American here (southern Louisiana) and I enjoy the CFL more. They start mid-summer. I strongly recommend watching, if you can get them. If not, even the highlights are a blast. Some fantastic athletes, a much faster game, and I find it much more exciting.
CFL is an underrated league, it gives many American players who couldn’t make it in the NFL a chance at a pro career. Money isn’t as good as the NFL obviously but it’s good enough to make a comfortable living. The league also has incredible history, The Grey Cup is 110 years old
the canadian game still retains more of the rugby roots than the american game. it's faster gameplay, kicking plays a bigger part and there are lots of high flying throws. some crazy stuff happens as a result of the different rules which is why it's sometimes called the crazy football league. canadian football was introduced to the americans in 1874 and they adopted and adapted it. the oldest continuous team in north america is the toronto argonauts, earlier this year the 110th grey cup was played.
I remember when the Australians created a hybrid of Rugby League with Aussie Rules Football many moons ago. The rules of that code of football were fascinating.
@@thelordsarmypodcast6164 "The 1869 Princeton vs. Rutgers football game was played between Princeton and Rutgers on November 6, 1869. The rules governing play were based on the London Football Association's 1863 rules that disallowed carrying or throwing the ball.[1] Therefore, the game more closely resembled association football[2] than american football. Moreover, the match was played with a regular football.[3] As a result, it is considered the first collegiate soccer match and the birth of soccer in the United States." - wiki
@@thelordsarmypodcast6164 "The sport developed from informal games played in North America during the 19th century. Early games had a variety of local rules and were generally similar to modern rugby union and soccer. The earliest recorded instance of gridiron football occurred at University of Toronto's University College in November 1861.[3] Later in the 1860s, teams from universities were playing each other, leading to more standardized rules and the creation of college football. While several American schools adopted rules based on the soccer rules of the English Football Association, Harvard University held to its traditional "carrying game". Meanwhile, McGill University in Montreal used rules based on rugby union. In 1874, Harvard and McGill organized two games using each other's rules. Harvard took a liking to McGill's rugby-style rules and adopted them.[3][13] In turn, they were used when Harvard and Yale University played their first intercollegiate sports game in 1875, after which the rugby-style Canadian game was adopted by Yale players and spectators from Yale and Princeton University.[13] This version of the game was subsequently played with several other U.S. colleges over the next several years" - gridiron football - wiki.
Hello John. You picked up on the differences very well, although this video is not very well done. The metric system was not introduced in Canada until the mid 1970s, so it had nothing to do with the size of our field. The original official football used in the CFL was the Spalding J5V, which was indeed larger than the US version. There was even a marketing campaign that used the "we have bigger balls" slogan. Our game still has similarities to Rugby. In the 1990s, the CFL expanded into the US with teams in Baltimore (when the Colts moved to Indy) as well as teams in Texas, Las Vegas, California, Shreveport, Birmingham and Memphis. The Baltimore Stallions even won the Grey Cup, but I do not remember which year that was. Several Baltimorians or Baltimorites made the trip to Canada for the game and they were very supportive of their team. I love our game because it is fast paced. Cheers and have a Merry Christmas.
The Stallions won the Grey Cup in 1993. When they dissolved the American arm of the game, the Stallions were the only team that continue to exist by moving north and becoming the team we now Call The Montreal Alouettes. The previous version of this team was shut down and dissolved after their owner could no longer support the team and tried to sell it. (Nelson Skalbania) The league folded the team and after a couple of years the Stallions took the name over.
@@howardallan7849 Actually, Baltimore won the cup in 1995 - I remember, as I got married that year, so it was the first Grey Cup I spent with my wife in our new apartment.
If you want to see a CFL match... just watch the most recent Grey Cup (CFL's Superbowl that was first played in 1909). 110th Grey Cup match between Winnipeg Blue Bombers (who won two in a row in 2019 and 2021 (there was no season in 2020) and then lost to Argos in the Grey Cup last year) and Montreal Alouettes (who finally managed to find stability with the new owner and immediately appeared in The Grey Cup after not being in it since 2010 when they won their second straight Grey Cup against Saskatchewan Roughriders). It happened last month and is already considered an Instant Classic and one of the best Grey Cup games of all time. There's a recap of the game on CFL TH-cam channel and the full game is also on TH-cam.
Thank you for checking out our game John. Yes originally it was the Rugby Football Union. My Grandfather play for the Edmonton Eskimos, 1910-1913, which are now called the Elks. I don’t know why a Canadian didn’t explain the game. In the west: BC Lions, Edmonton Elks, Calgary Stampeders, Saskatchewan Roughriders, Winnipeg Blue Bombers. East: Ottawa Redblacks, Toronto Argonauts, Hamilton Tiger Cats, & Montreal Alouettes. Wishing you & your family a very Merry Christmas & and Happy New Year!
The length is not because of the metric system, and that doesn't explain the width. The length is just because it's that long. The CFL started January 1958. Canada adopted the metric system in 1970, and metrification didn't finish until 1985.
Excuse me, but the CFL started in the early 1900s. Before that it was basically Rugby. This explains why it's the 110th Grey Cup as opposed to the Super Bowl which is just over 50 some odd years old.
@@howardallan7849 The Grey Cup started in 1909. What is currently known as the CFL started in 1958. At least that's what various internet sources say. I was not around to know that personally.
Canadian football started long before 1958. I’m from Edmonton and I can remember listening to the 1954 Grey Cup game where Montreal (the favourite) played Edmonton. Montreal led throughout the game until the last play where Jackie Parker took the kickoff and ran the length of the field to win the game on the last play. Edmonton went on to win 3 cups in a row. 1954,55 and 56. 7:15
@@nancymilawski1048 Hamilton Tiger-Cats is a result of 1950 merging of Hamilton Tigers (that were founded in 1869) and Hamilton Wildcats (that were founded in 1941). They didn't change names.
The sport developed from English rugby at the colleges and universities of central Canada with the 1st documented game being one played at the University of Toronto in 1861. It entered the United States when McGill University of Montreal introduced this new sport (called rugby-football) to Harvard University in 1874. A the time, football in the US resembled soccer. 1874 onwards, the sport as played in each country diverged as some adjustments/new rules were adopted in 1 country but not the other.
The last really important era that included the somewhat larger CFL ball, manufactured by Spalding, was the 1978 to 1982 5 in a row championship wins by the Edmonton dynasty that introduced the legendary Warren Moon to the football world. By 1986, the Spalding era came to a close, and Wilson was awarded the CFL ball contract. The decision was made at this time to adopt the same basic dimension and weight ball as used in the NFL. The biggest difference since then is the distinctive white stripes on the CFL ball which do not adorn the American version.
How crazy that you and MertCan both released reactions to this same video today?! You two are the best reactors - mostly because you're not completely ignorant about Canada, genuinely seem interested in our stories, and you both choose subject matter that is interesting to me. Case in point. Love it! (Now I'm going to post this comment on his page. Haha)
You are correct about the universities developing the rules. The game was introduced to the US in a series of games between McGill and Harvard. They played the first game on the Canadian sized field then when they went to Harvard there was no large enough field available so they played on the smaller field. The game caught on at Harvard and the two sets of rules developed organically in the two Countries simultaneously. Although the Grey Cup, the CFL version of the Lombardi Trophy has existed for much longer. The Montreal Alouettes just won the 110th Grey cup last month.
6:00 - there is no fair catch, because of the "no yards" rule, which means a defensive player must give 5 yards or more to allow the catch to take place, once its caught or missed, then they can run and try to tackle or get the fumble... If it lands without being touched, you still must give 5 yards if the runner decides to pick it up when you enter that 5 yards its a penalty, more yards or less, depending on the spot the ball lands...
As I understand it, at least at the CFL and Canadian university levels, "no yards" is a 15 yard penalty if the ball was caught in the air, and 5 yards if it was picked up off the ground. (I think the CFL changed it to be 15 yards all the time, but I'm not sure)
What? The CFL field has always been in yards and never in meters. The CFL end zones were 25 yards for years. It was shorted to 20 about 40 years ago. The football WAS larger in the CFL, but that was changed several years ago. I believe it was Spalding that made the Canadian ball before switching to the smaller Wilson ball.
Hey John. Watch this year's Grey Cup (the CFL version of the Super Bowl) game held in Hamilton, Ontario which featured the Montreal Alouettes and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. It was a blast to watch. You won't regret it.
There are 9 teams in CFL. Five teams play in the Western Division (from west to east) - BC Lions from Vancouver, British Columbia. Calgary Stampeders from Calgary, Alberta. Edmonton Elks (formerly known as Edmonton Eskimos until 2020) from Edmonton, Alberta. Saskatchewan Roughriders from Regina, Saskatchewan (no team in Saskatoon). Winnipeg Blue Bombers from Winnipeg, Manitoba (they used to play in the east in 1987-1994, 1997-2001 and 2006-2013 as one of the east teams didn't play). Four teams play in the Eastern Division (from west to east) - Hamilton Tiger-Cats from Hamilton, Ontario. Toronto Argonauts from Toronto, Ontario (they played their 150th season in 2023). Ottawa Redblacks from Ottawa, Ontario (it's the third team from Ottawa to play in CFL. First there were Ottawa Rough Riders that played since 1876 and folded after 1996 season for lacking money. Then there were Ottawa Renegades as the Saskatchewan Roughriders didn't want to be confused with Ottawa Rough Riders anymore. Thay played from 2002 up to 2005 and folded for lacking money. Redblacks started to play in 2014 even if they were supposed to start playing in 2010 but Frank Clair Stadium (originally Lansdowne Park and now known as TD Place) needed to be reconstructed because the old building started to crumble. Redblacks are sharing story with Rough Riders and Renegades). Montreal Alouettes from Montreal, Quebec (also a third team from Montreal. Original Alouettes were formed in 1946 and folded on May 13, 1982, on the next day a second team was formed (CFL knew that original Alouettes were about to fold and already had a plan). It was known as Montreal Concordes from 1982 up to 1985 as the Montreal Alouettes name, logo and other stuff were owned by previous owner. In 1986 that Concordes changed their name back to Alouettes as the team finally gained rights to it... only to fold one day before the start of 1987 season. Third Alouettes were formed in 1996 after CFL US Expansion ended and 1995 Grey Cup winners Baltimore Stallions had no places to move from Baltimore as NFL "relocated" Cleveland Browns to Baltimore to form Baltimore Ravens and the team had no choice but to move to Montreal to revive the team... but Baltimore Stallions doesn't share story with Alouettes). And there was aforementioned CFL US Expansion. In early 90s, with no Alouettes and big financial problems CFL struggled to survive. They previously denied offers from US as they were keeping the game as it is but they decided to go to US themselves in early 90s because they needed money from newly formed franchises. In 1993 the first American team started to play in CFL - Sacramento Gold Miners, they were playing in the west division. In 1994 three more teams were added - Las Vegas Posse, Shreveport Pirates (who had the worst start of the season in CFL history as they lost their lost their first FOURTEEN games to finish 3-15) and Baltimore CFL Colts (who lost their name few hours before their first game as NFL held rights to Colts brand, so the team was known as either Baltimore CFL's or Baltimore Football Club). Posse played in the west and Pirates with CFL Colts played in the east. Baltimore reached Grey Cup but lost to BC Lions on the field goal on the last second of the game. In 1995 Posse folded, Sacramento Gold Miners relocated to San Antonio and became San Antonio Texans and two more teams were added - Memphis Mad Dogs and Birmingham Barracudas. All five US teams were playing in the newly formed South Division and all 8 canadian teams (Lions, Stampeders, Eskimos, Roughriders, Blue Bombers, Tiger-Cats, Argonauts and Rough Riders) were playing in the newly formed North Division. Baltimore Stallions once again reached Grey Cup and this time they won against Calgary Stampeders... but CFL US Expansion was considered a failure in all aspects except financial (CFL made the money they needed from adding new teams to the league). CFL didn't had a good TV coverage in US. Only Baltimore had good attendance numbers and they were forced to move by NFL... So in 1996 Alouettes returned thanks to Baltimore Stallions moving their stuff there and West and East divisions were back too. CFL starts its season in June and end it in November. All teams play 18 games in 21 weeks, 6 best teams are going to playoffs. Usually it means the three best teams from each division go to playoff with the best teams in their division get a bye in Divisional Semis but CFL has a crossover rule. If the team that ended fourth in their division (team A) has MORE POINTS (yes, there's a point system in CFL - 2 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, 0 points for a loss) than the team that ended third in the other division (team B) then team A takes place of team B in their playoff bracket. Last time crossover happened in 2019 when Edmonton Eskimos ended fourth in the west with 16 points (8 wins and 10 losses) and were better than Toronto Argonauts who ended third in the east with 8 points (4 wins and 14 losses). Edmonton beat Montreal Alouettes in East Semi and then lost to Hamilton in East Final.
Nice to see you dipping your toes into the CFL, i wont advertise but i know of another American youtuber who big into it and has purchased season tickets for next year to his favorite team. Im from Winnipeg so im a Bombers fan, love the sport and cant wait for next season.
Sorry that I may be repeating other comments that I have not read, but a couple of points. At one time Canadian footballs were bigger. As a matter of fact, a few years ago the CFL slogan was 'Our balls are bigger'. We don't have a fair catch, but the defensive team has to give the player catching the punt a five yard cushion before he catches the ball. I don't that fact was mentioned
The Canadian field has always been 110 yard long, going back over 110 years. It is the same size as a rugby and soccer field. And that is also a reason why the goal posts are on the goal line, because that's where they started. Also, until the 90's the end zones used to be 25 yards deep. And the CFL football used to be bigger (long, wider) and weighed more. Over time the football was reduced to closer match the size of the US version to save on costs.
@@johnf-americanreacts1287 Yes, do. Too bad you know the outcome. Watching live I had no idea and my 92-year-old dad called me after the game. He asked one question "Did you see that?"
You have to watch the 2023 Grey Cup which is available for free on TH-cam! Just a fantastic game … a nail biter right up to the end! Well worth the watch! 😊
John, Thanks. CFL IS a superior game. More action. More scoring. Been here for about 115 years, not 50ish down south. Biggest HYPE!!!! Greatest MARKETING!!!!! NFL. Hands down. No question!!! BTW: Missed field goals DO get run back for TOUCHDOWNS!!!!! Thanks again for your open minded, honest, look. GO RIDERS!!!!!!
*- Agreed, the Canadian Game is more fun to play and watch. The is more back and forth action.* *- The kicking game has a much bigger role in the game than in the NFL.* *- The field feels huge as compared to the NFL field. There is way more space to run in.* *- In my mind that all translates to more running, more hitting, more action, faster action.* *~ ~ ~ ~ ~* *- I played high school defensive R. Tight End and offensive half back in the state of New Hampshire.* *- At Acadia University in Nova Scotia, Canada, I started as R. Outside Linebacker for four years, D. Captain last 2 years.*
In Canadian football, you also receive a point if you punt the ball through the endzone. In fact, as long as you kick the ball through the defensive teams endzone you get a point. Some weird plays have occurred in Canadian football because of this rule where teams kick the ball back and forth.
Was just about to write the same thing ….. also every rare but kick offs as well . On a extremely windy day I kicked a single on a kick off , also hit a crossbar once too
I'm a big Winnipeg Blue Bomber fan, and I really love our game. Seems like lots of stops to advertise here as well, but the pace of the games is usually pretty good. A lot more throwing plays, interceptions, etc. than US football. Smaller crowds and stadiums than almost all your US stadiums, including collage. Feels much more like a real " home game", than an event, IMO. Bombers have the newest stadium in the league, and it only holds 33,422.
As a fellow Bomber I hate to correct you but our arch rivals the Riders have the newest stadium. Although almost every first in that stadium has been won by a Winnipeg team
We lost the 2020 CFL season to COVID - our league is small enough that TV revenue isn't that big, the teams depend on butts in seats for their money, so the lockdown meant that the season couldn't happen. As a hard-core CFL fan for whom Grey Cup Sunday is a religious holiday, it was tough not having a season. I got into Australian football though, and that's a fun sport indeed 🙂
Canadian footbal was as you supposed created through university. It was established by McGill university and a few others within a few subsequent years American universities/colleges came over to participate in these events. Eventually they "tweaked" the rules to better serve their objectives/type of gameplay. Oh! On a sidenote. It isn't rare to see many players here in Canada working within the organization or outside of it; moonlighting as doctors, bankers, brokerage officers, transport driver, repossession agents, lawyers as to pursue their careers after their education but at the same time enjoying/participating in the sport that has helped them financially to support their education.😊
I would recommend checking out the Saskatchewan Roughriders history. They are the second oldest CFL team and one of the most financially successful of the CFL teams. They sell more merch than all the CFL teams combine, and even the Dallas Cowboy Marketing team has been up to Saskatchewan a few times to learn from the Rider marketing team. Being originally from Ontario, Saskatchewan and its fans takes CFL to the next level.
They try to take it to the next level. They only reason they sell the merchandise they do is because they have nothing to compete with. In most CFL cities, it's the NHL team that sells the merchandise. Comparing the Roughriders to the Dallas Cowboys? Please. The Riders are Canada's Green Bay Packers. Saskatchewan will never get an NHL team. That's why the people there live an existence of reminding the world they have a football team.
The two games didn't evolve parallel to each other. Gridiron football with downs and snaps was invented by McGill University in Montreal. The game then was three downs to get five yards and no forward passing was allowed. Harvard liked McGill's game more than the Ivy League game and adopted it. Thus, American football is actually the progeny of Canadian football. FUN FACT: The NFL used to have the goal posts at the goal line. They moved them to the back of the end zone in 1974. If you look at ANY game played prior to that, the goal posts weren't at the back of the end zone.
Like you John, I am not a huge football fan. Was in the 70’s but, find it boring, 3 seconds of action 2 mins standing around, time counting before play starts (sometimes). I am more in to real man sports, Hockey, Rugby, Lacrosse and Women’s Beach Volleyball.
It seems most of the footage on CFL in this video was taken from Toronto Argonauts games. I was a season ticket holder from 1989 until 2022 for the Argonauts.
You are correct, the game is a faster and more offensively minded, mainly due to the shorter play clock and only having 3 downs. The biggest pro of Canadian Football over American is that you seldom see a Canadian Football game degrade into entire quarter's of time management. You generally can't expect your running back to be getting consistent 5 yard gains, especially when the defense knows you are trying to kill the clock at the end of the game. No lead is safe in the CFL. The downside is when two good defenses play though, the game becomes a punt fest, hence why the no fair catch rule. We have the no yards rule instead to ensure players are always able to field a kick.
If you want to see a CFL game, I suggest to wait until the series start. See, CFL teams don't paly many pre-season games to warm up, I think 2 or 3, and training camp last only 3 or 4 weeks so, the first 5 or 6 season games really looks like pre- seasons game. Or you can watch a re-runs of the Grey Cups 2023, this will give you a taste of how fast a game pace goes on.
That video is incorrect - the myth about bigger footballs USED to be true. Until 1995, Spalding Canada produced J5V footballs for the CFL, and they were slightly bigger than the current Wilson footballs in use in the CFL.
Goal posts in US college ball were on the goal line until 1927 and in the NFL until 1972. Originally it made sense as the goal was to Cary, catch or kick the ball over the goal line. But kickers were getting too good at kicking, and the goalpost could get in the way so it’s been moved back in the Uzs. But in Canada that would mean putting the ball 20 yds back behind the goal line. That would make even short kicks hard I. The CFL. As a plus, CFL teams often return missed FG kicks (to not lose the rouge pt if nothing else). That mostly died out in 1972 in the NFL. Back then a missed FG was treated as a punt, in the NFL. Missed kicks not returned were treated as touchbacks till the late 1970s
One of the first "modern" football games was between McGill University and Harvard, played in 1874 in Cambridge Mass, they played by different rulesets, so they played 2 games 1 day apart, I think 1 game each using the different sets of rules
they liked the canadian game more and adopted it. boston rules was played with a round ball, lots of players on the field and it's unclear if you could pick the ball up and run with it. the canadian game was based on rugby football.
The CFL field is pretty much a standard soccer pitch with end zones. The first international match using the original Canadian rugby rules (which evolved into both CFL and NFL) was a pair of matches between McGill University and Harvard, in Cambridge MA in 1874. The first match was an early variant of soccer that included hand passes and a round ball, 11 a side, and the second was also 11 a side and closer to rugby with the oval ball. Harvard won both. It was played on Harvard's soccer pitch, which I believe was 110 yards by 70, which is slightly smaller than a modern international pitch. A few years later when the Ivy League began playing, the largest field that Yale could make and still have some sideline area was 120 by 50 yards, including end zones. So the Canadian field remained on a full size soccer pitch with slightly narrower touch lines and the American field got standardized at the Yale dimensions.
His first point about the field size is wrong in one aspect. The field is in in yards and has always been in yards starting back over a hundred years ago. It has nothing to do with metric. Metric was only adopted in Canada in the 1975. You are right that a Brit is explaining the CFL. He basically got it right but there are more rule differences than he mentions.
Special teams are more important in the CFL. With only 3 downs played, punting is a more strategic activity, rather than a shameful exercise. Marv Levy was the coach of the Montreal Alouettes and won the Grey Cup 3 times. Later he coached the Buffalo Bills most successfully appearing in 4 Super Bowls, and matched the Vikings by losing 4 times. More to the point of Special Teams, I maintain that Marv used his CFL experience to turn Special Teams into a more important element of the NFL game. Steve Tasker, former Bill is one of the few Special Teamers to be considered for the NFL Hall of Fame. CFL has 9 teams presently. I am a fan of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, formed in 1950 when the Wildcats and the Tigers were amalgamated. In 1960, a summer promotion brought the NFL and the CFL a short series of friendlies. Rules were changed for each half. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are the only team known to have won a game beating the Buffalo Bills.
Watch the 10min (or so) vid of the latest Grey Cup Final game highlights a month ago. You'll find it entertaining. (I'm also a non fan/casual). Montreal vs Winnipeg, sounds like it was an instant classic. As a Montrealer, nobody gave the Alouettes a shot in the beginning of the season. And they hadn't sniffed success in 13 years, where they had a bit of a dynasty during the Ben Calhoon and Anthony Calvillo era (legends). So to kind of come out of nowhere and steal this championship in such a gritty manner was pretty cool! Als had been through a lot of failure to go through Winnipeg who had created a bit of a Dynasty run themselves recently. Als, over the years, signing guys lole Chad Ochocinco and Johnny Manziel among other NFL guys over the last decade amounting to nothing beyond some headlines and exposure. So this Grey Cup was really a zero hype, no frills, proper team come-up effort after a decade+ of disappointment for Montreal. Really earned it. Played great defense.
CFL regular season is 18 games per team over 21weeks. Games are typically 1 each Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. There are weeks where there are only three games.The season starts earlier June 2024 and end in November with the Grey Cup (championship).
The first Black Heisman Trophy Winner called some his older Black friends that were friends in both leagues was convinced to go to the CFL instead of the NFL. Played his whole career there and ended up moving and living the rest of his life in Canada (I believe).
If you're seriously interested in checking out what a real CFL game is like, I've got just the thing. It was the 2018 championship game, aka The Grey Cup, between the Calgary Stampeders and the Ottawa Redblacks. What makes this one especially interesting is that it was played in Edmonton which had suffered from plenty of wet snow in the days leading up - so the field was ICY. That's something you'll never see in the NFL :) Anyways, search TH-cam on this text and you'll find it November 25, 2018 - CFL - 106th Grey Cup - Ottawa REDBLACKS vs. Calgary Stampeders
Thank you. Love the name Calgary Stampeders. I suppose it comes from the annual Stampede? I wonder what the Redblacks mean. That game sounds intense. Though as I said, I don’t really watch the NFL, I have a pulse and I do live in the US so it’s impossible not to have seen some of the intensely cold snowy games in places like Buffalo NY, Green Bay Wisconsin and Minneapolis Minnesota. Not sure it’s ever been icy though.
@@johnf-americanreacts1287The Ottawa football team dates back to the 19th century. As a tribute to Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders unit that fought in the Spanish American War, the team name was the Ottawa Rough Riders, with the iconic red and black colour scheme. That team sadly when bankrupt later in the 20th century. When new owners wanted to revive the team they were denied permission to use the Rough Riders name as there was already a team named the Saskatchewan Roughriders, so they chose Redblacks (actually styled in allcaps: REDBLACKS).
im an nfl (buffalo bills ) and cfl fan (winnipeg bb) i prefer cfl game but obviously the biggest and more talented are in nfl due to much bigger compensation i wish our league had at least 4 more teams and minimum seating of 30000 but every stadium in cfl differs quite a bit in addition to liking the bigger feild i really appreciate the goal posts at goal line since it allows exciting returns for touchdowns if offence team misses field goal attempt which usually happens at very long attempts lastly i like to point out as far as i know candian and usa collegite teams started at same time even playing each other but the feild sizes were different as mentioned by one of your other commentors due to requiorements of the candian goveners its a bit of a very simplified explaination john. take care
No, the CFL existed way before the metric system was introduced to Canada. In fact, Canadian football is older than Amercan football, which has its start with Canadian football. The reason it is 110 yards is because it is essentially the size of a Rugby pitch! Another difference with the field is the size of the end zones. They are about 20 yards deep and mean 1) lots of room to throw a pass and 2) it is difficult to punt or kick the ball through the end zone. A ball that lands in the endzone must be played as it is in play. In addition, as the goal posts are on the zero line a missed punt can also land in the endzone and is in play, just like a punt.
The goal posts are attached above a single pole normally set about a yard behind the zero line and it is padded. Players rarely run into it; but it can happen. It can also happen that a quarterback will hit the goal posts when attempting a pass. The ball is ruled dead when that happens. Also note that the offensive team can never scrimage the ball from closer than the one yard line as the defensive line can never be inside their endzone. Thus if an offensive play is stopped at the one inch; the next offensive play will scrimmage from the 1 yard line. However, if the ball is turned over on downs at the one inch line, the line of scrimmage will be the one inch line.
I rarely watch the NFL but I've seen players from both teams walk off the field with 90 seconds left. In the CFL they play until the final whistle because it's still possible to score in the CFL with virtually no time left on the clock
*- USA Field: 53yrds x 100 yrds = 5300 sq. yrds. PLUS End Zone 10 yrds x 53yrds = 530 sq. yrds.* *- USA Field Total: 5830 sq. yrds. {**3:35**}* *- Canadian Field: 65 yrds x 110 yrds = 7150 sq. yrds.* *- PLUS the Canadian End Zone 20 yrds x 65yrds = 1300 sq. yrds.* *- Canadian Field Total: 8450 sq. yrds. {almost 1/2 times bigger} [USA field is only 68% the size of the Canadian Field]* *- Defending against a pass into the Canadian End Zone if a LOT harder...the routes that can be run are bigger/longer.*
Yes, I've watched Aussie Rules... we used to have it on Russian TV... like NFL and even CFL at some point. Aussie rules have four posts - two smaller ones on the sides and two bigger one in the center. If you hit the post or kick the ball between smaller and bigger one, you get a point, if you kick the ball between bigger posts, you get 6 points.
Originally, the canadian football ball was made by Spalding and was slighly bigger. But then Wilson started to supply the ball for the CFL, somewhere in the 80s I think, and made then the same size as the American ball.
If you watch Football , that's not even a serious question! The Players in the CFL are the ones that didn't get hired in the NFL... You figure that one out ! LOL
Lots of misinformation here 1) The metric system has nothing to do with the field being 110 yards long...The CFL came into existence long before Canada adopted the metric system 2) you do not get a single for missing a field goal.....You get the point IF the receiving team fails to get the ball out of the endzone. Therefor, you can get a point if you miss, you don't get a point because you missed 3) A bigger football is not a myth. The Canadian ball was bigger until 1986 when the supplier of Canadian footballs went out of business The CFL then changed to the NFL size ball
Regarding the overall amount of time that action takes place between the two games, in the NFL the average game is roughly 40 plays or about 18 minutes of actual playing time. In the CFL the average game is roughly 180 plays or about 48 minutes of actual playing time. The Canadian game is by far faster and more exciting as the action is much more continuous and the game has much better flow.
CFL used to have slightly larger balls. The CFL balls were made by a Canadian company called Spalding, and the ball was known as J5V. This ball was larger than the NFL ball. Today, both leagues use the Wilson ball.
Spalding is a well known brand here. They sell all sorts of sports balls in the US but maybe best known here for tennis balls. Good to know that they are a Canadian company. Thanks for the info.
Hey John, great video.... I'm posting a link here to one of the absolute best CFL games EV-ER! 104 pts total in double overtime. This showcases the athleticism of CFL players. And #7 for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Weston Dressler, was listed at 5'-7" and 168lbs....why was he playing professional football? I'll let the video speak for itself. Get on board with the CFL man.... THIS IS OUR GAME! 🇨🇦
There was a time when the Heisman Trophy Winners came up North ans played in the CFL for various reasons. As players who've played in both leagues and they'll all say it's harder to play QB and defense in the CFL
CFL metric reference is nonsense. It is 110yds long. Grey Cup 1995 was the last season CFL used the Spalding J5V football which was bigger than the now Wilson football.
The major professional games are the finals of the Eastern and Western conferences and the Grey Cup match; which produces the World Champions in Canadian Football. Okay, this is a dig at the Americans for whom the their baseball teams and football teams play for the World Championship!! The other major games are with the university game; where their are two semi-final games and a final game for the Vanier Cup. It should be noted that Mr. Grey, Mr. Vanier and Mr. Stanley (hockey) were all Governor Generals of Canada.
Being an American who have been to Canada many times I might be a little biased. I prefer the NFL because it is going international to gain more fans while CFL is just in Canada (it did have teams briefly in the US). I like the destinations the NFL are playing in like London and Munich Germany. I have seen both games on (CFL on ESPN) TV. Many players in the CFL are Americans and have played in the NFL.
both leagues had similar player salaries until the 1980's and then the huge nfl tv contracts changed everything. the united states has 10x the population, it inherited the british empire after WWII and has (had) the world reserve currency. it has a vastly larger megaphone to spread american pop culture than canada has.
Wow, so east coast University. Were they a school team? I like the name too. Good reference to Greek Literature. Also leads me to believe they came from academia.
@@johnf-americanreacts1287 Nope. Just a club of amateur rowers..... rowing was a big sport for the English in the 1800s. The club represented Canada at the Olympics several times in the rowing events. The club also participated in a number of sports such as Rugby Football and Ice Hockey (of course, we're talking Canada here! LOL) An offshoot club formed in 1873 was the Argonaut Rugby Football Club. Profits from the Football Club supported the Rowing Club until 1956, when it was sold.
There is only 9 Teams in the CFL. From West to East, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatchewan, Winnipeg, Hamilton, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. They have been trying for years to build a franchise on the East Coast or Quebec city, but it doesn't seem to work.
Something ales CFL VS NFL is who owns the teams. In the CFL some teams are owned by the city some are own by the province and some are owed by company. For example the Edmonton Elk’s are own by the city of Edmonton. (community owned). The Saskatchewan Roughrider are own by the Province of Saskatchewan. The Toronto Argonauts are owned by the Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. It is a vary Canadian thing there is no other League like it.
Okay there are 9 teams, my favourite team are the BC Lions. Games are usually on Friday, nights and Saturday and the occasional Sunday or Monday on a Long Weekend. The Grey Cup and playoff games are played on a Sunday.
Almost all the special teams players in the CFL are Canadian, many are also starting players, whereas in the NFL, almost exclusively special teams players don't play on offense or defense
I'd say "Sunday games" are more an exception than the rule in CFL. The Grey Cup, season championship, is a sunday game but most CFL games are not... though I'm not a CFL fan so I could be wrong.
You are correct. It's partly to avoid going up against NFL broadcasts. They have added some Thursday night games but I don't like them as I am a shift worker and that is hard for us. There is almost always a Friday night game, sometimes two. It is referred to "Friday Night Football" in the promotions. During most of the season there are one or more Saturday games. The timing is such that they back to back (double header) or back to back to back (triple header). They should really leave a bit time between the games for overtime and summaries but they don't so they run into each other. ( When I was a season ticket holder we were frustrated because we would miss some of the next game getting home. ) I don't know why the NFL time clock is so long, 40 seconds is a lot to waste every play. CFL overtime is better too, each offense is given a set of downs. ) Yes players run into the goal post. QBs throw into too. 🤣🤣🤣🤣 They are padded quite well and I don't think there have been many serious injuries recently. 😀😀
Motion is very important in the CFL. In fact, in the CFL everyone except the five down linemen is a potential receiver. Running backs must be able to catch!! Thus, about half the team can be moving on any given play and receivers are often running at the line of scrimmage at full speed when the ball is snapped. As a result, hitting or slowing down a receiver at the line of scrimmage is almost impossible.
The size of the CFL field has nothing to do with the metric system. The CFL was around for many years before the metric system was introduced around 1975. And yes, there are inconsistencies in the use of the metric system in Canada. For example, you can still see food prices per lb. and kg in small print at the grocery store. Height and weight can be found in imperial units on driver's licenses.
I can't even watch an NFL, so long and boring waiting for something to happen. Yes,football is a weekend sport in Canada as well. CFL has Friday Night Football opposed to Monday Night Football. The metric system thing for the field has to be wrong considering Canada didn't adopt the metric system until April 1, 1975. CFL didn't change the field from rugby including leaving the posts.
CFL is still stop-and-start but the stoppages are MUCH shorter - so I think you might actually prefer this. Try to watch a game. There are plenty of full-length Grey Cup (championship) games available here on TH-cam.
With the CFL the game isnt over until it is officially over. The number of last minute comebacks, especially this year, is truly amazing.
Love that.
American here (southern Louisiana) and I enjoy the CFL more. They start mid-summer. I strongly recommend watching, if you can get them. If not, even the highlights are a blast. Some fantastic athletes, a much faster game, and I find it much more exciting.
Did you ever go to a Shreveport game when they tried expansion in the nineties
CFL is an underrated league, it gives many American players who couldn’t make it in the NFL a chance at a pro career. Money isn’t as good as the NFL obviously but it’s good enough to make a comfortable living. The league also has incredible history, The Grey Cup is 110 years old
it’s not because they were not good enough there talents are more suited to the cfl
Don't forget, actually, the Grey Cup is older than the CFL, which was founded in 1958 if I am correct.
Believe it or not, there was a time where the salary was equivalent on both teams
the canadian game still retains more of the rugby roots than the american game. it's faster gameplay, kicking plays a bigger part and there are lots of high flying throws. some crazy stuff happens as a result of the different rules which is why it's sometimes called the crazy football league. canadian football was introduced to the americans in 1874 and they adopted and adapted it. the oldest continuous team in north america is the toronto argonauts, earlier this year the 110th grey cup was played.
I remember when the Australians created a hybrid of Rugby League with Aussie Rules Football many moons ago. The rules of that code of football were fascinating.
Rutgers in 1869 would disagree.
@@thelordsarmypodcast6164 "The 1869 Princeton vs. Rutgers football game was played between Princeton and Rutgers on November 6, 1869. The rules governing play were based on the London Football Association's 1863 rules that disallowed carrying or throwing the ball.[1] Therefore, the game more closely resembled association football[2] than american football. Moreover, the match was played with a regular football.[3] As a result, it is considered the first collegiate soccer match and the birth of soccer in the United States." - wiki
@@thelordsarmypodcast6164 "The sport developed from informal games played in North America during the 19th century. Early games had a variety of local rules and were generally similar to modern rugby union and soccer. The earliest recorded instance of gridiron football occurred at University of Toronto's University College in November 1861.[3]
Later in the 1860s, teams from universities were playing each other, leading to more standardized rules and the creation of college football. While several American schools adopted rules based on the soccer rules of the English Football Association, Harvard University held to its traditional "carrying game". Meanwhile, McGill University in Montreal used rules based on rugby union. In 1874, Harvard and McGill organized two games using each other's rules. Harvard took a liking to McGill's rugby-style rules and adopted them.[3][13] In turn, they were used when Harvard and Yale University played their first intercollegiate sports game in 1875, after which the rugby-style Canadian game was adopted by Yale players and spectators from Yale and Princeton University.[13] This version of the game was subsequently played with several other U.S. colleges over the next several years" - gridiron football - wiki.
One of my favourite things about the CFL is the camaraderie between CFL fans of each team.
I feel that way too with MLS because it’s still relatively small. That is lost with big money sports.
Hello John. You picked up on the differences very well, although this video is not very well done. The metric system was not introduced in Canada until the mid 1970s, so it had nothing to do with the size of our field. The original official football used in the CFL was the Spalding J5V, which was indeed larger than the US version. There was even a marketing campaign that used the "we have bigger balls" slogan. Our game still has similarities to Rugby. In the 1990s, the CFL expanded into the US with teams in Baltimore (when the Colts moved to Indy) as well as teams in Texas, Las Vegas, California, Shreveport, Birmingham and Memphis. The Baltimore Stallions even won the Grey Cup, but I do not remember which year that was. Several Baltimorians or Baltimorites made the trip to Canada for the game and they were very supportive of their team. I love our game because it is fast paced. Cheers and have a Merry Christmas.
The Stallions won the Grey Cup in 1993. When they dissolved the American arm of the game, the Stallions were the only team that continue to exist by moving north and becoming the team we now Call The Montreal Alouettes. The previous version of this team was shut down and dissolved after their owner could no longer support the team and tried to sell it. (Nelson Skalbania) The league folded the team and after a couple of years the Stallions took the name over.
@@howardallan7849 Actually, Baltimore won the cup in 1995 - I remember, as I got married that year, so it was the first Grey Cup I spent with my wife in our new apartment.
If you want to see a CFL match... just watch the most recent Grey Cup (CFL's Superbowl that was first played in 1909). 110th Grey Cup match between Winnipeg Blue Bombers (who won two in a row in 2019 and 2021 (there was no season in 2020) and then lost to Argos in the Grey Cup last year) and Montreal Alouettes (who finally managed to find stability with the new owner and immediately appeared in The Grey Cup after not being in it since 2010 when they won their second straight Grey Cup against Saskatchewan Roughriders). It happened last month and is already considered an Instant Classic and one of the best Grey Cup games of all time. There's a recap of the game on CFL TH-cam channel and the full game is also on TH-cam.
Thank you for checking out our game John. Yes originally it was the Rugby Football Union. My Grandfather play for the Edmonton Eskimos, 1910-1913, which are now called the Elks. I don’t know why a Canadian didn’t explain the game. In the west: BC Lions, Edmonton Elks, Calgary Stampeders, Saskatchewan Roughriders, Winnipeg Blue Bombers. East: Ottawa Redblacks, Toronto Argonauts, Hamilton Tiger Cats, & Montreal Alouettes.
Wishing you & your family a very Merry Christmas & and Happy New Year!
We are Toronto Argonaut fans. Before his death, John Candy was part owner of the Argos.
The length is not because of the metric system, and that doesn't explain the width. The length is just because it's that long. The CFL started January 1958. Canada adopted the metric system in 1970, and metrification didn't finish until 1985.
Excuse me, but the CFL started in the early 1900s. Before that it was basically Rugby. This explains why it's the 110th Grey Cup as opposed to the Super Bowl which is just over 50 some odd years old.
@@howardallan7849 The Grey Cup started in 1909. What is currently known as the CFL started in 1958. At least that's what various internet sources say. I was not around to know that personally.
@@johnp5990 the history of all the sports leagues are messy but the grey cup has always found a winner since 1909.
Exactly, because rugby.
Go to Ottawa when they play Toronto or Winnipeg
Canadian football started long before 1958. I’m from Edmonton and I can remember listening to the 1954 Grey Cup game where Montreal (the favourite) played Edmonton. Montreal led throughout the game until the last play where Jackie Parker took the kickoff and ran the length of the field to win the game on the last play. Edmonton went on to win 3 cups in a row. 1954,55 and 56. 7:15
Toronto Argonauts have existed since 1873, and are the old professional sports franchise in North America.
with the same name. Hamilton teams have been around longer but have changed names several times. 😀
@@nancymilawski1048 Hamilton Tiger-Cats is a result of 1950 merging of Hamilton Tigers (that were founded in 1869) and Hamilton Wildcats (that were founded in 1941). They didn't change names.
The sport developed from English rugby at the colleges and universities of central Canada with the 1st documented game being one played at the University of Toronto in 1861. It entered the United States when McGill University of Montreal introduced this new sport (called rugby-football) to Harvard University in 1874. A the time, football in the US resembled soccer. 1874 onwards, the sport as played in each country diverged as some adjustments/new rules were adopted in 1 country but not the other.
The size of the balls used to be much different in the past than they are today. The Canadian ball used to be bigger and closer to a rugby ball.
The last really important era that included the somewhat larger CFL ball, manufactured by Spalding, was the 1978 to 1982 5 in a row championship wins by the Edmonton dynasty that introduced the legendary Warren Moon to the football world. By 1986, the Spalding era came to a close, and Wilson was awarded the CFL ball contract. The decision was made at this time to adopt
the same basic dimension and weight ball as used in the NFL. The biggest difference since then is the distinctive white stripes on the CFL ball which do not adorn the American version.
How crazy that you and MertCan both released reactions to this same video today?! You two are the best reactors - mostly because you're not completely ignorant about Canada, genuinely seem interested in our stories, and you both choose subject matter that is interesting to me. Case in point. Love it! (Now I'm going to post this comment on his page. Haha)
You are correct about the universities developing the rules. The game was introduced to the US in a series of games between McGill and Harvard. They played the first game on the Canadian sized field then when they went to Harvard there was no large enough field available so they played on the smaller field. The game caught on at Harvard and the two sets of rules developed organically in the two Countries simultaneously. Although the Grey Cup, the CFL version of the Lombardi Trophy has existed for much longer. The Montreal Alouettes just won the 110th Grey cup last month.
6:00 - there is no fair catch, because of the "no yards" rule, which means a defensive player must give 5 yards or more to allow the catch to take place, once its caught or missed, then they can run and try to tackle or get the fumble... If it lands without being touched, you still must give 5 yards if the runner decides to pick it up when you enter that 5 yards its a penalty, more yards or less, depending on the spot the ball lands...
As I understand it, at least at the CFL and Canadian university levels, "no yards" is a 15 yard penalty if the ball was caught in the air, and 5 yards if it was picked up off the ground. (I think the CFL changed it to be 15 yards all the time, but I'm not sure)
What? The CFL field has always been in yards and never in meters.
The CFL end zones were 25 yards for years. It was shorted to 20 about 40 years ago.
The football WAS larger in the CFL, but that was changed several years ago. I believe it was Spalding that made the Canadian ball before switching to the smaller Wilson ball.
Hey John. Watch this year's Grey Cup (the CFL version of the Super Bowl) game held in Hamilton, Ontario which featured the Montreal Alouettes and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. It was a blast to watch. You won't regret it.
There are 9 teams in CFL.
Five teams play in the Western Division (from west to east) - BC Lions from Vancouver, British Columbia. Calgary Stampeders from Calgary, Alberta. Edmonton Elks (formerly known as Edmonton Eskimos until 2020) from Edmonton, Alberta. Saskatchewan Roughriders from Regina, Saskatchewan (no team in Saskatoon). Winnipeg Blue Bombers from Winnipeg, Manitoba (they used to play in the east in 1987-1994, 1997-2001 and 2006-2013 as one of the east teams didn't play).
Four teams play in the Eastern Division (from west to east) - Hamilton Tiger-Cats from Hamilton, Ontario. Toronto Argonauts from Toronto, Ontario (they played their 150th season in 2023). Ottawa Redblacks from Ottawa, Ontario (it's the third team from Ottawa to play in CFL. First there were Ottawa Rough Riders that played since 1876 and folded after 1996 season for lacking money. Then there were Ottawa Renegades as the Saskatchewan Roughriders didn't want to be confused with Ottawa Rough Riders anymore. Thay played from 2002 up to 2005 and folded for lacking money. Redblacks started to play in 2014 even if they were supposed to start playing in 2010 but Frank Clair Stadium (originally Lansdowne Park and now known as TD Place) needed to be reconstructed because the old building started to crumble. Redblacks are sharing story with Rough Riders and Renegades). Montreal Alouettes from Montreal, Quebec (also a third team from Montreal. Original Alouettes were formed in 1946 and folded on May 13, 1982, on the next day a second team was formed (CFL knew that original Alouettes were about to fold and already had a plan). It was known as Montreal Concordes from 1982 up to 1985 as the Montreal Alouettes name, logo and other stuff were owned by previous owner. In 1986 that Concordes changed their name back to Alouettes as the team finally gained rights to it... only to fold one day before the start of 1987 season. Third Alouettes were formed in 1996 after CFL US Expansion ended and 1995 Grey Cup winners Baltimore Stallions had no places to move from Baltimore as NFL "relocated" Cleveland Browns to Baltimore to form Baltimore Ravens and the team had no choice but to move to Montreal to revive the team... but Baltimore Stallions doesn't share story with Alouettes).
And there was aforementioned CFL US Expansion. In early 90s, with no Alouettes and big financial problems CFL struggled to survive. They previously denied offers from US as they were keeping the game as it is but they decided to go to US themselves in early 90s because they needed money from newly formed franchises. In 1993 the first American team started to play in CFL - Sacramento Gold Miners, they were playing in the west division. In 1994 three more teams were added - Las Vegas Posse, Shreveport Pirates (who had the worst start of the season in CFL history as they lost their lost their first FOURTEEN games to finish 3-15) and Baltimore CFL Colts (who lost their name few hours before their first game as NFL held rights to Colts brand, so the team was known as either Baltimore CFL's or Baltimore Football Club). Posse played in the west and Pirates with CFL Colts played in the east. Baltimore reached Grey Cup but lost to BC Lions on the field goal on the last second of the game. In 1995 Posse folded, Sacramento Gold Miners relocated to San Antonio and became San Antonio Texans and two more teams were added - Memphis Mad Dogs and Birmingham Barracudas. All five US teams were playing in the newly formed South Division and all 8 canadian teams (Lions, Stampeders, Eskimos, Roughriders, Blue Bombers, Tiger-Cats, Argonauts and Rough Riders) were playing in the newly formed North Division. Baltimore Stallions once again reached Grey Cup and this time they won against Calgary Stampeders... but CFL US Expansion was considered a failure in all aspects except financial (CFL made the money they needed from adding new teams to the league). CFL didn't had a good TV coverage in US. Only Baltimore had good attendance numbers and they were forced to move by NFL... So in 1996 Alouettes returned thanks to Baltimore Stallions moving their stuff there and West and East divisions were back too.
CFL starts its season in June and end it in November. All teams play 18 games in 21 weeks, 6 best teams are going to playoffs. Usually it means the three best teams from each division go to playoff with the best teams in their division get a bye in Divisional Semis but CFL has a crossover rule. If the team that ended fourth in their division (team A) has MORE POINTS (yes, there's a point system in CFL - 2 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, 0 points for a loss) than the team that ended third in the other division (team B) then team A takes place of team B in their playoff bracket. Last time crossover happened in 2019 when Edmonton Eskimos ended fourth in the west with 16 points (8 wins and 10 losses) and were better than Toronto Argonauts who ended third in the east with 8 points (4 wins and 14 losses). Edmonton beat Montreal Alouettes in East Semi and then lost to Hamilton in East Final.
The best thing about CFL is that it goes at a much faster pace & we call it lovingly the Crazy Football League.
Thanks for video friend 👍 hope you and family have a great Christmas!
Nice to see you dipping your toes into the CFL, i wont advertise but i know of another American youtuber who big into it and has purchased season tickets for next year to his favorite team. Im from Winnipeg so im a Bombers fan, love the sport and cant wait for next season.
Sorry that I may be repeating other comments that I have not read, but a couple of points. At one time Canadian footballs were bigger. As a matter of fact, a few years ago the CFL slogan was 'Our balls are bigger'. We don't have a fair catch, but the defensive team has to give the player catching the punt a five yard cushion before he catches the ball. I don't that fact was mentioned
The Canadian field has always been 110 yard long, going back over 110 years. It is the same size as a rugby and soccer field. And that is also a reason why the goal posts are on the goal line, because that's where they started. Also, until the 90's the end zones used to be 25 yards deep. And the CFL football used to be bigger (long, wider) and weighed more. Over time the football was reduced to closer match the size of the US version to save on costs.
American Football used to have the posts at the goal line too until about 50 or 60 years ago.
The first recorded game of Canadian football token place in 1861, then the American football come 8 years later
The Grey Cup (CFL;s Superbowl) was amazing this year! Last minute come from behind victory by Montreal over the favorite Winnipeg. What a game!!
Everyone keeps telling me to watch that game. Think I’m going to have to now. Lol.
@@johnf-americanreacts1287 Yes, do. Too bad you know the outcome. Watching live I had no idea and my 92-year-old dad called me after the game. He asked one question "Did you see that?"
You have to watch the 2023 Grey Cup which is available for free on TH-cam! Just a fantastic game … a nail biter right up to the end! Well worth the watch! 😊
I definitely want to check it out now.
NFL used to have goal post on the goal line.
John,
Thanks.
CFL IS a superior game.
More action. More scoring.
Been here for about 115 years, not 50ish down south.
Biggest HYPE!!!!
Greatest MARKETING!!!!!
NFL.
Hands down.
No question!!!
BTW:
Missed field goals DO get run back for TOUCHDOWNS!!!!!
Thanks again for your open minded, honest, look.
GO RIDERS!!!!!!
NFL is like McDonald's.
The CFL is superior? Maybe to people in Saskatchewan.
*- Agreed, the Canadian Game is more fun to play and watch. The is more back and forth action.*
*- The kicking game has a much bigger role in the game than in the NFL.*
*- The field feels huge as compared to the NFL field. There is way more space to run in.*
*- In my mind that all translates to more running, more hitting, more action, faster action.*
*~ ~ ~ ~ ~*
*- I played high school defensive R. Tight End and offensive half back in the state of New Hampshire.*
*- At Acadia University in Nova Scotia, Canada, I started as R. Outside Linebacker for four years, D. Captain last 2 years.*
In Canadian football, you also receive a point if you punt the ball through the endzone. In fact, as long as you kick the ball through the defensive teams endzone you get a point. Some weird plays have occurred in Canadian football because of this rule where teams kick the ball back and forth.
Was just about to write the same thing ….. also every rare but kick offs as well .
On a extremely windy day I kicked a single on a kick off , also hit a crossbar once too
I'm a big Winnipeg Blue Bomber fan, and I really love our game. Seems like lots of stops to advertise here as well, but the pace of the games is usually pretty good. A lot more throwing plays, interceptions, etc. than US football. Smaller crowds and stadiums than almost all your US stadiums, including collage. Feels much more like a real " home game", than an event, IMO. Bombers have the newest stadium in the league, and it only holds 33,422.
As a fellow Bomber I hate to correct you but our arch rivals the Riders have the newest stadium. Although almost every first in that stadium has been won by a Winnipeg team
I stand corrected. Thanks.@@kanoraguy
Thanks for checking out the league. We love it when Americans show interest!!
We lost the 2020 CFL season to COVID - our league is small enough that TV revenue isn't that big, the teams depend on butts in seats for their money, so the lockdown meant that the season couldn't happen. As a hard-core CFL fan for whom Grey Cup Sunday is a religious holiday, it was tough not having a season. I got into Australian football though, and that's a fun sport indeed 🙂
Canadian footbal was as you supposed created through university. It was established by McGill university and a few others within a few subsequent years American universities/colleges came over to participate in these events. Eventually they "tweaked" the rules to better serve their objectives/type of gameplay.
Oh! On a sidenote. It isn't rare to see many players here in Canada working within the organization or outside of it; moonlighting as doctors, bankers, brokerage officers, transport driver, repossession agents, lawyers as to pursue their careers after their education but at the same time enjoying/participating in the sport that has helped them financially to support their education.😊
You might appreciate this the Hamilton Tiger Cats play at Tim Hortons Field known as The Donut Box.
😂
Love it
I would recommend checking out the Saskatchewan Roughriders history. They are the second oldest CFL team and one of the most financially successful of the CFL teams. They sell more merch than all the CFL teams combine, and even the Dallas Cowboy Marketing team has been up to Saskatchewan a few times to learn from the Rider marketing team. Being originally from Ontario, Saskatchewan and its fans takes CFL to the next level.
Next level 😉 not lately. Just Fukin with ya. Riders fans are Everywhere! In places ylthat u say why? How? This is nuts. Cheers
They try to take it to the next level. They only reason they sell the merchandise they do is because they have nothing to compete with. In most CFL cities, it's the NHL team that sells the merchandise.
Comparing the Roughriders to the Dallas Cowboys? Please. The Riders are Canada's Green Bay Packers. Saskatchewan will never get an NHL team. That's why the people there live an existence of reminding the world they have a football team.
You should have seen this year's Grey Cup. 110th Grey Cup! Awesome game!
The two games didn't evolve parallel to each other. Gridiron football with downs and snaps was invented by McGill University in Montreal. The game then was three downs to get five yards and no forward passing was allowed. Harvard liked McGill's game more than the Ivy League game and adopted it. Thus, American football is actually the progeny of Canadian football.
FUN FACT: The NFL used to have the goal posts at the goal line. They moved them to the back of the end zone in 1974. If you look at ANY game played prior to that, the goal posts weren't at the back of the end zone.
It seems weird to me that American football field have 2 goal lines at each end.
CFL is a high octane football game with high scoring and the ability of teams to win even being down by 50 in the 4th quarter.
Like you John, I am not a huge football fan. Was in the 70’s but, find it boring, 3 seconds of action 2 mins standing around, time counting before play starts (sometimes). I am more in to real man sports, Hockey, Rugby, Lacrosse and Women’s Beach Volleyball.
Lol, hard not to like all of those sports.
Women's beach volleyball is the greatest game ever created.
It seems most of the footage on CFL in this video was taken from Toronto Argonauts games. I was a season ticket holder from 1989 until 2022 for the Argonauts.
You are correct, the game is a faster and more offensively minded, mainly due to the shorter play clock and only having 3 downs. The biggest pro of Canadian Football over American is that you seldom see a Canadian Football game degrade into entire quarter's of time management. You generally can't expect your running back to be getting consistent 5 yard gains, especially when the defense knows you are trying to kill the clock at the end of the game. No lead is safe in the CFL.
The downside is when two good defenses play though, the game becomes a punt fest, hence why the no fair catch rule. We have the no yards rule instead to ensure players are always able to field a kick.
Field a kick for their safety.
If you want to see a CFL game, I suggest to wait until the series start. See, CFL teams don't paly many pre-season games to warm up, I think 2 or 3, and training camp last only 3 or 4 weeks so, the first 5 or 6 season games really looks like pre- seasons game. Or you can watch a re-runs of the Grey Cups 2023, this will give you a taste of how fast a game pace goes on.
The Hamilton Tiger Cats football team was founded in 1869 The CFl just had their 110th championship in Hamilton this year . Enjoyed your video
Wow! Thats great. I’d like to watch the Grey Cup from this year.
@@johnf-americanreacts1287 you ABSOLUTELY should do that. Awesome match.
One of my favourite things about the CFL was that for decades we had two teams named Rough Riders/Roughriders. Very odd and very Canadian.
Which were the rougher riders? 🤔
But which were the rougher riders? 🤔
@@johnf-americanreacts1287 Ottawa (they were first and won more) but you could make a case for Saskatchewan (they had a better fan base)
That video is incorrect - the myth about bigger footballs USED to be true. Until 1995, Spalding Canada produced J5V footballs for the CFL, and they were slightly bigger than the current Wilson footballs in use in the CFL.
Goal posts in US college ball were on the goal line until 1927 and in the NFL until 1972. Originally it made sense as the goal was to Cary, catch or kick the ball over the goal line. But kickers were getting too good at kicking, and the goalpost could get in the way so it’s been moved back in the Uzs. But in Canada that would mean putting the ball 20 yds back behind the goal line. That would make even short kicks hard I. The CFL.
As a plus, CFL teams often return missed FG kicks (to not lose the rouge pt if nothing else). That mostly died out in 1972 in the NFL. Back then a missed FG was treated as a punt, in the NFL. Missed kicks not returned were treated as touchbacks till the late 1970s
One of the first "modern" football games was between McGill University and Harvard, played in 1874 in Cambridge Mass, they played by different rulesets, so they played 2 games 1 day apart, I think 1 game each using the different sets of rules
Ah, very cool info. Thanks for telling me. I love that.
they liked the canadian game more and adopted it. boston rules was played with a round ball, lots of players on the field and it's unclear if you could pick the ball up and run with it. the canadian game was based on rugby football.
Harvard liked McGill’s Canadian rules and adopted it after that game. Before that American Football was more like soccer than rugby
The CFL field is pretty much a standard soccer pitch with end zones. The first international match using the original Canadian rugby rules (which evolved into both CFL and NFL) was a pair of matches between McGill University and Harvard, in Cambridge MA in 1874. The first match was an early variant of soccer that included hand passes and a round ball, 11 a side, and the second was also 11 a side and closer to rugby with the oval ball. Harvard won both. It was played on Harvard's soccer pitch, which I believe was 110 yards by 70, which is slightly smaller than a modern international pitch. A few years later when the Ivy League began playing, the largest field that Yale could make and still have some sideline area was 120 by 50 yards, including end zones. So the Canadian field remained on a full size soccer pitch with slightly narrower touch lines and the American field got standardized at the Yale dimensions.
The Americans shrunk their field mostly so that they could fit inside existing stadiums that were already hosting baseball.
His first point about the field size is wrong in one aspect. The field is in in yards and has always been in yards starting back over a hundred years ago. It has nothing to do with metric. Metric was only adopted in Canada in the 1975.
You are right that a Brit is explaining the CFL. He basically got it right but there are more rule differences than he mentions.
Special teams are more important in the CFL. With only 3 downs played, punting is a more strategic activity, rather than a shameful exercise. Marv Levy was the coach of the Montreal Alouettes and won the Grey Cup 3 times. Later he coached the Buffalo Bills most successfully appearing in 4 Super Bowls, and matched the Vikings by losing 4 times. More to the point of Special Teams, I maintain that Marv used his CFL experience to turn Special Teams into a more important element of the NFL game. Steve Tasker, former Bill is one of the few Special Teamers to be considered for the NFL Hall of Fame. CFL has 9 teams presently. I am a fan of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, formed in 1950 when the Wildcats and the Tigers were amalgamated. In 1960, a summer promotion brought the NFL and the CFL a short series of friendlies. Rules were changed for each half. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are the only team known to have won a game beating the Buffalo Bills.
The sport can feel more Rugby- like with the kicking
Watch the 10min (or so) vid of the latest Grey Cup Final game highlights a month ago. You'll find it entertaining. (I'm also a non fan/casual). Montreal vs Winnipeg, sounds like it was an instant classic.
As a Montrealer, nobody gave the Alouettes a shot in the beginning of the season. And they hadn't sniffed success in 13 years, where they had a bit of a dynasty during the Ben Calhoon and Anthony Calvillo era (legends). So to kind of come out of nowhere and steal this championship in such a gritty manner was pretty cool!
Als had been through a lot of failure to go through Winnipeg who had created a bit of a Dynasty run themselves recently.
Als, over the years, signing guys lole Chad Ochocinco and Johnny Manziel among other NFL guys over the last decade amounting to nothing beyond some headlines and exposure.
So this Grey Cup was really a zero hype, no frills, proper team come-up effort after a decade+ of disappointment for Montreal. Really earned it. Played great defense.
CFL regular season is 18 games per team over 21weeks. Games are typically 1 each Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. There are weeks where there are only three games.The season starts earlier June 2024 and end in November with the Grey Cup (championship).
The first Black Heisman Trophy Winner called some his older Black friends that were friends in both leagues was convinced to go to the CFL instead of the NFL. Played his whole career there and ended up moving and living the rest of his life in Canada (I believe).
Also an early Merry Christmas to you and your family John.
If you're seriously interested in checking out what a real CFL game is like, I've got just the thing. It was the 2018 championship game, aka The Grey Cup, between the Calgary Stampeders and the Ottawa Redblacks. What makes this one especially interesting is that it was played in Edmonton which had suffered from plenty of wet snow in the days leading up - so the field was ICY. That's something you'll never see in the NFL :)
Anyways, search TH-cam on this text and you'll find it
November 25, 2018 - CFL - 106th Grey Cup - Ottawa REDBLACKS vs. Calgary Stampeders
Thank you. Love the name Calgary Stampeders. I suppose it comes from the annual Stampede? I wonder what the Redblacks mean. That game sounds intense. Though as I said, I don’t really watch the NFL, I have a pulse and I do live in the US so it’s impossible not to have seen some of the intensely cold snowy games in places like Buffalo NY, Green Bay Wisconsin and Minneapolis Minnesota. Not sure it’s ever been icy though.
@@johnf-americanreacts1287The Ottawa football team dates back to the 19th century. As a tribute to Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders unit that fought in the Spanish American War, the team name was the Ottawa Rough Riders, with the iconic red and black colour scheme. That team sadly when bankrupt later in the 20th century. When new owners wanted to revive the team they were denied permission to use the Rough Riders name as there was already a team named the Saskatchewan Roughriders, so they chose Redblacks (actually styled in allcaps: REDBLACKS).
im an nfl (buffalo bills ) and cfl fan (winnipeg bb) i prefer cfl game but obviously the biggest and more talented are in nfl due to much bigger compensation i wish our league had at least 4 more teams and minimum seating of 30000 but every stadium in cfl differs quite a bit in addition to liking the bigger feild i really appreciate the goal posts at goal line since it allows exciting returns for touchdowns if offence team misses field goal attempt which usually happens at very long attempts lastly i like to point out as far as i know candian and usa collegite teams started at same time even playing each other but the feild sizes were different as mentioned by one of your other commentors due to requiorements of the candian goveners its a bit of a very simplified explaination john. take care
Still good info. Thanks. Much appreciated
The CFL currently consists of 9 teams . 4 in the East Division and 5 in the West Division.
No, the CFL existed way before the metric system was introduced to Canada. In fact, Canadian football is older than Amercan football, which has its start with Canadian football. The reason it is 110 yards is because it is essentially the size of a Rugby pitch! Another difference with the field is the size of the end zones. They are about 20 yards deep and mean 1) lots of room to throw a pass and 2) it is difficult to punt or kick the ball through the end zone. A ball that lands in the endzone must be played as it is in play. In addition, as the goal posts are on the zero line a missed punt can also land in the endzone and is in play, just like a punt.
The goal posts are attached above a single pole normally set about a yard behind the zero line and it is padded. Players rarely run into it; but it can happen. It can also happen that a quarterback will hit the goal posts when attempting a pass. The ball is ruled dead when that happens.
Also note that the offensive team can never scrimage the ball from closer than the one yard line as the defensive line can never be inside their endzone. Thus if an offensive play is stopped at the one inch; the next offensive play will scrimmage from the 1 yard line. However, if the ball is turned over on downs at the one inch line, the line of scrimmage will be the one inch line.
I rarely watch the NFL but I've seen players from both teams walk off the field with 90 seconds left. In the CFL they play until the final whistle because it's still possible to score in the CFL with virtually no time left on the clock
That’s the dumbest thing I ever read
The last two Grey Cup games were far more entertaining than the Super Bowl.
Green Day sucks. Screw the halftime shows.
@@GabrielNavarro-bo7st I don't bother with the half time shows in the CFL or the NFL.
@@johnbrowne2170 Hockey is better than those two sports that you mentioned.
Canadian Football existed before it did in USA. Roots are from Rugby ... aka Rubgy Football
The rouge was in retro codes of English football.
A lot of American quarterbacks got their start or rebounded in the CFL. Warren Moon, Joe Theismann, Doug Flutie to name a few.
*- USA Field: 53yrds x 100 yrds = 5300 sq. yrds. PLUS End Zone 10 yrds x 53yrds = 530 sq. yrds.*
*- USA Field Total: 5830 sq. yrds. {**3:35**}*
*- Canadian Field: 65 yrds x 110 yrds = 7150 sq. yrds.*
*- PLUS the Canadian End Zone 20 yrds x 65yrds = 1300 sq. yrds.*
*- Canadian Field Total: 8450 sq. yrds. {almost 1/2 times bigger} [USA field is only 68% the size of the Canadian Field]*
*- Defending against a pass into the Canadian End Zone if a LOT harder...the routes that can be run are bigger/longer.*
Yes, I've watched Aussie Rules... we used to have it on Russian TV... like NFL and even CFL at some point.
Aussie rules have four posts - two smaller ones on the sides and two bigger one in the center. If you hit the post or kick the ball between smaller and bigger one, you get a point, if you kick the ball between bigger posts, you get 6 points.
most week games are Thursday to Saturday. The CFL can put more plays in the last minute of the game than the NFL.
Originally, the canadian football ball was made by Spalding and was slighly bigger. But then Wilson started to supply the ball for the CFL, somewhere in the 80s I think, and made then the same size as the American ball.
The end zone in the CFL is 20 yards, and at one time was 25 yards.
If you watch Football , that's not even a serious question! The Players in the CFL are the ones that didn't get hired in the NFL... You figure that one out ! LOL
🤷♂️
Lots of misinformation here
1) The metric system has nothing to do with the field being 110 yards long...The CFL came into existence long before Canada adopted the metric system
2) you do not get a single for missing a field goal.....You get the point IF the receiving team fails to get the ball out of the endzone. Therefor, you can get a point if you miss, you don't get a point because you missed
3) A bigger football is not a myth. The Canadian ball was bigger until 1986 when the supplier of Canadian footballs went out of business The CFL then changed to the NFL size ball
Regarding the overall amount of time that action takes place between the two games, in the NFL the average game is roughly 40 plays or about 18 minutes of actual playing time. In the CFL the average game is roughly 180 plays or about 48 minutes of actual playing time. The Canadian game is by far faster and more exciting as the action is much more continuous and the game has much better flow.
CFL used to have slightly larger balls. The CFL balls were made by a Canadian company called Spalding, and the ball was known as J5V. This ball was larger than the NFL ball. Today, both leagues use the Wilson ball.
Spalding is a well known brand here. They sell all sorts of sports balls in the US but maybe best known here for tennis balls. Good to know that they are a Canadian company. Thanks for the info.
For about 4 or 5 yrs there were 4 or 5 American teams in the CLF.
3 years.
Hey John, great video.... I'm posting a link here to one of the absolute best CFL games EV-ER! 104 pts total in double overtime. This showcases the athleticism of CFL players. And #7 for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Weston Dressler, was listed at 5'-7" and 168lbs....why was he playing professional football?
I'll let the video speak for itself.
Get on board with the CFL man.... THIS IS OUR GAME! 🇨🇦
As a 5’7” dude, he sounds like my hero. 😁
There was a time when the Heisman Trophy Winners came up North ans played in the CFL for various reasons. As players who've played in both leagues and they'll all say it's harder to play QB and defense in the CFL
CFL metric reference is nonsense. It is 110yds long. Grey Cup 1995 was the last season CFL used the Spalding J5V football which was bigger than the now Wilson football.
The major professional games are the finals of the Eastern and Western conferences and the Grey Cup match; which produces the World Champions in Canadian Football. Okay, this is a dig at the Americans for whom the their baseball teams and football teams play for the World Championship!! The other major games are with the university game; where their are two semi-final games and a final game for the Vanier Cup. It should be noted that Mr. Grey, Mr. Vanier and Mr. Stanley (hockey) were all Governor Generals of Canada.
Yes and we have the best trophies. Because you can drink champagne or beer out of all of them.
Being an American who have been to Canada many times I might be a little biased. I prefer the NFL because it is going international to gain more fans while CFL is just in Canada (it did have teams briefly in the US). I like the destinations the NFL are playing in like London and Munich Germany. I have seen both games on (CFL on ESPN) TV. Many players in the CFL are Americans and have played in the NFL.
both leagues had similar player salaries until the 1980's and then the huge nfl tv contracts changed everything. the united states has 10x the population, it inherited the british empire after WWII and has (had) the world reserve currency. it has a vastly larger megaphone to spread american pop culture than canada has.
....and just to give you a further giggle John, the oldest team, The Toronto Argonauts started out as a ROWING CLUB!
Wow, so east coast University. Were they a school team? I like the name too. Good reference to Greek Literature. Also leads me to believe they came from academia.
@@johnf-americanreacts1287 Nope. Just a club of amateur rowers..... rowing was a big sport for the English in the 1800s. The club represented Canada at the Olympics several times in the rowing events. The club also participated in a number of sports such as Rugby Football and Ice Hockey (of course, we're talking Canada here! LOL) An offshoot club formed in 1873 was the Argonaut Rugby Football Club. Profits from the Football Club supported the Rowing Club until 1956, when it was sold.
Watch the last Grey Cup game between Toronto and Montreal if you want to watch CFL football.
Toronto and Montreal have never played for the Grey Cup
Also there's a lot of old CFL games including most of the Grey Cups on youtube. Very easy to check out.
It appears that CBSSN is now going to carry CFL games after ESPN carried them for many years.
Most CFL games on Fridays and Saturdays.. but there are Monday, Thursday and Sunday games sprinkled into the schedule
Especially around holiday weekends.
There is only 9 Teams in the CFL. From West to East, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatchewan, Winnipeg, Hamilton, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. They have been trying for years to build a franchise on the East Coast or Quebec city, but it doesn't seem to work.
Something ales CFL VS NFL is who owns the teams. In the CFL some teams are owned by the city some are own by the province and some are owed by company.
For example the Edmonton Elk’s are own by the city of Edmonton. (community owned). The Saskatchewan Roughrider are own by the Province of Saskatchewan. The Toronto Argonauts are owned by the Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. It is a vary Canadian thing there is no other League like it.
Okay there are 9 teams, my favourite team are the BC Lions. Games are usually on Friday, nights and Saturday and the occasional Sunday or Monday on a Long Weekend. The Grey Cup and playoff games are played on a Sunday.
Almost all the special teams players in the CFL are Canadian, many are also starting players, whereas in the NFL, almost exclusively special teams players don't play on offense or defense
With all the pre snap movement Americans have difficulty playing in the secondary in the CFL
I'd say "Sunday games" are more an exception than the rule in CFL. The Grey Cup, season championship, is a sunday game but most CFL games are not... though I'm not a CFL fan so I could be wrong.
You are correct. It's partly to avoid going up against NFL broadcasts.
They have added some Thursday night games but I don't like them as I am a shift worker and that is hard for us. There is almost always a Friday night game, sometimes two. It is referred to "Friday Night Football" in the promotions. During most of the season there are one or more Saturday games. The timing is such that they back to back (double header) or back to back to back (triple header). They should really leave a bit time between the games for overtime and summaries but they don't so they run into each other. ( When I was a season ticket holder we were frustrated because we would miss some of the next game getting home. )
I don't know why the NFL time clock is so long, 40 seconds is a lot to waste every play. CFL overtime is better too, each offense is given a set of downs. )
Yes players run into the goal post. QBs throw into too. 🤣🤣🤣🤣 They are padded quite well and I don't think there have been many serious injuries recently.
😀😀
Your speculation about the roots of Football are true. The first forward pass took place in Montreal 1921 between Harvard and McGill.
American Football became, over the decades, more and more formatted for TV. Probably why you feel that it
Motion is very important in the CFL. In fact, in the CFL everyone except the five down linemen is a potential receiver. Running backs must be able to catch!! Thus, about half the team can be moving on any given play and receivers are often running at the line of scrimmage at full speed when the ball is snapped. As a result, hitting or slowing down a receiver at the line of scrimmage is almost impossible.
The size of the CFL field has nothing to do with the metric system. The CFL was around for many years before the metric system was introduced around 1975. And yes, there are inconsistencies in the use of the metric system in Canada. For example, you can still see food prices per lb. and kg in small print at the grocery store. Height and weight can be found in imperial units on driver's licenses.
I can't even watch an NFL, so long and boring waiting for something to happen. Yes,football is a weekend sport in Canada as well. CFL has Friday Night Football opposed to Monday Night Football. The metric system thing for the field has to be wrong considering Canada didn't adopt the metric system until April 1, 1975. CFL didn't change the field from rugby including leaving the posts.
The size of Canadian football fields has nothing to do with the metric system. They are the size of a rugby field.
People run into the goalposts about once a season. It's always funny.
We do run into the post from time to time some teams use it as a natural 13th man on screens and quick plays
CFL is still stop-and-start but the stoppages are MUCH shorter - so I think you might actually prefer this. Try to watch a game. There are plenty of full-length Grey Cup (championship) games available here on TH-cam.