{"id":352459,"date":"2026-06-17T21:07:07","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T15:37:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/?p=352459"},"modified":"2026-06-17T21:07:07","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T15:37:07","slug":"bibby-proposes-cfl-return-to-american-expansion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/2026\/06\/17\/bibby-proposes-cfl-return-to-american-expansion\/","title":{"rendered":"Bibby proposes CFL return to American expansion"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p>Quebec City could be very much on the CFL\u2019s expansion radar but Dr. Reginald Bibby feels the league should again incorporate American-based franchises.<\/p>\n<p>Last month, veteran journalist Sylvain Bouchard divulged talks have been ongoing for greater than a yr between the CFL and business leaders regarding an expansion franchise and recent stadium in Quebec City. An acceptable venue has been the most important obstacle to a tenth team being based in Halifax.<\/p>\n<p>Nonetheless, the Quebec City talks reportedly involve a proposed $350-million, 25,000-seat facility.<\/p>\n<p>Bibby, a retired University of Lethbridge sociology professor and writer, acknowledges the importance of a tenth Canadian franchise. But within the appendix of his book The Canadian Transformation: 1975-2025 \u2014 a compilation of Bibby\u2019s national surveys on trends in Canada that\u2019s available on Amazon \u2014 Bibby states CFL expansion into 4 American states that border existing Canadian franchises would increase the league\u2019s U.S. television revenue and boost interest in each countries.<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-ad c-ad--bigbox l-article__ad\">\n<p>Story continues below commercial<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cQuebec City, I feel that\u2019s where it\u2019s going to begin and it will be an obvious plus in Canada,\u201d Bibby said in a telephone interview. \u201cBut it should do little to excite Americans.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe truth is success within the North American sports marketplace requires getting in on the vast U.S. media resources and that requires having American cities involved, otherwise U.S. interest might be minimal. That\u2019s the most important reason the CFL has been unable to land a financially meaningful contract with any American network or streaming service despite being a beneficial property.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bibby\u2019s plan would see the CFL keeping its current East-West format and the American clubs being in their very own division. Those franchises could have a set variety of players from the house state or adjoining areas on their roster to stimulate regional interest.<\/p>\n<div class=\"l-article__part\" data-shortcode=\"related_videos\">\n<div class=\"l-inlineStories l-inlineStories--video\">\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"l-inlineStories__title\">Related Videos<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<section id=\"miniplayer-carousel\" class=\"l-videoCarousel l-videoCarousel--embed c-carousel\" data-video-carousel-play-inline=\"true\" data-video-carousel-init=\"false\" aria-label=\"Video carousel contains 10 videos.\">\n<div class=\"l-videoCarousel__inner\">\n<div class=\"l-videoCarousel__featured\">\n<div class=\"c-video c-videoPlay \" data-iframe-receiver=\"\" data-autoplay=\"\" data-displayinline-featured=\"true\" data-displayinline-type=\"video\" data-displayinline-player-id=\"miniplayer\" data-displayinline-video-id=\"11739550\" data-displayinline-ratio=\"16:9\" data-displayinline=\"https:\/\/globalnews.ca\/video\/embed\/playlist\/11739550,11470562,11453508,11453324,11263515,11250111,11200263,10909078,10897802,10736082\/?poster=https%3A%2F%2Fi0.wp.com%2Fmedia.globalnews.ca%2Fvideostatic%2Fnews%2Ftr5zjincqa-uljksjmnnk%2Famelk.jpg%3Fw%3D1200%26quality%3D70%26strip%3Dall#autoplay&#038;stickyiframe=miniplayer\" data-displayinline-playlist=\"11739550,11470562,11453508,11453324,11263515,11250111,11200263,10909078,10897802,10736082\" data-displayinline-sticky=\"true\" data-permutive-data='{\"content\":{\"name\":\"Elks hosting CFL combine next week\",\"type\":\"video\",\"sections\":[\"videos\",\"edmonton\",\"sports\"],\"keywords\":[\"cfl\",\"edmonton-elks\",\"edmonton-sports\",\"edmonton-videos\",\"short-clip\",\"global-news-morning-edmonton\"],\"iab\":{\"categories\":[\"Sports\/Team Sports\/American Football\",\"Business and Industrial\",\"News\",\"Sports\",\"Sports\/Team Sports\"],\"tags\":[\"Amazon (company)\",\"Baltimore Stallions\",\"Canada\",\"Canadian Football League\",\"Canadian Football League in the United States\",\"CBS Sports Network\",\"CFL on TSN\",\"Cheque\",\"Coffee\",\"Contract\",\"Detroit\",\"Edmonton\",\"Grey Cup\",\"Halifax, Nova Scotia\",\"Investment\",\"Lethbridge\",\"Mike Pringle (gridiron football)\",\"Milwaukee\",\"Order of Canada\",\"Ownership\",\"Property\",\"Quebec\",\"Quebec City\",\"Regina, Saskatchewan\",\"Reginald Bibby\",\"Seattle\",\"Spokane, Washington\",\"Stadium\",\"Starbucks\",\"Stewart Johnston\",\"Sylvain Bouchard\",\"Syracuse, New York\",\"The Canadian Press\",\"The Sports Network\",\"Tim Hortons\",\"Toronto Argonauts\",\"United States\",\"University of Lethbridge\"]}}}'>\n<div class=\"c-video__inner \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"c-video__placeholder\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-video__image\" alt=\"Click to play video: 'Elks hosting CFL combine next week'\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/media.globalnews.ca\/videostatic\/news\/tr5zjincqa-uljksjmnnk\/amelk.jpg?w=1040&#038;quality=70&#038;strip=all\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"\" sizes=\"auto, \" data-sizes=\"(min-width: 1040px) 1040px,(min-width: 720px) 720px,450px\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"c-video__overlay\"><\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"c-video__duration\">4:43<\/time><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"c-video__title\">Elks hosting CFL mix next week<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"l-videoCarousel__glide glide \">\n<div class=\"glide__arrows c-carousel__buttons l-videoCarousel__buttons\" data-glide-el=\"controls\">\n\t<button class=\"glide__arrow glide__arrow--left c-carousel__button c-carousel__prev l-videoCarousel__button l-videoCarousel__prev c-longform-gallery__prev\" data-glide-dir=\"<\"><\/p>\n<p>\t\t<span class=\"sr-only\">Previous Video<\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/button><br \/>\n\t<button class=\"glide__arrow glide__arrow--right c-carousel__button c-carousel__next l-videoCarousel__button l-videoCarousel__next c-longform-gallery__next\" data-glide-dir=\">&#8220;><\/p>\n<p>\t\t<span class=\"sr-only\">Next Video<\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/button><br \/>\n\t\t<button class=\"c-carousel__goto\" data-glide-dir=\"=0\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\"><\/button>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t<!-- video stream item --><\/p>\n<\/section><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cThe purpose is this might be expansion to proximate regions with well-established ties to Canada,\u201d Bibby said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-ad c-ad--bigbox l-article__ad\">\n<p>Story continues below commercial<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>American cities Bibby suggests are: Spokane or a Seattle suburb; Milwaukee or St. Paul, Minn.; Detroit or a suburb; and Syracuse or a suburb.<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-inlineSignup\" data-newsletter-inline=\"\">\n<div class=\"c-inlineSignup__image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"170\" height=\"225\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/globalnews.ca\/wp-content\/themes\/shaw-globalnews\/images\/skyline\/national.jpg\" alt=\"Get daily Canada news delivered to your inbox so you'll never miss the day's top stories.\">\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-inlineSignup__content\">\n<h2 class=\"c-inlineSignup__title\">Get day by day National news<\/h2>\n<p>Get day by day Canada news delivered to your inbox so you may never miss the day&#8217;s top stories.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cThe most important issue in Canada has all the time been a stadium but the great thing about that is the stadiums (in U.S. markets) are already there,\u201d he said. \u201cThe large thing is investment so in the event that they have a team of investors together with the CFL that just like the regional concept and think it may work, I don\u2019t think you\u2019d need to take too long to get it in place.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn case you could put two teams in a single yr and inside a yr or two later put the opposite two in but have the general public aware you\u2019ve got this plan \u2026 I feel it will spark a variety of interest in Canada and what\u2019s happening with the CFL. I feel it could occur fairly quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>CFL commissioner Stewart Johnston said the league\u2019s priority stays the Canadian market.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe CFL is on a growth trajectory,\u201d he said in an announcement. \u201cOn the subject of expansion, we&#8217;re squarely focused on Canada.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re encouraged by the interest from prospective ownership groups in various Canadian markets. Until there\u2019s more to report, the league stays focused on its nine current teams and the 2026 season.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bibby appreciates regional proximity. He received a PhD from Washington State University before embarking on a five-decade tenure at Lethbridge. In 2006, Bibby was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada.<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-ad c-ad--bigbox l-article__ad\">\n<p>Story continues below commercial<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>In 1997, Bibby presented his survey findings to CFL officials at a two-day gathering in Edmonton. On the opening evening, he proposed to a TSN official the broadcaster should consider branding its Friday night telecasts.<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-tabs\">\n<p>\n\t\t\t<button role=\"tab\" class=\"c-tabs__tab c-tabs__tab--active\" type=\"button\">More on Sports<\/button><br \/>\n\t\t\t<button role=\"tab\" class=\"c-tabs__tab\" type=\"button\">More videos<\/button>\n\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cI suggested the network should give an evening name to its games,\u201d Bibby said. \u201cWhen he (TSN representative) said with irritation, \u2018We have already got games almost every Friday night,\u2019 I said, \u2018So why not call it, \u2018Friday Night Football?\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat fall, TSN launched this system. I had too many ideas then and still have too many now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The CFL had American franchises from 1993-\u201995 based in Sacramento, Las Vegas, San Antonio, Shreveport, Birmingham, Memphis and Baltimore. It returned to its all-Canadian format in 1996.<\/p>\n<p>However the expansion fees generated \u2014 reportedly between US$15 and US$18 million \u2014 were crucial for the cash-strapped league. In 1996, the CFL didn\u2019t find the money for to pay Edmonton and Toronto players within the Grey Cup game but fortunately, Tim Hortons provided much-needed funds that ensured the players\u2019 cheques would clear.<\/p>\n<p>Bibby feels his plan would help net the CFL a more lucrative American TV deal. Its current broadcast contract with CBS Sports Network \u2014 which reportedly pays $1 million annually \u2014 expires at season\u2019s end.<\/p>\n<p>Bibby said the CFL adding 4 American territories wouldn\u2019t threaten the NFL because those markets would never be considered for NFL expansion squads.<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-ad c-ad--bigbox l-article__ad\">\n<p>Story continues below commercial<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cThis isn\u2019t about selling out, it\u2019s about getting a beneficial product into the North American marketplace,\u201d Bibby said. \u201cIf I were within the coffee business and Starbucks is already in Canada, I\u2019d wish to think I\u2019d try creeping over the border and see if I could sell some stuff there given the market size and the way lucrative it might be.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI hope the league will think hard about this \u2014 and perhaps eventually move to place the final plan or something prefer it in place. At minimum, its exploration would generate loads of attention however the CFL just might find the border region technique to be transformative.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 17, 2026<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>\n\t\t&#038;copy 2026 The Canadian Press\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Quebec City could be very much on the CFL\u2019s expansion radar but Dr. Reginald Bibby feels the league should again incorporate American-based franchises. Last month, veteran journalist Sylvain Bouchard divulged talks have been ongoing for greater than a yr between the CFL and business leaders regarding an expansion franchise and recent stadium in Quebec City. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":352460,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[338],"tags":[4861,52952,10349,7024,5772,1161],"class_list":["post-352459","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","tag-american","tag-bibby","tag-cfl","tag-expansion","tag-proposes","tag-return"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352459","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=352459"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352459\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":352462,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352459\/revisions\/352462"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/352460"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=352459"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=352459"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=352459"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}