originating from both the game of soccer and rugby, football was played in Canada well before England officially declared its status as an official sport of its own. Prior to that time, soccer (as it was referred to around the world) was well-established and rules were provided by the Football Association, while rugby was both formalized and codified with rules by the Rugby Football Union. According to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, the first game of football in Canada was played at the University of Toronto on Saturday, November 9, 1861, a soccer game that included limited ball-handling.

Nearly a decade later, rugby had outpaced soccer as the leading sport in Canada for two reasons: its favorable conditions for off-season training and the fact that it was more based on strength than skills, ultimately giving rise to the modern version of the game of football. By 1874, modern Canadian football (and similarly American football) had begun to take shape as numerous games were played in Canada. Most notably, McGill University (in Montreal) had played Harvard University in two games, both in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on May 14 and 15, 1874. The first game followed the American school’s rules, while the second game followed Canada’s rules, which at the time were an evolution of both soccer and rugby rules.

Approximately two years after the McGill-Harvard games, Canadian football had become distinctly different from rugby, much like American football, but with a difference: a three-man scrimmage that includes a center and two teammates attempts to keep the opposition’s three-man line from advancing, while the center tries to heel the ball into the backfield. This ultimately gave a team both indefinite possession of the ball and decreased unpredictability, previously exemplified in the game of rugby.

Overview

After the turn of the twentieth century, Canadian football began to implement significant changes to the way the game was played. Specifically, the following were proposed: a reduction of 15 men-per-team to 12 men-per-team, the implementation of the American snapback system, and new rules that required teams to gain 10 yards on three downs or relinquish possession of the ball. These proposals, which were then implemented incrementally across the nation were known as the Burnside rules, after the originator J. T. M. Burnside, a former captain of the University of Toronto team.

However, it took many years before the new rules were adopted by the Canadian football ruling bodies across the entire nation. The three-down rule was first adopted in 1907 and the rosters were changed to a 12-man game in 1921 as the American snapback was also implemented. The year 1921 is also of great significance for Canadian football as the Grey Cup (or the People’s Cup as it is often referred) was established as a national game, giving rise to the Canadian football east-west identity.

Despite such progress, Canadian football did not become legitimized until the establishment of the Canadian Football Council (CFC), which oversaw the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union and the Western Interprovincial Football Union, starting in the first inaugural season in 1956. Two years later, in 1958, the Canadian Football Council was renamed the Canadian Football League (CFL). Two years after that, the Interprovincial Football Rugby Union became the Eastern Conference and the Western Interprovincial Football Union became the Western Conference. The Canadian Football League then approved an official football, the Spalding J5V, a fatter ball than the one used in America, and in 1966 the Canadian Football League’s Player’s Association (CFLPA) was created to protect the talent.

As Canadian football made strides towards legitimization, it became more culturally accepted as a top sport and form of entertainment in Canada. This was signified by the growth in audiences at sporting events. Specifically, the first Grey Cup in 1948, which hosted a crowd of more than 20,000 attendees, grew to crowds of more than 60,000 in the 1970s and early 1980s. Shortly thereafter, those numbers began to decline, which led to additional changes in the league. The Canadian Football League began to embrace American expansion, which started in 1993 with the Sacramento Goldminers being admitted into the league. In addition, the formation of the World Hockey Association (WHA) presented issues with respect to competition for the available pool of athletes, TV spots (and other marketing opportunities), and fans.

The biggest threat, however, to the Canadian Football League was the National Football League. Despite the similarities to the American version of the sport, there was a growing belief that began to emerge that the US National Football League was a superior organization than its Canadian counterpart. This became a mentality that is believed to have greatly impacted attendance and general interest in the Canadian Football League by Canadians. Although there was an attempt to bridge the National Football League with the Canadian Football League, political pressures ultimately led to the downfall of the short-lived World Football League (WFL). It did, however, lead to a resurgence of the Canadian Football League. In addition, increased marketing in America, alongside low ratings for the NFL following the end of the World Football League and the onset of the 1982 NFL strike, increased exposure of the Canadian Football League, which then led to increased attendance. The Canadian Football League had become a cultural phenomenon at this point, as denoted by the significant increase in game attendance, sponsorship and subsequent gross revenue. This growth continues to prevail well into the 2020s as the league continues with an average of 200,000-plus attendees per game—after the return to the all-Canadian format of the game.

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