I love watching teams leaning into a chosen direction.<\/p>\n
And from what we\u2019ve seen from the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Hamilton Tiger-Cats this winter, that\u2019s exactly what\u2019s happening. It\u2019s why I\u2019m so fascinated to see how the 2026 season goes for both teams starting in a few months.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s clear where Winnipeg\u2019s head is. Even after failing to make the Grey Cup last season for the first time in six years, the Bombers are all-in on making at least one more run with future Hall of Fame quarterback Zach Collaros<\/a> at the helm. Whether you agree or not, you have to love the conviction.<\/p>\n RELATED \u00a0<\/p>\n Hand-in-hand with that direction is retaining a large portion of the core group that\u2019s made Winnipeg the CFL\u2019s gold standard for so long. That includes new deals for Brady Oliveira<\/a>, Nic Demski<\/a>, Stanley Bryant<\/a>, and Willie Jefferson<\/a>, among others. The Bombers have also been one of the league\u2019s most aggressive teams in free agency, adding high-end players like Jarell Broxton<\/a>, Tim White<\/a>, and Jake Ceresna.<\/p>\n The MO is very similar in Hamilton after falling just a hair short of the 112th Grey Cup. Riding a championship drought of more than 25 years, the Ticats have pushed their chips in, too. It started with extending fellow future Hall of Fame quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell<\/a> and numerous moves aimed at winning a championship have followed.<\/p>\n Hamilton has added the likes of Wynton McManis<\/a>, Mario Alford<\/a>, and Kurleigh Gittens Jr.<\/a> in free agency while extending or re-signing a swath of internal key pieces. From Julian Howsare to Shemar Bridges<\/a>, Stavros Katsantonis<\/a>, Jamal Peters<\/a>, and Brandon Revenberg<\/a>, the Tiger-Cats are bringing back a big chunk of the group that helped them finish first in the East Division in 2025.<\/p>\n The verdict on these two plans won\u2019t come until both teams are playing regular season football, and likely much later than that. But there\u2019s something to be said for choosing a path and committing fully to it. That\u2019s what both Winnipeg and Hamilton have done the last few months, and it\u2019s been fun to watch.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n INTERNATIONAL WOMEN\u2019S DAY 2026<\/p>\n It\u2019s hard to believe, but March is here.<\/p>\n And with that brings International Women\u2019s Day 2026, which lands this coming Sunday. It\u2019s always an honour to help shine a spotlight on some of the women in crucial roles in the CFL, which is exactly what we\u2019re doing this week.<\/p>\n Take for example my CFL.ca boss Kristina Costabile, or more officially the CFL\u2019s Senior Manager, Web & Digital Content. This website doesn\u2019t operate, the storytelling doesn\u2019t flow, and the analysis doesn\u2019t hit quite the same without her. I\u2019ve seen it firsthand during Grey Cup week and nonstop from afar for the better part of a decade.<\/p>\n \u201cMy day-to-day consists of so many things,\u201d Costabile told us in 2021 when detailing what goes into keeping a professional sports league\u2019s website on the cutting edge.<\/p>\n \u201c(It involves) meeting with our content team to discuss the weekly cadence of storytelling. I pitch ideas to freelance writers for what I think they should be covering that week and edit and publish their work. I put together the content schedule for our team for the week, making sure it\u2019s balanced between all nine teams.\u201d<\/p>\n When you apply that description to the full-time digital staff and the nationwide group of CFL.ca freelance contributors, the full scope of Costabile\u2019s responsibilities become clearer. With information readily accessible from so many outlets in 2026, creating engaging material and telling compelling stories is what wins the day.<\/p>\n It\u2019s what fuels Makayla Berze-Rai, who works as Associate Digital Producer with the Calgary Stampeders. Berze-Rai drives content creation for the Stamps, both on social media and on their website. And just like Costabile, it\u2019s storytelling that\u2019s at the heart of everything she does.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s crucial,\u201d Berze-Rai told CFL.ca \u201cIt\u2019s something that, not joking, keeps me up at night. We\u2019re living in an era where the majority of what we consume is through social media. It\u2019s so catered to your pre-existing interests, so it\u2019s extremely important to crack through that barrier and find new and innovative ways to reach out to broader audiences.\u201d<\/p>\n While it\u2019s not always easy doing a job like Berze-Rai\u2019s in a male-dominated landscape, the CFL has been innovative in recent years in moving things forward. For instance, the Women in Football Program presented by KPMG returns for 2026<\/a>, providing nine new opportunities across the league.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a born and raised Calgarian who grew up admiring the likes of Dave Dickenson, Bo Levi Mitchell<\/a>, and Marquay McDaniel<\/a>,\u201d Berze-Rai said. \u201cFrom the moment I was introduced to the organization, from the coaches, players, business ops, and equipment staff, I was welcomed with open arms and continue to be treated with the upmost respect and kindness.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re all here to do a job and, in my experience, I\u2019ve always been given the ability to do my job just like anybody else would.\u201d<\/p>\n The fact is, this league and this sport are better when more groups of people are involved, either officially or as fans. That\u2019s why the Diversity in Football Program and Women in Football Program are such crucial initiatives. And it\u2019s why people like Costabile and Berze-Rai are moving a conversation forward.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m just really proud to be working for the CFL in general, woman or not,\u201d Costabile reflected. \u201cThis league means so much to so many people and to be a part of that is something I really value and appreciate so much.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s a sentiment echoed by Berze-Rai, who knows there\u2019s plenty of room for even more growth.<\/p>\n \u201cIn my experience, the CFL is a collaborative workspace,\u201d said Berze-Rai. \u201cI believe the more voices, opinions and ideas there are in a room, the more creative and innovative the work that comes out of it. So, if you\u2019re passionate about this game and this league, there\u2019s absolutely space for you to join us, and I encourage you to jump at the opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I love watching teams leaning into a chosen direction. 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