Here’s a topic that’s sure to upset the football nationalist segment of the population …
The buzz among many CFL coaches and general managers right now is that the league is suffering from a lack of quality Canadian players.
By this they don’t mean there aren’t good Canadians making plays week-in and week-out. They mean teams are having trouble finding 20 Canadians who can play football at the professional level, once the injury factor has played out by this time of the year. Some insist that already they are using players they don’t belong on a CFL field because they simply are not ready.
Now, understanding how that kind of sentiment plays to the audience, none of the people I spoke to about this want to stick their names out in public. They don't want the hate mail. But they each brought it up to me this week unsolicited, their frustration apparent in their voices.
CFL fans often go nuts every time it's suggested there's a problem with the quality or quantity of Canadian players. But it's not a nationalist issue, really, it's simply a numbers game, with the pool of players available in the U.S. dwarfing that of Canada.
There is certainly evidence to back up what those in the CFL are saying, with recent team news releases announcing the signing of players who’ve been out of football all season, and weren’t able to make a team when they did have their shot back at training camp.
And that’s why many in the CFL believe that before the league proceeds with expansion, it needs to take a good look at the state of the Canadian talent supply. And whether it can really commit to finding 20 more Canadians ready to play. The alternative is to lower the ratio, an position that has always been a non-starter with the CFL Players Association, an organization that is known for putting the "C" in CFLPA.
One thing not clear is why there seems to be such a shortage of Canadians at this point. Anecdotally, at least, football seems to be growing in Canada with at least two areas in full boom mode – Quebec and B.C. – where the game was barely hanging on 20 years ago.
There are more university teams in Canada than ever before and there seem to be as many or more players making it in the NCAA.
But you can’t argue with the people who’s job it is to stack their rosters with 20 Canadians when they say that the well has run dry.
