The CFL is flying high with a new commissioner and strong franchises across the country. But the NFL's Buffalo Bills have announced they will start playing one exhibition game and one regular season game a year in Toronto. They also have an 89-year-old owner. When he dies the team will go on the open market and could end up in Toronto. Sun Media's NFL columnist Rob Longley and Bill Pierce — a season ticket holder for the Toronto Argonauts, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Buffalo Bills — go head-to-head on why the NFL should come to Toronto, and why it must not:
LONGLEY: The question is not should the NFL come to Toronto, but when will it arrive, so deal with it CFL fans, especially the irrational and xenophoic among you. Face it, Toronto already is an NFL market in a CFL town. The number of southern Ontario fans crossing the Peace Bridge for Bills home games suggest it and TV ratings confirm it. And if Toronto CFL fans really cared, they might go to the odd Argos game.
PIERCE: As you know, Rob, I am addicted to football. On any given fall weekend, I'm off to some CFL or NFL stadium (and occasionally Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor to see the mighty Wolverines) to get my fix. Yes, my wife is a gem. And labelling me as anti-American doesn't work here as I would (if I could) vote for George Dubya for four more years. Hey, he's doing a great job. Really! Regarding your opening barrage of taunts, let me just say this. The vast majority of us "CFL fans" also love the NFL. Both leagues, with their unique rules, have their positives and their negatives. But hey, it's football!
We have the best of both worlds. Canadians have their own long-established professional and collegiate football leagues, along with easy access to the American game just across the border. It's a football paradise for anyone in southern Ontario. If Toronto acquired a permanent NFL franchise, it would most probably mean the end of Canadian professional football which dates back to the late 1800s. The people of B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Quebec would all lose their teams. And our college game probably would eventually switch to the four-down game. Twenty years from now, we can all say remember when ...
Rob, if it meant the demise of the CFL and a distinct part of our nation's culture, would you still want the glory of having a NFL franchise in Toronto?
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