Taking the Temperature of Grey Cup Fever

It's long been said that fan interest in the Canadian Football League season doesn't really start until Labour Day. If that's the case, the CFL is in for a heck of a fall. However, on one weekend this season, viewer numbers showed that there is still a CFL audience amongst English Canada according to BBM Canada overnight ratings: #1 CFL Roughriders at Eskimos, Saturday TSN: 1,050,000 #2 CFL Stampeders at Lions, Friday TSN: 771,000 #3 MLB Tigers at Blue Jays, Sunday Sportsnet: 501,000 #4 MLB, Tigers at Blue Jays, Saturday Sportsnet: 448,000 #5 Auto Racing NASCAR NAPA 200, Sunday TSN: 378,000 #6 LPGA Canadian Women's Open final round, Sunday CBC: 252,000 #7 Auto Racing F1 Belgian Grand Prix, Sunday TSN: 239,000 But is that enough? It has been said that being all Canadian is of no benefit at all to the CFL. In June, the CFL kicked off its regular season with an average attendance of 30,000 fans per game. The Saskatchewan/Montreal game drew 1.8 million viewers during its peak time in an exciting, double overtime thriller, which was also televised on the NFL Network. The TV ratings were what one would expect for a NHL playoff game – not for a CFL regular season game – especially a season opener. Last year's televised Grey Cup game was watched by over 14 million people; a number which was not attainable just a couple years prior and is equal to what the NFL gets in Canada during the Super Bowl. The Canadian Football League will never rival the American NFL as a money making machine. Instead, the CFL is carving out its own place in sports while realizing that it doesn't have to pay millions to draw viewers. Today, the CFL is as much a symbol to Canada as Tim Hortons, Hockey Night In Canada or Anne Murray. Join us center field to Take the Temperature of Grey Cup Fever with Ian Mofford, Bob McKeown a former Grey Cup champion and Ottawa Roughriders and now Journalist / Broadcaster for CBC ‘s- The Fifth Estate and Brian Snelgrove CFL Announcer and Journalist.