A venerable Canadian sport is wasting away
Ageing fans are a threat to the Canadian version of American football
IN CANADA, FOOTBALL (meaning the Canadian version of the American sort) generally comes far below ice hockey in terms of the emotions it generates. The latter occasionally sparks riots by demented young fans; the former is watched mostly by a dedicated but older crowd, who huddle in cold stadiums with Thermos flasks. But it is not for lack of effort by its promoters. In the 1990s the Canadian Football League’s (CFL) marketers tried to attract American football fans with the slogan “Our balls are bigger”. Last year the pandemic stopped the league entirely, but this year the games restarted and they are trying again. October 11th, Canadian Thanksgiving, will be a big day of sport. It is a chance to boost the fanbase.
This article appeared in the The Americas section of the print edition under the headline “Shrinking balls, shrinking interest”
From the October 9th 2021 edition
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