The US and Canadian games are different, so which do Canadians prefer
Lacrosse is the official Canadian summer sport, but most Canadians might be surprised to learn that.
Soccer, perhaps “the” world sport is very slowly gaining popularity, but has a long way to go yet.
With an increasing immigration situation, there was another attempt to get some interest in cricket this summer, through a 20/20 competition featuring some big international names. but that didn’t get too much attention.
These are up against some traditional sports like baseball, a growing interest in basketball, and a fall favourite, football.
It should be noted that although to an outsider the Canadian game and American game look the same, there are some important differences not the least of which is the bigger Canadian field and a limit of 3 downs (tries) to advance 10 yards, vs the American 4 downs.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) throws during the first half of an exhibition game against the Toronto Argonauts in June. Hamilton lost 36-18. (Peter Power/The Canadian Press) ps.-note another difference. the Canadian football has stripes)
Experts say the Canadian game is actually more interesting, but of course the American version comes with more associated hype and glitz, a lot more.
So what do Canadians like to watch..Canadian or American football:?
The Canadian Football League (CFL) starts its season this long weekend with its traditional four game matchup, while the American National Football Leaue (NFL) starts September 6.
A new survey by the Angus Reid Institute asked Canadian fans which game they like better and shows an interesting situation.
Angus Reid Inst
Among those who watch at least some football (about 56% of all Canadians) the interest is divided equally, 39 per cent prefer the US game, and 39 per cent prefer the Canadian game with 22 per cent say they like both with no particular preference.
When it comes to the big final match of the season for the championship. Canada’s Grey Cup evnt takes place in November (with a long record of highly mixed weather conditions including bitter cold and snow) while the US “superbowl” occurs in pleasant weather somewhere in the U.S in February.
However, even though one in three CFL fans have said the game has become more interesting in recent years, 55 per cent of football fans say they’d rather watch the superbowl than the Grey Cup.
Teams run onto the field in the 2017 Grey Cup..yes that’s snow on the field and falling. Canada also has snow shovellers on the side to keep the lines clear and visible, something the US, doesn’t really need for the Superbowl (TSN via CBC)
The Angus Reid poll shows there’s a generational divide in preferences with younger Canadians (18-34) preferring the US game, and older Canadians 55 and up prefer the Canadian game.
The CFL Grey Cup championship will be held in Edmonton Alberta this year. The US superbowl in 2019 will be in Atlanta Georgia.
