Category: Alternative Football

I’m no fan of the boardroom side of professional football, and don’t know many people who are.

I realize it’s a business, and business has to be taken care of before the focus turns to fun and games. Still, it’s boring stuff, especially when you’re an outsider looking in (and by “outsider looking in,” I mean fan).

That being said, I’m glad the Canadian Football League and CFL Players’ Association have taken care of business by ratifying a new collective bargaining agreement.

The deal was struck on Wednesday.

“Our new agreement speaks to positive growth for our League and a renewed investment in our players,” CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie said in a statement. “We have an exciting future ahead of us and people around the world will see us build it together. I want to thank our players, teams and fans for their patience and let them know that I share their enthusiasm for the start of football season.”

The “football reflex” isn’t triggered for some people until August, but mine comes much earlier. The start of summer means the start of the CFL, and to me that always officially marks a new football season.

With the first preseason game set for Sunday, “my” football is here – and thanks to the three-year agreement between the suits and the players, the CFL is good to go at least through 2021.

“I would like to thank all CFL players for their commitment and diligence as we worked together toward a fair agreement,” CFLPA President Jeff Keeping said. “I would also like to thank the fans for their support and understanding throughout this process. This new agreement moves us forward as partners in the future of the game.”

Even though I live in the United States, the CFL is a huge part of my fandom and has been since the 1970s. It’s not a placeholder league until the NFL begins play; I follow it closely from Week One through the Grey Cup. Now that I have a viewing choice (thanks to ESPN+), I’ll sometimes choose to watch a CFL game on Sunday when it’s up against a clash from the bigger league.

But for a time I was worried there might be a lockout, strike or some other bad scenario that would result in a case of gridiron interruptus in 2019. I dreaded the possibility because this is a league I want to see get stronger and thrive.

Hopefully, the new CBA will help that cause.

While all the details have yet to be released, each team’s salary cap is expected to rise $50,000 each year over the next three years.

That’s money found between couch cushions in the NFL, but it’s forward progress in the CFL and every Canadian dollar counts.

The prospect of players receiving a 20 percent share of future TV and media revenue is also big, as is a higher rookie salary scale and improved medical benefits, among other things.

Neither side got everything they wanted, of course, but they both got enough to keep the train running on time.

Thus tomorrow at 4 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, the BC Lions will be in Edmonton to take on the Eskimos in the CFL’s first dress rehearsal for the 2019 season.

The regular season starts on Thursday, June 13, when my team of choice, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, host the Saskatchewan Roughriders at 7:30 p.m.

I’ll be as excited for that one as some people are for the first big college football weekend or opening day of the NFL.

The Canadian Football League has talented players, quality coaches, and a style of play that’s unique and extremely exciting.

Football season is here again, and I’m glad the CFL is bringing it back.

Remember those thrilling days of backyard football?

No helmets, no pads – just friends and frenemies getting together for good, old-fashioned games of tackle that featured grass stains, torn T-shirts, and the occasional bloody lip.

All these years later, my favorite play remains a post pattern where I made my cut at the dogwood tree in the next-door neighbor’s yard.

Flowering plants, in case you didn’t know, can be quite effective when utilized as downfield blockers.

Last weekend I got to take a trip down memory lane thanks to a happy accident courtesy of my Roku streaming player.

I was playing around with it in search of free sports programming (I’m cheap) when I happened upon a channel devoted to highlights of the American 7s Football League.

And if you don’t know what the A7FL is, well, it’s basically 7-on-7 backyard football. The difference between it and the kind I used to play, however, is this league (founded in 2014) features some talented football players.

And it’s really fun to watch.

A quick glance at game play and you might think you wandered into a rugby sevens match. Then you see receivers go in motion, quarterbacks roll out and unleash forward passes, and plays end in one-on-one, wrap-up tackles.

You don’t have to worry about helmet-to-helmet contact because while there is plenty of full contact, there are no helmets.

And just like in the backyard days when we took liberties with the official rules of football, A7FL has a unique set of its own.

Without getting too deep in the weeds, here’s the CliffsNotes version of rules:

* The field is 100 yards long and 37 yards wide, and there is no kicking of any kind.

* Each game begins with a “throw-off” in which three players of the throwing team line up at their own 35-yard line while one chunks the ball to a lone receiver on the opposing team.

(Back in the day we called these “pass-punts”).

The ball has to travel a minimum of 40 yards and once it gets past the receiver’s 25-yard line, it’s live. And the throw-offs I’ve seen have been pretty exciting … a lot of speed and a little brawn sometimes results in a TD.

After that play, which starts each half and follows each score, things begin to look a bit more like the “normal” gridiron game.

* Touchdowns are worth 6 points, with a 1-point conversion coming from a successful run or pass from the 5-yard line, and a 2-point conversion attempted from the 10.

* The QB can line up in the shotgun formation or behind the linemen, and he can’t be deeper than five yards from the line of scrimmage when in the ‘gun.

Obviously this is a pass-heavy league, although from time to time you will see a back plunge into the line or take a pitch. QB runs appear to be fairly common, too.

Currently the circuit has 16 teams concentrated in the Northeast United States (seven clubs are based in Baltimore) and the season runs from April to July.

One of the reasons I enjoy this league so much is that I’ve come to appreciate rugby more in the last year. As I mentioned earlier, you don’t have to watch much of an A7FL game to see the similarities.

But in a time when we’re being bombarded with new spring pro football leagues, the A7FL is a nice change of pace.

The players don’t make a living doing it, the league isn’t relying on packed stadiums and big-money TV contracts for survival, and it’s not a springboard to the NFL.

It’s simply American football stripped down to its bare necessities.

It’s a lot more advanced than the backyard football I used to play – players don’t have to worry about dogwood trees – but it’s fun and familiar.

Even if you aren’t a weekend warrior anymore, it’s good to know there are guys who keep the battle going.

And A7FL players do it in an entertaining way.

For more info on the league, go to www.a7fl.com.

For those of you craving American-based, non-NFL professional football, you’re going to have to wait nine months until the “new and improved” XFL kicks off.

On Monday Vince McMahon’s do-over league announced an impressive media partnership (ESPN and FOX Sports), so unlike some upstarts that miss their launch date I think this one really is a go for February, 2020.

The Freedom Football League and Pacific Pro Football are also planning to begin their inaugural seasons next year, and there are probably others in the works.

There always are these days.

But since the last league to successfully exist in the same universe as the NFL was the American Football League, those of us who are fans of Brand X operations know not to get too attached.

What’s here today is quite likely to be gone tomorrow.

However, I’ve often thought about what kind of NFL alternative league I’d put together if given the chance. What would I want to see and how could it possibly work?

Glad you asked.

First off, forget about spring football … the United States Football League did it best and nothing else has come close. Plus, these leagues that start the week after the Super Bowl (such as the original and future XFL as well as the recently expired Alliance of American Football) are beginning play at a terrible time of year.

The weather is cold and nasty, and doesn’t really get better until the season is done.

My league – I’m calling it the Summer Football League – would start the first Saturday in May and have a 14-week regular season.

Using this year’s calendar, Week 1 would’ve commenced on May 4, the final week of the set schedule would be played on August 3, and there would be two weeks of playoffs with the SFL championship game (the Summer Bowl) on August 17.

Unlike those who continually insist that Americans have an unquenchable thirst for football year round, I’m not sure I believe that.

I think it’s perfectly fine to take three months off in February, March and April, especially with March Madness and the start of baseball season on the horizon.

Besides,  more fans would be in a football frame of mind with a May kickoff.*

* I’m a huge Canadian Football League fan and the preseason starts this month, so I’m already girded up and ready to go.

Ideally, the SFL would start with 12 teams in a mixture of markets. It’s always a good idea to have franchises in places like New York, Chicago and Southern California to entice TV partners, but second-tier cities might put more people in the seats. (Maybe announce the league 18 months from the start and do some polling to find out which cities are most likely to support summer football).

One important note: the SFL would not be a single entity circuit, which is the preferred model of late. I’m looking for men and women who want to own football teams and have tons of disposable income.

So, just for fun, let’s say the SFL features the following teams, which I’ve been nice enough to nickname for you:

EASTERN DIVISION

New York Nighthawks

Norfolk Admirals

Orlando Spirit

Raleigh Oaks

CENTRAL DIVISION

Birmingham Battalion

Chicago Zephyrs

Louisville Rivermen

Memphis Kings

WESTERN DIVISION

Portland Woodsmen

San Antonio Fortress

San Diego Armada

Tulsa Energy

The three division winners and one wildcard team would qualify for the playoffs.

All who know me know that when it comes to alternative leagues I want to see innovative rules and – fortunately – many of the ones I like best were used in the World Football League (1974-75).

WFL rules I’d steal for the SFL are:

* Touchdowns are worth 7 points.

* Instead of a PAT kick, offenses would attempt a 1-point conversion from the two and a half yard line.

* Offensive backs can go in motion toward the line of scrimmage before the ball is snapped.

* Fair catches are not permitted on punts. Instead, the returner receives a 5-yard cushion allowing him to field the kick.

* Only one foot in bounds required for a pass completion.

With kickoffs moving closer to becoming obsolete in tackle football, I’d be inclined to replace them with no-rush punts.

The “replacement” play would take place at the kicking team’s 30, and since you wouldn’t have players charging at each other from opposite directions, the chances of dangerous hits would be lessened.

Another rule change I really like is awarding defenses a single point for a fumble recovery or interception. Yeah, it’s a bit radical and usually when I bring it up I’m met with eye rolls, but it’s my league and my fantasy, so I’m going with it.

OK, we’ve got a season, 12 franchises and unique rules.

What about the players?

Well, I don’t think this “developmental league” approach is ever going to gain traction, especially since so many college players are already NFL ready before they leave school.

So, if my owners want to go after established NFL stars and high draft picks, they have my blessings. But ultimately, they aren’t going to prevail in bidding wars.

What I think would work best is to chase older NFL players and backups.

You won’t get Tom Brady to defect to the SFL, but you might get Brady’s backup, Brian Hoyer.

And the SFL would be a good landing spot for fading stars looking for one last shot at glory.

I’m betting fans would be more inclined to follow teams with former NFL players than squads stocked with guys who were never quite good enough to make the big leagues in the first place.

Thus, the SFL would be a nice warmup act for the college football and NFL headliners.

So, is something akin to the Summer Football League viable?

Only if you have a bunch of rich owners who take great satisfaction in losing money year after year and playing second fiddle to the “big league.”

The NFL has cornered the market on elite professional football, and by and large American football fans seem perfectly content with the gridiron fix provided by its 32 teams.

I’d love to see additional leagues pop up – the more the merrier – but the chances of their success are astronomically low.

If someone wants to form the Summer Football League and make me commissioner, though, I’m available.

And hopelessly optimistic.