Saskatchewan Roughriders<\/a> fan \u2013 he hoped we wouldn\u2019t hold that against him here in Manitoba \u2013 Campbell watched the CFL\u2019s game-changing news conference on Monday and immediately sprang into action.<\/p>\nArticle content<\/p>\n
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Creating a group called Concerned Fans of Canadian Football, Campbell began an online petition for like-minded followers of the three-down game.<\/p>\n
Their concern: The league\u2019s plan to erase two things that make the CFL game unique \u2013 the 110-yard length of the field and the position of the goal posts on the goal lines.<\/p>\n
More than 1,100 fans signed up on the first day.<\/p>\n
By early afternoon on Thursday, the petition had some 2,250 signatures, from all three Canadian coasts and virtually all points in between \u2013 including 68 from the U.S.<\/p>\n
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A few fans even weighed in from places such as Australia, Iceland, Mexico and Europe.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe passion with which I\u2019ve seen people respond, that\u2019s taken me aback a little bit,\u201d Campbell said. \u201cThat it\u2019s been so quick to take off.\u201d<\/p>\n
He gets it, though.<\/p>\n
A former employee of one of the big banks in Toronto and on the verge of getting his certification as a chartered professional accountant in the States, Campbell worries he\u2019s seen this before with Canadian institutions.<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand business,\u201d he said. \u201cMy concern is very much like what we\u2019ve seen with some of the department stories like Eaton\u2019s and Sears back in the day. I understand the league is in a bit of trouble right now with attendance. So I get that.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut sometimes you can overdo the rebranding and cut the loyalty for the fans who have stuck with the brand through thick and thin.\u201d<\/p>\n
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That\u2019s already happening, with fans threatening to cancel long-held season tickets over this two-step Americanization of their game.<\/p>\n
Campbell doesn\u2019t want to see fans abandon ship \u2013 yet.<\/p>\n
But he\u2019s calling for them to send a clear message to rookie commissioner Stewart Johnston and the nine governors who approved the changes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going to try the most Canadian thing I can think of, which is let\u2019s have further consultation,\u201d Campbell said. \u201cWe don\u2019t need to rush into this.\u201d<\/p>\n
He\u2019d like fans to deliver that message to stadiums over the next two weekends. Not by leaving their seats empty, though.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have an alternative. Instead of wearing your regular jersey, wear all black,\u201d he said. \u201cOr if you want to wear your jersey, just black out the logos with some tape or something. Still show support for the team and players \u2026 but just visibly show the CFL, the board of governors, the commissioner, that we need a pause on this until there\u2019s some sober second thought.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The commissioner claims the game will be higher-scoring and more entertaining with the changes. But he didn\u2019t consult with fans, players or coaches, many of whom are baffled.<\/p>\n
If he had, here\u2019s some of what he would have heard.<\/p>\n
\u201cGarbage,\u201d is how B.C. Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke, a Canadian and arguably the CFL\u2019s marquee player, described the plan.<\/p>\n
Hall of Fame player and two-time coach of the year Mike O\u2019Shea had similar feelings.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we\u2019re going to be altering the game and removing uniquely Canadian items from the game, I would never be in favour of that,\u201d the Winnipeg Blue Bombers boss said. \u201cBecause it\u2019s ours. Uniquely ours.\u201d<\/p>\n
At a time when Canadian elbows are up when it comes to dealing with the U.S., the CFL\u2019s supposed big thinkers are letting the country down.<\/p>\n
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Why not a trial run, first?<\/p>\n
And what the hell could be next?<\/p>\n
Watching Monday\u2019s news unfold from Texas, Campbell was struck by the commissioner\u2019s soft response to a question about whether the three downs could also be on the table, eventually.<\/p>\n
Johnston didn\u2019t say no.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn my Bay Street experience,\u201d Campbell said. \u201cThat means we need to get through this change and it\u2019ll probably be something for consideration in 2028, if I had to predict it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Instead of throwing Canadiana away, he says the league should be taking advantage of the increased flag-waving in this country by flooding social media with messages about the uniqueness of the Canadian game.<\/p>\n
\u201cEspecially in the context where national pride has really been a thing this year.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The seeds for Campbell\u2019s three-down pride were planted at Ivor Wynne Stadium in the 1980s, when his grandfather would give his dad tickets to Tiger-Cats games.<\/p>\n
Going into the 1989 Grey Cup, he made a bet with his dad that put some of his household chores on the line. When Saskatchewan beat Hamilton in one of the best Grey Cups of them all, he won the bet \u2013 and the Riders won his heart.<\/p>\n
With kids of his own now, Campbell wonders what will be left of the game by the time they\u2019re old enough to be fans.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve grown to really love the league,\u201d he said, calling this season the most exciting in years, with last-minute craziness that could only happen in the CFL. \u201cIt\u2019s just very organic and something that\u2019s very special these days. I\u2019m not against change \u2026 but it was just too quick and not quite considered properly. People need to feel like they\u2019re being heard at least, if that\u2019s going to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
He hopes thousands will be heard, and seen, in stadiums across the country, beginning this weekend.<\/p>\n
paul.friesen@kleinmedia.ca<\/p>\n
X: @friesensunmedia<\/p>\n
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CFL fan Matthew Campbell wants spectators at the league’s games this weekend to wear black — like this Calgary Stampeders supporter in 2018 — to deliver a message of resistance to announced rule changes. Photo by Gavin Young \/Postmedia NetworkArticle content<\/p>\n![\"Winnipeg](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/19.6.0\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-wsun-new.svg\"){kind=logo}
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