TSN Football Insider Dave Naylor has been a person with some close knowledge of the goings-on between the XFL and CFL. We know things are way beyond ‘talking about talking’.
Between Naylor’s article about a shared global vision of the league and the release of CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie’s video where he talks about their big global vision. All of which happen on the same day, by the way, you get the idea that what the XFL/CFL has planned is big.
“Beyond the XFL-CFL merger itself, the new collaboration could be a launching point to aggressively pursue franchises in places such as Mexico, Germany and other European countries.
It’s only a tiny leap of faith to believe that whatever is on the table between the CFL and XFL has a considerable international component to its vision.”
Naylor also points out a tweet from Dany Garcia on the day of the big XFL/ CFL ‘Talks’ announcement. Notice the US, and Canadian flag along with the globe.
“Further, Garcia added that day during an interview with TSN that the CFL’s international partnerships were something that helped bring the XFL leadership to the table. “
We keep hearing that CFL owners and people involved in the ‘talks’ are excited about what is being discussed. Who wouldn’t be if the vision for the future XFL/CFL involves being a worldwide brand? Remember Naylor’s tweet about ‘Universal Enthusiasm’ by CFL owners?
“It may seem like a far-fetched idea today but could the XFL-CFL collaboration lead to a league with a third of its teams in Canada, a third in the U.S, and a third elsewhere? A global league, playing opposite the NFL calendar, drawing television revenues and sponsorship from several countries, reinforced by sports wagering interest from around the world?”
If this global concept is what brought the two parties to the table. It would make sense for their grand vision of this new league/partnership to be beyond a couple of interleague games played.
It would also explain what the XFL & CFL are talking about now, rather than focusing on things like field size and rules. Let’s lock down our grand vision first and fill in the other parts later.
It is one thing to have NFL games played in Canada, Mexico, and London with random teams each year. It is a whole other ball game when there are leagues in the regions run by one organization.
We know that Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garica are big thinkers, a go big or go home type of mindset. Throw in RedBird Capital’s money and experience with owning teams abroad then add what the CFL has already been doing with international players and leagues. The mix could be something huge for the game of football.
We do know spring football does have its issues. NFL Europe did not work, Spring football in the US has not worked. However, the CFL has a 100 years of history, and joining forces with a global vision is one approach to spring football we have never seen before.
