5 ways to make a CFL-XFL merger work

The Canadian Football League and XFL have announced they’re in talks about some kind of “alignment” between the two leagues.

What this means is anyone’s guess, and I’m not even sure the leagues themselves know yet. But saying something official like this shows they’re serious about a close partnership of some sort — something akin to a merger. The XFL brings financial muscle to the table, courtesy of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and his manager/ex-wife Dany Garcia.

Together, they run Redbird Capital, a firm that manages some $4 billion in assets. They bought the XFL in bankruptcy for the bargain-basement price of $15 million and have the kind of financial muscle the CFL could use after hemorrhaging money during the pandemic. The CFL, in turn offers the upstart XFL credibility and a rich history that goes back, in some form, more than a century.

But the two leagues do things very differently. The rules, the size of the field, and the season itself... none of these things look the same.

These are significant obstacles to a merger. And that’s not even considering that the CFL has tried (and failed) to play in the U.S. before, plus the fact that all the XFL teams are owned by Redbird, while each of the CFL teams is under different ownership.

Another stumbling block is fact that CFL traditionalists could turn their backs on a league that makes significant rule changes. Imagine a baseball league imposing rules like putting 10 men on the field, pushing the pitcher’s mound back 5 feet, and having just two outs to an inning. There would be a hue and cry like nothing you’ve ever heard.

If the CFL were asked to simply adopt American football rules, the reaction in Canada could be similar.

But the two sides need each other. The CFL simply can’t sustain the level of financial losses it suffered last season, and it needs a lifeline since it failed to land a $30 million interest-free loan from the Canadian government. The XFL, meanwhile, has no players, and teams that exist on paper only. It needs the CFL’s brand stability.

So the question is, what would an alliance look like? Here are five things they could do to make it work.

Compromise on scheduling

The XFL played a 10-game spring season starting right after the Super Bowl while the CFL’s mostly summer season is 18 games long and ends after the NFL season starts.

Since the idea is to provide an alternative to the NFL, the XFL’s spring model makes more sense. The plain fact is, no one is going to be watching the CFL once the NFL kicks off.

The leagues could compromise and adopt a 14-game schedule that starts in late winter (to avoid Canada’s worst weather) and ends in late summer, with a dedicated bye week during the NCAA Final Four, and perhaps another during the NBA Finals.

Another question would involve whether, and how often, teams from Canada should play American teams. I’d suggest doing this on a limited basis, perhaps 2-3 times a year. This would accomplish three things:

• Familiarize American fans with Canadian teams, and vice versa.

• Limit travel costs that would be involved if teams from both sides of the border met routinely.

• Increase interest in the intersectional games by making them special events.

Here’s what a 14-game schedule could look like:

Season begins in March with three games before a bye-week break for the Final Four, then resumes with three more weeks in April and four in May before another bye week in mid-June, followed by the final couple of games at the end of June, leading up to the postseason. The playoffs and championship game would take place in July, before the NFL preseason starts.

Keep the two leagues distinct

First off, the leagues should explore an alliance that would allow each to maintain its distinct identity, the way the American and National leagues do in baseball. The umbrella organization could be called “North American Football,” ala Major League Baseball, with the CFL and XFL retaining their names.

Each league could continue to play under its own rules, then play a few interleague games each year that count in the standings, with the home team’s rules in effect.

This worked for years during the World Series, when games in the AL team’s park used the designated hitter, while those in the NL team’s house didn’t.

Keeping the two leagues distinct would eliminate this problem — and satisfy purist Canadian fans. But because there are a LOT of differences between the CFL and XFL rules, it would be a good idea to find common ground where they can, to avoid the shock of too many differences during intersectional games.

It could also lead to innovations that would make the game more interesting. So…

Meet in the middle where possible

Here are some of the questions that would have to be answered concerning the rules:

How big should the field be?

Then there’s the size of the field, which is much larger in Canada than it is here: 110 yards long instead of 100, and 12 yards wider, and an end zone that’s twice as deep.

There’s no reason the leagues couldn’t compromise. They could shorten the field to 100 yards in length, for example, but keep it wider and split the difference on the end zones by making them 15 yards deep.

Larger fields might not fit in some American stadiums, but teams could use facilities built for soccer, which is also played on a larger field. (There would be another advantage to this, as well: Many soccer stadiums seat fewer fans, offering a more intimate setting and a better “look” to TV audiences if the teams draw 20,000 instead of the NFL’s 60,000.)

How many downs?

This could be the biggest hurdle. CFL fans love three-down football, but American fans might have a hard time accepting it.

So, what if teams played three-down football, the way they do in Canada, but each team had two “exceptions” — like challenge flags — they could use each half to play a fourth down? Gimmicky? Maybe. But so was the two-point conversion once upon a time. Gimmicks can add excitement and, in some cases, become part of the game.

What about other rules?

CFL rules allows multiple players to be in motion at once and 12 players to a side. The merged league could adopt this. That could add to the excitement on each play.

The XFL option of 1-, 2-, or 3-point play conversions (no kicks) after a touchdown, opens up a lot of possibilities. This could be used or adjusted for use by the merged alliance.

In Canada, meanwhile, punts and field goal attempts that go out of the end zone count for a single point, or “rouge.” This could add strategic options, too.

Negotiate a single TV contract

One of the advantages of a merger or alliance could be the ability to negotiate a better TV package. Most XFL teams play in major markets, which is attractive to television, and although Canadian markets are generally smaller, Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver are bona fide metropolises.

Each week, a network could offer a Canadian Game of the Week and an American Game of the Week, televised back-to-back. Then, on intersectional weekends, two Canada vs. the U.S. games could be played, promoting the friendly rivalry between the two nations.

Don’t mix teams in the playoffs

As with baseball, which separates the AL and NL playoffs, teams in Canada should compete with one another for the right to advance and meet the best American team in the finals. This, again, could add national-rivalry interest in the finals, similar to what you have in the Olympics, plus each team would be its own nation’s champion.

The Grey Cup could still be awarded to the Canadian champion, and a new trophy could be created for the overall winner.

If the allied/merged XFL and CFL were to adopt a plan along these lines, it could give them a fighting chance for success.

Former sports journalist Stephen H. Provost is the author of “A Whole Different League,” a history of alternative sports leagues in the United States, and “The Legend of Molly Bolin,” the biography of a women’s basketball’s first pro superstar. Both are available on Amazon.