CFL 2025 Season

[elly63]

Matt Dunigan won't be returning to TSN. Am I the only one who wishes the whole CFL on TSN panel wouldn't return to TSN. Personally, I think the concept has outlived its usefulness. Time for something new.

[elly63]

Pre season Stamps vs Lions today at Starlight Stadium (Langford BC) at 4 pm Eastern on CFL+

[craner]

Stamps win !

[elly63]

Originally Posted by elly63

Snoop Dogg to play Lions Season Opener

"We sold 10,000 tickets the first day that (Snoop Dogg’s performance) was announced. … We’re probably close to 45,000, maybe even more than that right now. Last year, we sold out 50 Cent — we finally sold those last couple of thousand tickets on game day. I predict we’ll be sold out here in about a week.”

Lions President Duane Vienneau

[TimB09]

Originally Posted by elly63

Matt Dunigan won't be returning to TSN. Am I the only one who wishes the whole CFL on TSN panel wouldn't return to TSN. Personally, I think the concept has outlived its usefulness. Time for something new.

I'm with you.

A new panel totally or something different. What, I don't know, but I barely listen to them before games or at half time.

[Rico Rommheim]

Originally Posted by elly63

"We sold 10,000 tickets the first day that (Snoop Dogg’s performance) was announced. … We’re probably close to 45,000, maybe even more than that right now. Last year, we sold out 50 Cent — we finally sold those last couple of thousand tickets on game day. I predict we’ll be sold out here in about a week.”

Lions President Duane Vienneau

A free concert before the game starts. I like that approach. A football game is a show it is entertainment, why not make a bigger spectacle of it. Cool. I'd like to see them do that at Molson.

[Calgarian]

Originally Posted by elly63

Matt Dunigan won't be returning to TSN. Am I the only one who wishes the whole CFL on TSN panel wouldn't return to TSN. Personally, I think the concept has outlived its usefulness. Time for something new.

Can't stand Dunnigan, the rest don't bother me as much. Curious who will replace him and how that dynamic will work.

Go Stamps!

[elly63]

Originally Posted by Calgarian

Can't stand Dunnigan, the rest don't bother me as much. Curious who will replace him and how that dynamic will work.

I know what I want to see if there still has to be a panel. More Canadian commentators who have an in depth knowledge of U Sports like Duane Ford. The college programs are getting better and better and like the NHL telling us who the next CHL prospects are, I'd like to hear and see more of that.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by Rico Rommheim

A free concert before the game starts. I like that approach. A football game is a show it is entertainment, why not make a bigger spectacle of it. Cool. I'd like to see them do that at Molson.

Percival Molson ‘great stadium’ but Alouettes should ‘certainly’ consider new venue: Pierre Karl Péladeau
JC Abbott 3downnation.com June 21, 2024

Since the franchise was purchased from league trusteeship by Péladeau in March of 2023, the telecommunication mogul has made improving the gameday atmosphere a priority. The stadium got a facelift over the summer with improved signage, a dedicated stage for pre- or mid-game entertainment, and the installation of a new video board for the north side.

Montreal Alouettes stable under Pierre Karl Péladeau but team needs long-term stadium solution
John Hodge 3downnation.com September 21, 2023

“The CFL is changing and I think that people are recognizing that. We don’t need a bigger stadium. We used to think that once you fill a 20,000-seat stadium that now you’ve gotta go to 25,000 or 30,000. That’s not true anymore. I think that having a 20-something thousand (seat) stadium is plenty. I think that where we need to look to reinvest and add to our offerings for our fan base and attract a new fan base is hospitality, party areas, and activation areas where people can come to the game and there’s a party going on,” said Weightman.

“There’s lots of talks about Olympic Stadium finally getting a new roof and are they going to do kind of like what BC Place did and rejuvenate the entire building?” said Weightman. “I think there’s a lot of plans in place. There’s a lot of ifs, there’s a lot of maybes, and there’s a lot of whens, so we need to kind of see how that plays out, but that venue, if it becomes available again, to be able to host playoff games and Grey Cups would be a big part of what I think the long-term solution for this club needs to be.”

Alouettes ownership signals that it’s not business as usual with Our Lady Peace halftime concert
Matthew Ross 3downnation.com June 2, 2023

For the rest of the CFL-loving country, announcing a well-known halftime act may not sound like a big deal. But when both the Montreal Alouettes and legendary rock band Our Lady Peace jointly announced last week that the group would be performing during the team’s home opener, it was a game-changer.

So when the Als made it public that they had procured a legitimate headliner to help entice fans to pack the first home game, I decided to dig a little deeper. How did this come about? Whose idea was it? Are more acts on the way?

“The idea to do something big at our first game came from the top. Mr. Peladeau wanted to create something special for Week 1 and show that things are changing,”

How much have things changed? Weightman and his team were advised to contact the entertainment division of Peladeau’s Quebecor conglomerate and see what acts might be available for the first game, June 10 at home versus the Ottawa Redblacks. That’s right, the Alouettes now have access to additional divisions and resources to get the job done.

[Rico Rommheim]

Originally Posted by elly63

Percival Molson ‘great stadium’ but Alouettes should ‘certainly’ consider new venue: Pierre Karl Péladeau
JC Abbott 3downnation.com June 21, 2024

Since the franchise was purchased from league trusteeship by Péladeau in March of 2023, the telecommunication mogul has made improving the gameday atmosphere a priority. The stadium got a facelift over the summer with improved signage, a dedicated stage for pre- or mid-game entertainment, and the installation of a new video board for the north side.

Montreal Alouettes stable under Pierre Karl Péladeau but team needs long-term stadium solution
John Hodge 3downnation.com September 21, 2023

“The CFL is changing and I think that people are recognizing that. We don’t need a bigger stadium. We used to think that once you fill a 20,000-seat stadium that now you’ve gotta go to 25,000 or 30,000. That’s not true anymore. I think that having a 20-something thousand (seat) stadium is plenty. I think that where we need to look to reinvest and add to our offerings for our fan base and attract a new fan base is hospitality, party areas, and activation areas where people can come to the game and there’s a party going on,” said Weightman.

“There’s lots of talks about Olympic Stadium finally getting a new roof and are they going to do kind of like what BC Place did and rejuvenate the entire building?” said Weightman. “I think there’s a lot of plans in place. There’s a lot of ifs, there’s a lot of maybes, and there’s a lot of whens, so we need to kind of see how that plays out, but that venue, if it becomes available again, to be able to host playoff games and Grey Cups would be a big part of what I think the long-term solution for this club needs to be.”

Alouettes ownership signals that it’s not business as usual with Our Lady Peace halftime concert
Matthew Ross 3downnation.com June 2, 2023

For the rest of the CFL-loving country, announcing a well-known halftime act may not sound like a big deal. But when both the Montreal Alouettes and legendary rock band Our Lady Peace jointly announced last week that the group would be performing during the team’s home opener, it was a game-changer.

So when the Als made it public that they had procured a legitimate headliner to help entice fans to pack the first home game, I decided to dig a little deeper. How did this come about? Whose idea was it? Are more acts on the way?

“The idea to do something big at our first game came from the top. Mr. Peladeau wanted to create something special for Week 1 and show that things are changing,”

How much have things changed? Weightman and his team were advised to contact the entertainment division of Peladeau’s Quebecor conglomerate and see what acts might be available for the first game, June 10 at home versus the Ottawa Redblacks. That’s right, the Alouettes now have access to additional divisions and resources to get the job done.

Cool!

[elly63]

Originally Posted by Rico Rommheim

A free concert before the game starts. I like that approach. A football game is a show it is entertainment, why not make a bigger spectacle of it.

Another thing about watching that 50 Cent game last year, I posted that the huge crowd was wearing a lot of Lions merch, extremely noticeable and more than I had ever seen. It all adds up.

[elly63]

While we're on the CFL and music motif...

The Trews to play Winnipeg Blue Bombers home-opener halftime show
3Down Staff 3downnation.com May 21, 2025

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have hired The Trews to play the halftime show of their home opener on Thursday, June 12.

The Blue Bombers drew a crowd of 30,140 for their home-opener last season, which was just over 2,000 tickets shy of a sellout. The team eventually led the CFL in attendance for the third straight year, averaging 31,196 fans per game.

[Calgarian]

I like making the opener an event, hopefully all teams do it!

[elly63]

Might as well keep going with this music thing.

Bret Michaels Announced As Stampede Bowl Halftime Performer
stampeders.com April 7, 2025

We’re so excited to announce Bret Michaels as our halftime performer for the Stampede Bowl on July 3!

So what is the Stampede Bowl?

Stampede Bowl Launches New Tradition
Calgary Stampeders News Release April 7, 2025

It was the dawn of a great new Canadian Football League tradition on Monday at Stamps House as details for the first Stampede Bowl were unveiled.

Stampeders president Jay McNeil, Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation president/CEO Robert Hayes and Calgary Stampede CEO Joel Cowley were in attendance to reveal exciting new information about the Stampede Bowl, a CFL game that will be played at McMahon Stadium on Thursday, July 3 as the Stampeders play host to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

The regular-season contest will be held on the eve of the kickoff for the historic Calgary Stampede festival.

"We're very excited to begin a great new tradition for the Stampeders and the CFL," said Stampeders president Jay McNeil. "The Stampede Bowl combines the marketing strength of the Stampeders, the Blue Bombers, the CFL and the Calgary Stampede to produce an event that promises to be an instant classic. We invite all fans to come join us as the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth meets the Greatest Outdoor Show on Turf."

Highlights of the event include:

The announcement of rock icon Bret Michaels as the halftime musical performer (see separate release for additional details)

The unveiling of the Stampede Bowl Trophy custom-made by MST Bronze Limited, a Canadian art and design studio operating since 1983

Disclosure of the Presidents' Wager between Jay McNeil of the Stampeders and Wade Miller of the Blue Bombers with a $25,000 donation being made to Purolator Tackle Hunger by the losing team to the winning team's market

News that fans will be able to purchase packages that include a ticket to the Stampede Bowl game as well as tickets to select Calgary Stampede events. Through the collective marketable fanbase of all partners, the ticket offers will be sent to more than two million people

[elly63]

Originally Posted by Calgarian

I like making the opener an event, hopefully all teams do it!

It's interesting to note that the Lions sold 30k tickets for the opener last year before the music act (50 Cent) was announced.

[elly63]

Again relating to music in the CFL, we have today's selection, and I'm sure it will be a big hit, Simon and Garfunkel's The Sound of Silence.

Silence at last: Montreal Alouettes ban air horns for 2025 season
3Down Staff May 23, 2025

CFL broadcasts from Montreal will be a lot more peaceful in 2025 thanks to a major change to the Alouettes’ fan code of conduct.

According to a report from Keven Breton of Radio Canada, air horns will no longer be allowed at Percival Molson Stadium beginning with Saturday’s preseason game against Ottawa. In April, the Alouettes amended their previously vague guidelines around excessive noise-making to specifically ban the use of “compressed air trumpets, megaphones and other mechanical noise instruments.”

Air horns in Montreal have been a hot topic in the CFL fandom for the past several seasons, drawing the ire of television viewers across the country. The instruments were even explicitly banned when the Alouettes played in the 2023 Grey Cup, but the team has been slow to listen to criticism and routinely leaned into the controversy on social media.

The rule change appears to have come at the behest of the CFL, though the Alouettes indicated that a recent fan survey also came down against the air horns. The use of compressed air noisemakers was already banned in all eight other CFL stadiums.

The Alouettes will open their preseason on Saturday, May 24 at 4:00 p.m. EST in front of a much quieter home crowd.

[elly63]

A bunch of pre season games on CFL+ today (starting at 4 PM Eastern)

[elly63]

Pilsner Papi? Canadian rap icon Drake rocks diamond-encrusted Saskatchewan Roughriders logo on Instagram
3Down Staff -May 24, 2025



Noted Toronto rapper Drake has finally shown some public support for a CFL team and it isn’t the one that you would expect.

Late Friday night, the four-time Grammy Award winner took to Instagram to show off some new bling. The post, which was captioned “ICEMAN”, heavily featured a silver chain with a diamond-encrusted Saskatchewan Roughriders logo, as well as the logos for the clothing company Starter, Superman’s iconic ‘S’, and a Nokia cellphone — a nod to a song of his by the same name.

Other questionable ornament choices aside, the CFL-themed jewellery has already been liked more than 1.1 million times, a number that is still expected to grow due to Drake’s 142 million followers on the platform. It also marked a rare acknowledgement of three-down football by the former Degrassi star, who has rarely shown the Argonauts any love despite being a fixture of the Toronto sports scene and having a long-standing partnership with their owners Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment for NBA events.

Drake is the highest-certified digital singles artist in history and holds the record for the most Billboard Top 100 songs ever (358), as well as the most top 10 hits (80). He is best known for songs like “Started From The Bottom,” “Hotline Bling”, and “First Person Shooter.” The 38-year-old has been a controversial figure in the music industry lately, engaging in a public beef with Kendrick Lamar that culminated with him getting openly dissed during the Super Bowl halftime show last year.

That should provide Champagne Papi with all the more reason to focus on a different brand of football closer to home, no matter what team he chooses to support.

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by elly63

Again relating to music in the CFL, we have today's selection, and I'm sure it will be a big hit, Simon and Garfunkel's The Sound of Silence.

Silence at last: Montreal Alouettes ban air horns for 2025 season
3Down Staff May 23, 2025

Will they even be able to make this stick? There's already someone ready with a replacement...

https://3downnation.com/2025/05/24/montr...-tradition-wont-back-down-following-ban/

Deafen your seatmates if you will... but annoy the entire broadcast viewership.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by ScreamingViking

Will they even be able to make this stick? There's already someone ready with a replacement...Deafen your seatmates if you will... but annoy the entire broadcast viewership.

The article's title makes it sound like he will be defiant but if you read the article he and the Als are talking and he sees the point and they both are looking for another solution to the issue.