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Published Nov 12, 2025 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 2 minute read<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n You can save this article by registering for free here<\/a>. Or sign-in<\/a> if you have an account.<\/p>\n As the CFL prepares to introduce a series of rule and field changes, a new poll suggests overall attention to the league continues to decline.<\/p>\n Advertisement 2<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Exclusive columns by Ryan Stelter, Paul Friesen, Ted Wyman, Scott Billeck, Lorrie Goldstein, Warren Kinsella and others. Plus newsletters: Gimme Stelter for your beat on the city, The Exit Row for all your Jets news and On the Rocks for curling.Unlimited online access to Winnipeg Sun and 15 news sites with one account.Winnipeg Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.<\/p>\n SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Exclusive columns by Ryan Stelter, Paul Friesen, Ted Wyman, Scott Billeck, Lorrie Goldstein, Warren Kinsella and others. Plus newsletters: Gimme Stelter for your beat on the city, The Exit Row for all your Jets news and On the Rocks for curling.Unlimited online access to Winnipeg Sun and 15 news sites with one account.Winnipeg Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.<\/p>\n REGISTER \/ SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.<\/p>\n THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an Account<\/p>\n or<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n The Angus Reid Institute says the percentage of Canadians who closely or very closely follow the CFL has dropped from 21 per cent in 2014 and 2018 to 16 per cent in 2025.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Recommended Videos<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n The online survey was conducted Oct. 7-11, and released this week as the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Montreal Alouettes get set to clash in Sunday\u2019s Grey Cup in Winnipeg.<\/p>\n Those who follow the league most closely leaned strongly toward keeping the CFL distinct from the American game.<\/p>\n Among less-engaged fans, opinions were more mixed \u2014 61 per cent of those who don\u2019t follow closely and 53 per cent of casual followers were unsure or preferred it align more with the NFL, compared with 46 per cent of avid fans.<\/p>\n The CFL announced a series of rule changes on Sept. 22 _ including a longer play clock, revised rouge rule and smaller field _ drawing mixed reactions from those torn between preserving tradition and modernizing the game.<\/p>\n The Winnipeg Sun’s Daily Headline News<\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Advertisement 3<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Starting next season, teams will no longer be able to win games with a rouge \u2014 the single point awarded on a missed field goal that sails through the end zone. A single point will only be awarded if a returner fields a missed field goal, punt or kickoff in the end zone and either kneels or is tackled in the end zone trying to forward the ball.<\/p>\n Also, there will be a 35-second automatic reset on the play clock. Teams currently have 20 seconds to run a play, but the clock typically starts only when officials spot the ball.<\/p>\n Another change will see team benches moved to opposite sides of the field to make substitutions easier. Both benches are currently on the same side.<\/p>\n The most significant changes will come in 2027, when CFL fields will be shortened from 110 to 100 yards, end zones reduced from 20 to 15 yards, and goalposts moved from the goal line to the back of the end zone.<\/p>\n Advertisement 4<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n The poll found two-thirds of avid fans opposed the field change, while half of casual followers also disagreed.<\/p>\n B.C. Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke called the new rules \u201cgarbage,\u201d criticizing the league for not consulting players.<\/p>\n Hamilton Tiger-Cats quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell took the opposite stance.<\/p>\n \u201cThis isn\u2019t about Americanizing the game \u2014 it\u2019s about modernizing it,\u201d said Mitchell, a 12-year veteran and two-time most outstanding player.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat can we do to put a better product on the field, a product that people want to watch, that\u2019s a faster pace? This is not taking away the unique things (about the CFL).\u201d<\/p>\n The polling industry\u2019s professional body, the Canadian Research Insights Council, says online surveys cannot be assigned a margin of error because they do not randomly sample the population.<\/p>\n This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2025.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Share this article in your social network<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Breadcrumb Trail Links PMN Author of the article: Published Nov 12, 2025 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 2 minute read You can…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":278633,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[49,48,521,522,520,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-278632","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cfl","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-canadian-football-league","11":"tag-canadianfootballleague","12":"tag-cfl","13":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/278632","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=278632"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/278632\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/278633"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=278632"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=278632"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=278632"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Montreal](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/6914bffef5b93afb19d7cec2jpeg.jpg\")
Montreal Alouettes quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson (4) throws the football against the Saskatchewan Roughriders during first half CFL football action in Regina, on Saturday, September 13, 2025. Photo by Heywood Yu \/The Canadian PressArticle content<\/p>\n![\"Winnipeg](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/19.9.2\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-wsun-new.svg\"){kind=logo}
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