So, the question I'm obsessing on today:
Why doesn't Halifax have a CFL team?
Hey, the Grey Cup's coming, and even I'm getting caught up in it.
I've been doing some investigating online. The CFL has always wanted to add a 10th team in the east. The short list - well, the whole list, really - is Quebec City and Halifax. The CFL has been seriously trying to get a team into Halifax since the 1970s. In the early 1980s, Halifax actually was granted a CFL franchise. They were called the "Atlantic Schooners," but they went bankrupt before playing their first game.
The main sticking point has always been a stadium. Halifax needs $65 million to build a football stadium that's up to CFL standards. No one's been able to pony up the cash so far. Right now, they're looking at Halifax's Husky Stadium as an alternative; to see if it can simply be upgraded to CFL standards.
And, the CFL is still working hard at getting a team into Halifax. The CFL is poking around Halifax right now, trying to see if some neutral site exhibition games can be hosted in the city early next season. Many see this as being a practice run before Halifax gets a team.
I even raised the issue with one of my classmates today. He's a big sports nut, hopes to get into sports radio, and hosts NR92's Inside Football every Wednesday at 9. Guess what that show's about. He told me that, for the past 5 years, the City of Halifax has set up a massive display at every Grey Cup. It's essentially selling the fans and the league on the concept of a team in Halifax. "My guess?" said my classmate, "Halifax will finally get a team in three or four years."
So, there you have it. I hope Halifax does get a team. I just have a fetish for even numbers. 10. Ooo, it gives me goosebumps.
The next big question I have about the CFL: How come they don't do an all-star game anymore?
Next Issue...42
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