With the CFL Baltimore franchise in a position to win the
CFL's Grey Cup, the viability of the CFL in Canada is being
tested. "For years, Canadians have feared that their nation is
being stolen by their neighbor to the south. ... and Canadians
awoke to the news that an expansion team from Baltimore" may win
the Grey Cup, writes Jim Hunt of the TORONTO SUN. "Since the
Yanks have taken over much in this country that is worth taking,
why should the CFL not go along with the trend" (TORONTO SUN,
11/22). In Washington, Anne Swardson writes that "the southern
migration of Canadian football mirrors the gradual transformation
of the [NHL] from a Canadian institution to a predominantly
American phenomenon and raises fears that the one sports Canada
had left to itself is being sucked away" (WASHINGTON POST,
11/22). The CFL is proposing a rule change that Canadian teams
no longer must employ a minimum of 20 Canadians on their roster
of 37, under the belief that teams "on both sides of the border
should be allowed to hire whoever they wish (Frank Cosentino,
Toronto GLOBE & MAIL, 11/22). A proposed 3-year agreement
between the CFL and CFLPA would reduce the league's mandatory
Canadian content from 20 players per team to 15 beginning next
season. The numbers would drop to 12 and 10 in the second and
third years. There would be five Canadians on the practice
roster at all times, while teams would be allowed to start an
unlimited number of imports. The CFLPA's collective agreement
with the CFL expires following this season (Kent Spencer,
Vancouver PROVINCE, 11/23).
