Bleacher Report: Matt Eichel- 'CFL: Expansion a Risky Business'

Source:Bleacher Report- the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Calgary Stampeders in CFL action.

"Expansion. Sounds like a word that can bring joy, anger, hostility, and a whole host of other emotions to fans in any sports league.

To some, expansion throws tradition and history out the door. To others, it's a chance to create something new.

In the Canadian Football League, expansion has always seemed to be a hot button subject of debate.

Back at the start of the 1990s, the CFL, in an attempt to compete with the rival National Football League to the south, decided to expand into the United States. In 1993, the first US-based CFL team—the Sacramento Gold Miners—was admitted into the league." 

From Bleacher Report 

To put it simply, CFL expansion into America didn't work because it had bad management, bad marketing, lack of funds, lack of homework. They seemed to have this idea that if the CFL just came to America, it would automatically work especially in markets that didn't have NFL franchises, because of how much Americans love football and it doesn't work like that.

The main reason NFL expansion works in America. Is because for a city to be rewarded an NFL franchise, it has to meet certain requirements. The city has to have the right management group of people who can show they not only know how to run a sports franchise, but a business as well. And that's exactly what sports franchises are, they are business's, companies even and they must have money up front to succeed.

Perspective NFL franchises also have to show they can make money down the road. And they have to sell a certain amount of tickets up front what are called season tickets to show that their expansion team will have the support they need up front to survive. And only Baltimore showed they had that type of support and management.

The Baltimore Stallions had a major league caliber management team led by Jim Speros, who was their Governor running a CFL franchise. And the CFL all due respect and many ways it's a great league, but its not major league compared with the NFL where the other American CFL franchises like the Birmingham Barracudas , the Memphis Mad Dogs, and, San Antonio Texans playing in huge 70-80 thousand seat stadiums and drawing 15-20 thousand fans a game.

What these American CFL franchises should've been able to do just before being rewarded a CFL franchise, was to show that they could sell 15-20 thousand season tickets per season, come up with local TV and radio deals, be able to market their clubs and promote their players, have the money to spend on quality players and were committed to putting a winning product on the field each season. Again, only the Stallions and maybe the San Antonio Texans showed they could do this. 

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