Tyson Philpot has Olympic dreams \u2014 not only to win a medal in Los Angeles, but also to find out what CFL interest the event could generate.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you imagine on that big of a stage someone [from Team Canada] makes a catch on an elite American player or wherever they are\u00a0from, and the announcer says, \u2018This is the Montreal Alouettes\u2019 CFL receiver\u2018?\u201d Philpot told 3DownNation.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow everybody\u2019s Googling, \u2018What\u2019s the CFL?\u2019 \u2018Why isn\u2019t this guy in the NFL?\u2019 Little conversations like that I think can grow our league exponentially and that\u2019s what it\u2019s about \u2014 getting our names on the biggest stage.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Delta, B.C. native can perform on a big stage, look no further for proof than his game-winning catch in the 110th Grey Cup and being named the game\u2019s Most Valuable Canadian. When asked what would be a bigger stage between the Olympics and the Grey Cup, the 25-year-old feels it\u2019s the former.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would probably have to say the Olympics, because the outreach that you can get. You\u2019re representing your country, not just a Canadian league, you\u2019re representing the maple leaf,\u201d Philpot said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI grew up watching hockey, I grew up watching\u00a0track and field. Never in my dreams did I think I would watch football at the Olympics, so to think\u00a0about that and to think about even being a part of that is surreal, a pinch-me kind of moment. With it being in LA, I feel like the U.S. will go beyond with everything that entails with the Olympics. Think about a Canadian gold medal at the Olympics of flag football, think about what that could do for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Philpot could have a shot to be on Canada\u2019s roster should the Red and White qualify for the 2028 Summer Olympic Games. He has a background in flag football, which includes three British Columbia provincial championships and also officiated for more than a decade. The six-foot-one, 195-pound pass catcher most recently officiated flag football at a local football camp hosted by teammate and Quebec native Geoffrey Cantin-Arku.<\/p>\n
If and when the opportunity arises, Philpot is hopeful the Alouettes would allow him to participate. Especially after the B.C. Lions showed support for quarterback Nathan Rourke and his bid to be Canada\u2019s quarterback<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201c[Olympians are] going to be missing two to three weeks. Hopefully, the CFL can get a bye week in there, depending who\u2019s playing. I\u2019m curious to see how the NFL will go\u00a0about it with them. I feel like as long as it\u2019s not any important game, maybe\u00a0I\u2019d get a blessing,\u201d Philpot said.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m willing to do whatever for the organization, they pay me to play for the Alouettes. Whatever they want me to do, I\u2019m going to do, but I feel like the Olympics is a thing you don\u2019t\u00a0want to miss. It\u2019s something that really only happens maybe once in everyone\u2019s\u00a0career, so I would love to get their blessing to play. When the time comes, we\u2019ll be able to sit down and do that.\u201d<\/p>\n The Olympics are still two years away and Canada has yet to qualify. The most straight forward path in would be for Canada to finish in the top two spots at the IFAF Flag Football World Championships from August 13-16 in Dusseldorf, Germany. However, Philpot seems fired up for the chance to possibly compete for gold.<\/p>\n \u201cI would love to get on board\u00a0with this Team Canada stuff. Coach [Paul] LaPolice \u2014 I hope we\u2019ll be having a conversation soon.\u201d<\/p>\n