Survey says: We love our game

It's quirky at times, frequently dashes to the edge of a cliff and threatens to jump, has had two teams with the same name in its past, and has left and returned ane left cities over the years; yet the CFL still carries a special place in our hearts. A love affair that has endured over the decades of the last century and with a bit of luck and continued hard work should carry forth long into this century.

The Strategic counsel has released its findings into a survey conducted for the Globe and Mail, nineteen questions that examined the state of Canadian football and its importance to this vast land of ours.

There is a definite age gap that the league needs to address, where those over 55 are more likely to watch a CFL game, those under 24 have found the glitz and hype of the NFL hard to resist. Overall it's a slight advantage to the CFL for television viewing with close to 60% saying that they would rather watch a CFL game than an NFL one on TV.

The fate of the league is apparently high on our minds as well, with 89% of the West, 84% in Quebec and 76% in Ontario saying that they feel that the CFL's survival is of importance.

As a unifying factor, there may be no better symbol. It would seem that no Canada Council grants or special measures from Parliament are needed to enshrine the CFL in the consciousness of the nation.

The league to no surprise is strongest in Western Canada, where the games traditions and legends are still etched in the minds of generations of Canadian football fans. Where the teams have always had a place of prominence in their communities, a long time part of the nations make up. The recent renaissance of football in Quebec, has also created a breeding ground for the three down game, a prospect that the Strategic Counsels suggests is one of the few things that Quebec and the rest of Canada can share with a true passion.

Reflective of the current debate, the threat of an American invasion doesn't seem to worry the vast majority of the respondents, many of whom welcome the prospect of an NFL team for Toronto all the while insisting that the two leagues can co-exist.

That remains to be seen in the future, but in the here and now, on the last weekend for football in Canada for 2007, the game is strong and the game is ours. The numbers provide an interesting look at the game and perhaps offer some clues as to how to increase the league's visibility and relevance to the nation.

The Globe and Mail's David Naylor examined some of the findings of the survey and how they impact on our image of the game today.