2025 CFL (Non-Bombers) Season

[SpeedFlex27]

6 hours ago, WinnipegGordo said:

Sure, but he comes across as an ass the way he is condescending to guys like Bob Irving and former players.

It's easy to identify attendance issues it's another to offer real advise on how to turn things around.

Eliminating quarterback sneaks or changing the clock rules for the last 3 minutes to a game won't draw new fans to the game.

And you're  talking about him here & reading his posts on X.

[Bigblue204]

9 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

Hr doesn't but his engagement with fans & other media personalities on social media is the best thing that's happened in years. 

The engagement is one thing. But I always say he doesn't get people talking about the CFL. He gets them talking about Luke Wilson. He doesn't say anything original or what people don't know....attendance is an issue, feels like some high level league execs are opposed to growth...etc etc. 
 

I don't really mind him. But I disagree with the narrative that he's getting people to talk about the CFL. 

[HardCoreBlue]

57 minutes ago, Bigblue204 said:

The engagement is one thing. But I always say he doesn't get people talking about the CFL. He gets them talking about Luke Wilson. He doesn't say anything original or what people don't know....attendance is an issue, feels like some high level league execs are opposed to growth...etc etc. 
 

I don't really mind him. But I disagree with the narrative that he's getting people to talk about the CFL. 

Yup he's branding himself not the CFL.

[JuranBoldenRules]

9 hours ago, WinnipegGordo said:

Sure, but he comes across as an ass the way he is condescending to guys like Bob Irving and former players.

It's easy to identify attendance issues it's another to offer real advise on how to turn things around.

Eliminating quarterback sneaks or changing the clock rules for the last 3 minutes to a game won't draw new fans to the game.

Honestly the main selling point of the CFL are the timing rules of the final 3 minutes.  And arguably the most boring part of any NFL game when a team with a one score lead can just bleed the clock under 2 mins with 3-4 plays.

[Super Duper Negatron]

1 hour ago, JuranBoldenRules said:

Honestly the main selling point of the CFL are the timing rules of the final 3 minutes.  And arguably the most boring part of any NFL game when a team with a one score lead can just bleed the clock under 2 mins with 3-4 plays.

Agreed. If a non-fan is using "the last 3 minutes are too exciting" as an excuse for not watching, they were never going to watch anyways.

[17to85]

3 hours ago, Bigblue204 said:

 

I don't really mind him. But I disagree with the narrative that he's getting people to talk about the CFL

And his takes are negative towards the cfl. "Cfl sucks, nfl is better" is not the type of discussion the cfl nor tsn should be striving for.

[JuranBoldenRules]

1 hour ago, 17to85 said:

And his takes are negative towards the cfl. "Cfl sucks, nfl is better" is not the type of discussion the cfl nor tsn should be striving for.

NFL is boring as ****.  Same issues there as CFL.  Most teams can't pass protect consistently so even with great QB's you have some real stinker games.  Canadian Football at least has special teams to bring some variety and excitement.  American Football has basically removed everything but FG's and punts that are fair caught or downed anyways.

[SpeedFlex27]

On 2025-08-25 at 11:20 PM, WinnipegGordo said:

Sure, but he comes across as an ass the way he is condescending to guys like Bob Irving and former players.

It's easy to identify attendance issues it's another to offer real advise on how to turn things around.

Eliminating quarterback sneaks or changing the clock rules for the last 3 minutes to a game won't draw new fans to the game.

Whether he's an ass or not, his engagement on social media has people talking about the CFL. And he raises some good points. 

[SpeedFlex27]

19 hours ago, Bigblue204 said:

The engagement is one thing. But I always say he doesn't get people talking about the CFL. He gets them talking about Luke Wilson. He doesn't say anything original or what people don't know....attendance is an issue, feels like some high level league execs are opposed to growth...etc etc. 
 

I don't really mind him. But I disagree with the narrative that he's getting people to talk about the CFL. 

Well, what else is he doing? 

[Goalie]

Luke Wilson is irrelevant to prob 90 percent of people who watch and go to cfl games. Most ppl probably have no idea who he even is honestly. I’d imagine the average person at a bomber game has no clue who he is. Average not online smart mark fan. The young ones certainly don’t. Not sure mom and dad know either honestly. I forgot he had a cup of coffee when Seattle won the Super Bowl 10 years ago now but yeah… he’s not gonna grow the game, neither will the panel or any other thing like that, what will grow it is promoting it and keeping it as truly family friendly kids welcomed environment. There’s nothing a guy like me in Winnipeg can do about attendance problems in Toronto. I don’t live there, I’m not sure the issue, it’s probably MLSE related tho. No marketing? I’m not sure cuz they used to draw a bunch. I mean is cricket outdrawing the cfl in the t dot now? Last time I was there I’d say yup it was. I can’t fix that. MLSE can by marketing the team better but they really don’t. So that’s on them. They seem ok with it. 

[Booch]

3 minutes ago, Goalie said:

Luke Wilson is irrelevant to prob 90 percent of people who watch and go to cfl games. Most ppl probably have no idea who he even is honestly. I’d imagine the average person at a bomber game has no clue who he is. Average not online smart mark fan. The young ones certainly don’t. Not sure mom and dad know either honestly. I forgot he had a cup of coffee when Seattle won the Super Bowl 10 years ago now but yeah… he’s not gonna grow the game, neither will the panel or any other thing like that, what will grow it is promoting it and keeping it as truly family friendly kids welcomed environment. There’s nothing a guy like me in Winnipeg can do about attendance problems in Toronto. I don’t live there, I’m not sure the issue, it’s probably MLSE related tho. No marketing? I’m not sure cuz they used to draw a bunch. I mean is cricket outdrawing the cfl in the t dot now? Last time I was there I’d say yup it was. I can’t fix that. MLSE can by marketing the team better but they really don’t. So that’s on them. They seem ok with it. 

Not to nitpick or challenge your post....but he had 8 yrs...fairly solid ones at that in terms of TE stats for a NFL tight Emd who wasn't an offence's key guy

NFL fams with casual interest may check in to see whats up if they see he is doing something with league, but ;ike you said youngins and people who are just your average fan would have zero clue, but he does offer more on how he breaks some stuff down and what he contributes to the in-game analysis than that screechy Clair and Britt Dort who Rider fans think is some god....The girl in CGY is good tho and will get better

CFL just needs to onboard themselves with the way leagues and companies now market themselves online with social media and fan interaction....thats where they slipping big time

[johnzo]

agree with Booch -- I think Wilson's play breakdown is pretty good, especially for a sideline reporter. He zeroes in on the key elements of the play and points out the error or the achievement.  No sugarcoating. 

I remember a game this year where Edmonton's OL was getting absolutely perforated ... Wilson broke down the breakdowns crisply and did not hesitate to call out the guy making the mistake -- one of them was an OL caught flatfooted by a stunt / blitz who gave up a lane right into Fajardo's lap.

As an on-camera personality I think Wilson improves the broadcast.  As a twitter personality, whatever.

[Bigblue204]

Youth Football. I'd bet the Bombers are close to if not the team with the largest investment into youth football in their province. New equipment/jerseys/coaching/funding for flag/camps etc etc. Hell they just bought the entire league T-shirts that are branded heavily with Bomber colours and logos. Along with the team the kid plays for. Every kid on my team knows at least a couple Bombers. A good chunk based their jersey selection off Bomber player numbers. Even when asked if 88 is for CeeDee Lamb...the kid said no...Wheatfall.

Not to mention the recruitment from up north and flying people in to watch games.

I don't know what MLSE does to help out amateur football in ON. But I'd say it's likely not enough.

[rebusrankin]

Polk back at WR for the Argos.

[SpeedFlex27]

15 hours ago, Goalie said:

Luke Wilson is irrelevant to prob 90 percent of people who watch and go to cfl games. Most ppl probably have no idea who he even is honestly. I’d imagine the average person at a bomber game has no clue who he is. Average not online smart mark fan. The young ones certainly don’t. Not sure mom and dad know either honestly. I forgot he had a cup of coffee when Seattle won the Super Bowl 10 years ago now but yeah… he’s not gonna grow the game, neither will the panel or any other thing like that, what will grow it is promoting it and keeping it as truly family friendly kids welcomed environment. There’s nothing a guy like me in Winnipeg can do about attendance problems in Toronto. I don’t live there, I’m not sure the issue, it’s probably MLSE related tho. No marketing? I’m not sure cuz they used to draw a bunch. I mean is cricket outdrawing the cfl in the t dot now? Last time I was there I’d say yup it was. I can’t fix that. MLSE can by marketing the team better but they really don’t. So that’s on them. They seem ok with it. 

Luke Willson has 146.9 K followers so when he says something on X a lot of people read it. He's done more for the CFL in half a season giving the league exposure on social media than the CFL has done for itself in the past decade. So, you can sit there, whine, complain, think he's irrelevant & be a numpty, I guess. 

Edited 6 hours ago by SpeedFlex27

[bigg jay]

43 minutes ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

Luke Willson has 146.9 K followers so when he says something on X a lot of people read it. He's done more for the CFL in half a season giving the league exposure on social media than the CFL has done for itself in the past decade. So, you can sit there, whine, complain, think he's irrelevant & be a numpty, I guess. 

In the grand scheme of social media, that's really not a lot.  I would say Travis Kelce (1.5 million X followers) wearing a Bomber jersey is something that got more views than anything Wilson has done.  That said, yeah the CFL has often been it's own worst enemy when it comes to promoting itself.  When a guy like Kelce gives you free advertising like that, you should run with it but I don't recall seeing anything from the league,

[Goalie]

56 minutes ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

Luke Willson has 146.9 K followers so when he says something on X a lot of people read it. He's done more for the CFL in half a season giving the league exposure on social media than the CFL has done for itself in the past decade. So, you can sit there, whine, complain, think he's irrelevant & be a numpty, I guess. 

Who gives a **** about the cesspool that is X. He’s got 146 k racists and bots following him. X is irrelevant. How has he grown the game exactly? Toronto still draws nothing. Ratings are similar to years past. He hasn’t grown the game at all. You and several on here might be football geeks and nerds but trust me when I say the majority aren’t. Ppl think ppl give a **** about a dude who played in the nfl several years ago. They don’t. The majority don’t know or care who he is. Those segments online get like 5000 views max actually i see on YouTube they are under 1000 regularly. He’s not really moving any needle but I never knew you were dating him so I apologize. Christ. 

[Bigblue204]

27 minutes ago, bigg jay said:

In the grand scheme of social media, that's really not a lot.  I would say Travis Kelce (1.5 million X followers) wearing a Bomber jersey is something that got more views than anything Wilson has done.  That said, yeah the CFL has often been it's own worst enemy when it comes to promoting itself.  When a guy like Kelce gives you free advertising like that, you should run with it but I don't recall seeing anything from the league,

They have done a bit with that. But Wilsons exposure on the CFL to 145k isn't the honey bucket it seems. Truth is even if you follow someone on there, it doesn't mean you're seeing their content. 

[Noeller]

Sadly it needs to be TikTok videos and Insta reels to hit the younger demo...

[Bigblue204]

3 minutes ago, Noeller said:

Sadly it needs to be TikTok videos and Insta reels to hit the younger demo...

I'm not convinced a larger Social Media presence would help all that much. Like others have mentioned. This is a Family driven league basically. Create events people want to bring their kids to and help build those core memories for kids under 10.

I still remember begging my dad to go to a game against CGY during the reinbold era. My dad just didn't want to go because they were going to lose. But I just liked going for the fun stuff like the pregame watching on the grass as they warm up. Running around the stadium ramps. And the food! We had the entire section to ourselves basically. I remember that game clearly, they got **** kicked but I didn't care, I just wanted to be there.

Edited 3 hours ago by Bigblue204

[Brandon]

2 hours ago, Goalie said:

Who gives a **** about the cesspool that is X. He’s got 146 k racists and bots following him. X is irrelevant.

I wouldn't quite say that,   X is probably the largest social media platform for the targetted demo that the CFL would be attracting (male 15 - 50) and of all the social media platforms it is by far among the top for filtering bots and providing a neutral stance.     A reminder that what your search interests will reflect on all social media what you see ,  so if you are reading racists material then it is because of your internet history.      I use Twitter and what I see is mainly funny cat videos and lots of video game posts.  

CFL should have more of a YouTube presence (also full of bots) ,  maybe they don't own the rights but it would be nice to have classic games complete on YouTube.     

Either way I agree with BigBlue204 that the only way to attract new fans is the game day experience.  It is going to be very tough down the road as kids these days are far less into sports and far more into electronics.    Mix in with the declining population as younger people are no longer having families,  it will be a tough road 20+ years in the future for the CFL.  

[Noeller]

Naylor says Ajou-Ajou coming back to the Riders right away after being cut down south...