As fans across Saskatchewan prepare their green face paint and watermelon helmets in anticipation of the Labour Day Classic, a new poll shows the province leads the country when it comes to Canadian Football League (CFL) interest.
According to the poll from the Angus Reid Institute, 50 per cent of fans in Saskatchewan said they prefer the CFL over its southern counterpart, the National Football League (NFL).
The CFL’s supremacy in Saskatchewan is twice the national average and 22 per cent higher than in Alberta and British Columbia, the two other provinces that favour the Canadian game. Regions like Quebec and Ontario tend to prefer the NFL.
“To see that Saskatchewan fans are overwhelming CFL fans over NFL fans should come as no surprise to anyone,” 980 CJME Riders beat reporter Arielle Zerr told Global News. “We’re in the heart of CFL country here in Riderville, and heading into the Labour Day Classic is no better example of that.”
The Labour Day Classic is one of the biggest weekends in the CFL season as the league puts on four games between some of the most heated rivalries in the country; in Saskatchewan, the Roughriders face off at home against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
The weekend also marks the last week of the regular season that the CFL goes uncontested as the NFL’s is set to kick off on Sept. 6.
According to the poll, one in five Canadians follow both leagues, but it’s older men that are more likely to watch the CFL. Thirty-nine per cent of men over the age of 55 said they follow the CFL, that drops to 16 per cent among millennials.
The CFL has been working on marketing to younger demographics, especially this season, with a heightened social media presence and its Diversity is Strength campaign. The CFL has also eased its celebration rules for players, something the NFL has cracked down on over the years.
Zerr believes it’s access that the CFL offers that will help draw in younger fans.
“I think that’s what makes the CFL so special, your access to the players,” Zerr said. “They’re there to talk to the fans, they’re there to interact with the fans, and you can have a conversation with them; they’re not these pie in the sky celebrities that are above everyone else.”
The poll shows that there is room for both leagues for fans across the country as over half of Canadians said they watch football; a number that has remained relatively unchanged. But when fans were asked which league they preferred to watch, 39 per cent chose the CFL and the NFL while 22 per cent said they watch both.
“I think there’s a bit of a misnomer about CFL football versus NFL football; there’s a lot of people that think they’re getting a better quality product in the NFL,” Zerr said. “I just talked to a former NFL player that’s going to be starting his first game with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and he talked about there really is no difference between the talent in the CFL and the NFL.”
One big difference is the championship games. While each league puts on the impressive show to cap off a season on the gridiron, 55 per cent of respondents said they would rather watch the Super Bowl than the Grey Cup.
“Even if you’re not a football fan, you might tune in to the Super Bowl because of the money that’s dumped into advertising, the ads, there’s so much hype,” Zerr said. “It’s the marquee event, and I think the CFL wants to start to get closer to that, but right now I think the Super Bowl is the pinnacle across all sports.”
The Roughriders take on the Blue Bombers on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT at Mosaic Stadium.