league in

larger centres;
wever, this is not enough. They
ould be promoting this football
gue in all Canadian cities and
wns, from Halifax to Smithers.
otball is not a sport played in
per class country clubs; it is a
assroots game played by anyone
o has a football and a desire to
ock the crap out of the person
‘oss from them.

One thing that must be done,
d soon, is to find these teams
itable stadiums to play in. For
ple, the cavernous BC
ausoleum, err, Place Stadium is
ely a third full, which is really
heartening for the players and
fans who actually attend the
es. Montreal made a smart

ve this year by moving to a
rbished McGill Stadium.
though their current home is
uch smaller than the one they
cupied last year, the Alouettes
at least playing to crowds that
ost fill their stands. The CFL
y not want to admit that they
d to move into smaller venues,
having their teams play in

nt of crowds that fill barely a
td of the seats is embarrassing.
As well, the overall quality of
game must be improved. Most
es are three hour slumber fests
t may keep the interest of the
rnalists covering the games and
hard core CFL fans, but the
ual observer is completely

ned off by the constant two-
-out-and-punt series, which

n the game into a very watered
e version of Aussie Rules.
wever, I’m not suggesting that
league do away with the rules
t make the game wonderfully
erent from its American coun-
art, the NFL. Keep I2 men on
field, keep the 3 downs rule,
keep the goalposts at the front
he end zone (at least our

ivers aren't stupid enough to
into them), but get rid of the
ts. That's right, do away with
punter and the place-kicker. As
Id football adage goes, “kick-
aren't football players; they're
ers.’ Force teams to go for the
down all the time. It would
inly liven the game up and
ase the scoring, two things (as
Arena Football League has
ed) that draw fans like Todd
arlane draws Spawn (very

, if you missed the connec-

). Instead of having to line up
kick a PAT after a touchdown,
scoring team would either be
ded 7 points or have the

on of trying a 2 point conver-
to get 8. If the conversion

d, the touchdown would only
t for 6 points. And instead of
ing field goals, award the team
ts for field position inside the
ard line. For instance, from

I yards, give the offensive

3 points, from 10-0 yards

 

award them 4. However, this situa-
tion will never come to pass, as the
goalposts (and therefore place-
kickers) are as much a part of
football as cheerleaders and the
Gatorade shower, so, here is anoth-
er suggestion; get rid of the pun-
ters and keep the place-kickers.
Teams would still have to go for
the first down all of the time,
when they were out of field goal
range, but we would still be able to
see those highly (sometimes)
entertaining returns of missed
field goals.

However, my biggest concern
with the CFL is their habit of
applying local blackouts, similar to
the ones used by the
NEL, to games
played in a specific
area. If the league
wants to attract more
fans, why don't they
allow the public to
see their product? It
would seem that this
is the first logical
step in attracting new
fans. Comparitavely,
how many people, do
you figure, rush out
and buy a new CD
that they haven't
heard before? Not
many, would be my
guess, because most
people like to sample
the product they're
buying. Logically
then, why doesn’t the
CFL let fans sample
their product on tele-
vision before making
the desicion to pur-
chase a ticket. It
would also be helpful
if the CFL would put
their games back on
CBC for the entire
season, or give the
provincal stations the
broadcast rights to
the team(s) in their
province. Putting
games on TSN is
great, but there is a
percentage of the
population that can-
not get TSN (yes, be
shocked city dwellers)
and therefore turn to
satellite dishes and
the comfort of the
NEL. If the CFL
really wants to draw
fans back to its
games, it needs to
give them a taste
before they get the
full meal, and televi-
sion is the best way
to give them that
sample.

It is a dark time
for Canadian foot-

ball. The game must

 

be improved, not only

  

 
   
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
   

on the field, but in its promotion
of itself and in its television cover-
age. Without these improvements,
we will soon be singing:

Bye Bye League \. Bye Bye CFL \
Hello NFL \, Bye Bye CFL \ You
Brought Your Own Demise \ So Bye Bye
CFL \ Bye Bye

You didn’t study the playbook
either? Dave Tam Photo

 

THE FACTS ABOUT

WIN WUDD

pemaanaeaiéhii= 21s sss sooaanae

Tax Equality

The Nisga’a will be subject to all provincial and federal taxes and are the first
aboriginal group in Canada to agree to give up their Indian Act tax exemptions.

The Land

Private land is not part of the Nisga’a final agreement and won't be on the table in any
treaties the B.C. government negotiates. When all treaties are complete, the total amount
of land held by First Nations will be proportional to their population — less than 5%.

The Nisga'a Government

The Treaty allows the Nisga’a people to govern themselves in a way comparable
to a municipal government. The Canadian Constitution, the Charter of Rights
and Freedoms, and the Criminal Code will apply to the Nisga'a people.

A Free Vote

A free vote by your elected representatives will be held in the B.C. Legislature.
This allows all members to vote with their conscience, not along party lines.
A vote will also be held in the Federal Parliament in Ottawa.

The Nisga’a people will hold their own ratification vote.

A Public Process

Over 400 public meetings were held, and an all-party committee of
the legislature travelled B.C. to hear views on the Nisga’a and other treaties.
The Agreement in Principle has been widely available since 1996.

All Canadians Share Cost

B.C. taxpayers will pay less than 1/Sth of the total cash cost of $312 million, spread
over fifteen years, while Canadian taxpayers outside of B.C. will pay the rest.

Economic Certainty

KPMG and Price Waterhouse, two national accounting firms, have found that
the prolonged uncertainty of unresolved land claims has cost B.C. billions
of dollars in lost investment and jobs.

FOR YOUR COPY OF THE NISGA’A TREATY OR FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CALL:

 

 

 

e265 485063.9095

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