What the NFL can learn from the Canadian game
An American CFL fan argues that U.S. football can take a few lessons from its Canuck cousin
About 20 years ago, I had occasion to drive frequently on weekends between New York and Boston, sometimes on Friday nights, and searched the radio to pass the time. In those days, it was fairly easy to get the signal of CHML Hamilton in the northeastern United States, and one evening, I found myself listening to a Hamilton Tiger-Cats game.
I was vaguely familiar with the Ticats because Joe Restic, who coached at Harvard, had earlier been offensive coordinator and head coach in Hamilton, where he devised the “Multiflex” offence. Future CNN commentator Jeffrey Toobin wrote that “when it works, the system can glide and accelerate like a Ferrari. The Multiflex at its best can be elegant football.” The rest of us praised or criticized it depending on whether Harvard won or lost, but it was easy to see the Canadian influence, seeking the virtues of a more open game on the smaller U.S. field (a challenging task given the sometimes erratic nature of Ivy League football).
Still, I’d never actually heard a CFL game until that first night on the radio. I thought it was great. I loved the heightened sense of action, the faster pace of play, multiple players in motion before the snap, the rapidity with which possession could change. Those extra 10 yards between the touchdown lines took some getting used to, and I’m still a bit surprised when I see a goalpost so close to the field (even though NFL goal posts also were on the goal line in my childhood). After listening to a few games, as it had been Hamilton that introduced me to the game, I decided: Here was my team.
Other than three downs rather than four, the biggest difference between the Canadian and American games is all the extra space on the field: A CFL field is 26% bigger than its NFL counterpart in total surface area. This has relevance to a challenge facing all who enjoy football: the epidemic of concussions and the mounting evidence that these brain injuries can lead to serious damage in later life.
Because of the more open style of play in Canada, there are fewer opportunities for bone-crushing and brain-knocking injuries
The NFL is struggling with this issue right now, and introducing some welcome rules changes. Meanwhile, former stars such as running-back Tony Dorsett are revealing their struggles with chronic traumatic encelepathy. Calls may grow for further regulation of the sport in the interests of players’ health.
This is not new: during the administration of Theodore Roosevelt over a century ago, there was pressure to ban college football as too violent. TR saved it, even as the rules changed to make the American game less like rugby.
Here’s where the Canadian example is instructive. Brain injuries caused by football are a concern on both sides of the border. But because of the more open style of play in Canada, there are fewer opportunities for the kind of bone-crushing and brain-knocking injuries that too often bring long, tense silences to an NFL broadcast. Of course, injuries happen in all sports, but there are ways to limit them.
I’m agnostic between the “no yards” penalty in the CFL and the American “fair catch” rule: Each helps lessen the risk of injury during kick returns. But in other respects, Canada has an advantage: Permitting multiple players in motion opens up the game; as does a wider field, deeper end zone, and wider hash marks. As well, a greater distance between teams at the line of scrimmage serves to reduce instant collisions. Perhaps it’s time for a rethink of the U.S. rules, and a move toward adopting some of the Canadian ones.
The question is not whether NFL or CFL players are “better.” It’s really more a question of the style of play. It’s the same reason I usually enjoy college and Olympic hockey more than the NHL. While I recognize the athleticism in the quick and precise movements of very large players, I generally prefer a game that leans more to speed than to brute force.
It’s been fun to follow the Ticats this year. They’ve provided some exciting victories and a playoff run. Henry Burris has risen in the standings of the all-time greats. Thanks to ESPN3 and the generosity of Canadian radio stations in permitting live online listening, it’s become easy to follow the games and the league here in Virginia. I hope others will make the same discovery of how much fun the Canadian game can be. It ’s perfectly possible to follow both professional North American leagues passionately — even as many of us express concern over the game’s injury record.
This weekend, I’ ll be watching as Hamilton once again takes on Toronto. Eat ‘em raw, Ticats.