After the Calgary Stampeders and Toronto Agronauts took to a snow-covered field Sunday for the 105th Grey Cup Final, many Canadian Football League fans raised questions about timing. One issue in particular emerged:
Should the CFL season start earlier in the year to avoid seeing championship games in snowy weather?
The CFL season currently kicks off on June 22. Some fans and officials are tossing around the idea of pushing that start date to four weeks earlier, meaning kick off would happen in May, and the final Grey Cup game would be played around the end of October.
“I think we should seriously look at it,” CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie said on Monday.
Along with the stress of trying to bring the Grey Cup back to their respective home cities, the Stamps and Argos were faced with cleat changes and slippery hands on the football on Sunday, leading some to ask if weather prevented the athletes from playing their best game.
What would be the pros of moving the season up?
Some say an earlier season would decrease the chances athletes would be playing through inclement weather or on snowy fields, like the scene in Ottawa on the weekend.
“Imagine playing our Grey Cup, let’s just say third week in October, when it’s beautiful everywhere and you don’t have to wear 900 layers of clothing and your don’t have to get your winter clothes out,” Ambrosie said.
“Imagine how much bigger the festival would be.”
Along with better weather on game day, there’s also the possibility that moving the season up a month would fill more seats, as the weather would be better for longer.
What would be the cons of an earlier start to the CFL season?
Starting the CFL season earlier could interfere with players who are contenders for the National Football League. The CFL draft happens after the NFL draft, so Canadian teams know which players are still available to play in the league without wasting time and contracts.
The earlier start date could also conflict with football fans that also enjoy watching the puck drops for the NHL playoffs. The NHL playoffs start in April and typically go on until June.
If the CFL season started in May, that new sports season would be starting in the middle of the NHL playoff season, meaning fans and broadcasters would have to adjust their priorities.
WATCH: Global Calgary meteorologist Jordan Witzel followed through with the Grey Cup wager he and Global Toronto meteorologist Anthony Farnell had made, wearing an Argonauts jersey on air.
Does the weather really make a difference?
As many Canadians know, weather across the country fluctuates all the time and snow could come at any time of the year, especially once fall hits.
According to Global Calgary weather specialist Paul Dunphy, though holding the Grey Cup in October would reduce the odds of a snow-covered playing field.
“Although it’s true that cold and snow can occur at any time of year, October is on average, much warmer than November right across Canada,” Dunphy said.
“In my opinion, moving the CFL season up by a month would diminish the chances of weather negatively affecting games played in the fall.”
The location of the CFL Grey Cup changes each year.
If Sunday’s game had been played in Calgary, players and fans would have been treated to a sunny day and a high of 12 C.
On average, temperatures in Calgary are about 9 C higher in the month of October than in November.
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