Reasons to get Excited as the Canadian Football League Returns

The 2020 Canadian Football League season was due to commence on the 11th of June. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, the beginning of the regular season was postponed, as were all major sporting events around the world. As a result, the regional combines in Edmonton and Montreal plus the CFL National Combine in Toronto were cancelled, as was the 2020 Global Draft which was due to take place at the end of April.

However, as the situation in Canada improves fans are looking forward to the resumption of the CFL. CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie has been studying the National Hockey League and may choose to use a model developed by the NHL to get the CFL season started in September. Teams within the league have been given the go ahead to reopen their facilities and there are plenty of reasons to get excited as the Canadian Football League returns.

Firstly, the championship Grey Cup game will not be played in Regina, Saskatchewan as initially planned. Instead, the Cup will be awarded to the team which has the best record come the end of the season. In other words, there will be no playoff bracket and it will be interesting to see how this affects each team in the league. For example, Winnipeg Blue Bombers finished third in the West Division last season yet went on to lift the Grey Cup by defeating Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the final.

In 2020, this will not happen and the team which finishes the regular season with the superior record will lift the trophy. Last season, that would have been Hamilton Tiger-Cats and all the online bookmakers will be looking at that carefully as they create their odds for the 2020 CFL season.

Betting is a great reason in itself to get excited about the return of the Canadian Football League. Whether it be placing wagers on the outcome of individual games, the league as a whole or game specifics, every market will be available as soon as the CFL returns and that is a thrilling prospect for fans. The moneyline, spread betting, 1st quarter lines, half time lines, totals (over/under) and parlays will all be on offer to punters and is something to look forward to come September.

Then we come to the individual player talent on show and that is definitely one of the leading reasons to get excited as the Canadian Football League returns. Robbie Smith of the Toronto Argonauts is a good example and he joined the team in the 2019 CFL draft. The 23 year old has the ability to become a ratio-breaker at the defensive end position having recorded four sacks and a forced fumble in 14 games last year. Smith has huge potential and is definitely one to watch heading into the 2020 campaign.

Other names to look out for as potential breakout stars in the 2020 CFL include Jevon Cottoy, Mathieu Betts, Kyle Saxelid, Hergy Mayala, Micah Teitz, Mike Jones, Nikola Kalinic and DeVonte Dedmon.

However, the main reason why so many people are excited about the return of the CFL is to have live sport to enjoy. The outbreak of COVID-19 in Canada has been devastating for many people and they have been searching for some enjoyment over the past few months. Perhaps in the grand scheme of things, The Canadian Football League does not rank highly in terms of overall importance compared to what has been happening in the country recently. Nonetheless, having something to watch and cheer will bring joy to millions of people and cannot be underestimated.