Thanks to all of the fans who submitted questions for Commissioner Mark Cohon. We received quite a few questions and will be posting the Commissioner's answers over the course of the next several days. Please check back to CFL.ca to see the answer to your question.
 
Here are the second 10 questions and answers:

Please Note: No new questions will be answered after this point, so please save them for our next Q and A with the Commissioner.

1.    The Commish speaks of a 7000 seat stadium in Quebec...in fact it holds 10,000 and sold out attendance for all Laval games, including standing, was about 14,000. Plus...the Federal Gov is funding a 3000 seat expansion. Sooooo....my vote is for a CFL game in La Ville De Quebec over Moncton PS: if such a game was between the Als & the Roughies, Rider Nation would come to town and show'em how to party

I have no doubt Rider Nation will show up, wherever we play! Quebec City is a great market for football, with great fans, and it would be great fun to play there. At this time, though, there is real momentum surrounding Moncton, and concrete discussions designed to make it happen, which would give us a bit of a foothold in another great football market, Atlantic Canada.

2.    Hey Mark for playoff games and especially the Grey Cup I think the board of governors should vote to bring in 5 minute halfs to extend the game and make it more exciting for the post-season in the event of a tie. I think deciding a post-season game and Grey Cup by starting on the 35 for both teams and whoever scores more pts in their possession is the crappy way to decide the game. The Grey Cup with Edmonton and Montreal was a classic and the game into overtime was interesting but do you really want a game decided that way in the post season to decide a Grey Cup winner?

I’ll certainly share your view with our Competition Committee. This past year, we asked fans to suggest rule changes, and they did a tremendous job. Perhaps next season we’ll ask for suggestions like this one, on how our game is administered. I tend to think that we should be consistent, that we should break ties for playoffs and Grey Cups the same way we break ties in the regular season. But we’re always looking for ways to improve our game, while respecting our heritage.

3.    Can't wait to see the Ottawa Riders back and an Atlantic or Quebec City team. Do you think that with 2 more teams requiring many more Canadian players, the import/Canadian ratio might be adjusted? Perhaps 2 fewer Canadians and 2 more imports on each roster.

The size and make up of rosters are sources of constant debate, among fans, and sometimes, between the coaches who run our football teams and their business colleagues who need to watch the bottom line. We’re in discussions right now with the players’ association on a new collective bargaining agreement.

4.    Mr. Cohon, the league has done a great job marketing in the last few years, but could do more to engage young fans. Almost 50 years ago the CFL & Post collaborated on 2 great sets of player cards on cereal boxes. Half a century later hundreds of these cards change hands on ebay every month. Cholesterol cards are great for those of us old enough to remember watching Russ Jackson, but the league can only benefit by putting the Stars, Teams, Colours and Excitement of the CFL in front of millions of kids every morning at breakfast time. Your marketing people should consider this.

It’s a good idea. I remember loving player cards when I was a kid, and I’ll bring it up with our marketing department. They work very hard to pursue every opportunity that makes sense for our business, and respects the integrity of our brand. It would be helpful if you could also share this view with the cereal companies we would need to partner with us on this. (It would be cool if there was a Commish Card, but I fear it would be the first a kid would trade, if he could find any takers.)

5.    How is it possible for Winnipeg to force Stephan LeFors to take a pay cut when he has a contract? How come there seems to be no intervention either from the CFL or the players association?

I’m not going to discuss an individual player’s situation. That wouldn’t be fair, to a team or its employee.
Generally speaking, we don’t have guaranteed contracts in the CFL, which means a player under contract can be released, without the rest of his contract being paid out. (The same is true in the NFL, by the way.)


6.    Mr. Cohon, of course it's absurd that Canadians are required to pay to watch the Grey Cup on TSN while they can still watch the Super Bowl for free on CTV. Is there any possibility that any games - at least the Grey Cup - might be cleared on conventional television any time soon, or must we wait until the current agreement expires?

The plan right now is for the Grey Cup to be broadcast on TSN. With the world of media and broadcasting undergoing so many changes, it’s difficult to predict what future agreements might look like. For instance, I believe by August 2011, Canada will be moving to digital television and away from analog as imposed by the CRTC.


7.    Hello Mr. Commissioner! Is there any chance that the CFL will return to broadcast TV in the US in the future? I miss the CFL Game of the Week on Comcast Sports Net!

We have some very passionate fans in the U.S. and we appreciate their (your) interest. You can access our U.S. broadcast schedule by visiting here at CFL.ca. Click on “schedule” and then “U.S. Broadcast”. Some of our games are carried on various U.S. cable stations, including some Comcast Sports Network stations.

8.    Great interview. As a long time fan, I would love to see expansion happen to bring the league to a full 12 teams. We will be at nine once Ottawa comes back, but I would love to see teams placed in Quebec City, out east in the Maritimes and I think Saskatoon could support a team as well, making the CFL a league from coast to coast. Is there any talks going on between the current teams and the government about forming some sort of co-operative to fund new stadiums etc.? The league has repeatedly shown what it can accomplish when the members work together, is there any way they could work together to make sure that in five years, on the Canada Day Long Weekend, we could kick the season off on Friday, Saturday and Sunday?

I liked our Canada Day Kickoff this year, and it’s something we would definitely look at doing again. As for expansion, you’re right: we can’t expand to a city that doesn’t have an appropriate stadium. That’s why we’re working towards a refurbished Frank Clair stadium in Ottawa. Frankly, we face a pressing issue with some of our existing buildings, some of which are very old. So while there is no national co-operative in place, as you suggest, we are working with various governments, and the private sector, on stadium projects in almost every city in the CFL. David Asper, for instance, is working towards a new stadium in Winnipeg, as part of his plan to buy the Bombers. Hamilton could have a new stadium if southern Ontario succeeds in its bid to host the 2015 Pan Am games. Improvements are already underway in B.C., Calgary and Edmonton. Montreal is going to add 5,000 seats. And there have been discussions in Regina about an improved Mosaic Stadium, a new open air stadium, or even a domed stadium.

9.    I am a season ticket holder in Calgary and I as well as many fans I talk to are dissapointed and amazed at the poor time starts of the games, ie: 8:00 p.m. on Canada day

Scheduling is one of our most important, and most challenging, jobs.  We have to take into account several factors, including preparation time for teams, availability of venues, broadcast schedules, and what our teams tell us their fans prefer, and those preferences can sometimes vary from fan to fan. While no schedule will ever be perfect, we can always strive to do better, and will certainly take into account your concern.


10.    Mark: Why did you cut ties with Jack Bedell and why will TSN not send its signal into a U.S. feed for those of us who try to follow your league south of the border?

Our staff who work on CFL.ca tend to try different writers from time to time, to keep the site fresh. Jack did a fine job for us and I’m enjoying this year’s crop of writers and bloggers as well.  Our U.S. broadcast schedule is available here on CFL.ca, by clicking on “schedule”, and then “U.S. broadcast.” The bottom line is many of our games are available on various U.S. cable stations, but not everywhere. I’ll share your view with TSN.