I want to be clear: Canadian football is not better than American football. The players aren’t as good, and the quirky rules make it a completely different product than what we’re used to. But is it fun to watch? Hell yeah.
It’s 12-on-12 instead of 11-on-11. Receivers can take a running start before the snap. There are only three downs, the field is bigger, and, in some cases, you can even score on a missed kick. These changes reshape the game. Drives are shorter, punts come faster, and, especially late in games, points pile up quickly. There’s no such thing as a safe lead in Canada.
The quality of play? Honestly, not great. The CFL is basically the island of misfit toys: a mix of former college stars who couldn’t make the NFL and Americans you’ve never heard of who are now cult heroes north of the border. But that’s what makes it so fun. The talent gap means blown coverages, wild swings and quarterbacks who either throw a 50-yard bomb or airmail it into the stands. It’s chaos.
And chaos is entertaining. In the NFL, you can feel the inevitability: Mahomes is going to figure it out, the Eagles’ line is going to wear you down, the Panthers are going to find a way to lose yet again. In the CFL, nothing is set in stone. Every game feels like a coin flip, and with the clock rules and shorter downs, no lead is safe.
You’re not watching for greatness. You’re watching because every play feels like it might unravel. A quarterback rolls out under pressure, pump-fakes, nearly trips over his own lineman, then somehow sidearms a first down. A missed field goal turns into a 120-yard return the other way. A third-string receiver you’ve never heard of makes a one-handed catch in double coverage, then fumbles it into the end zone where someone else dives on it for a touchdown. It’s not polished. It’s sloppy. It’s weird. It’s electric.
So no, Canadian football isn’t better. But if you care about pure entertainment, about unpredictability, about sports that make you shout at the TV for reasons you didn’t even know existed… it might just be the most fun kind of football out there.