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Lions4ever
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Now it's Matt Norman

http://3downnation.com/
maxlion
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That's no surprise. He would have been signed long before Training Camp if he wanted to play or was wanted by any teams.

It seems to me that there are a few reasons to play CFL football:

1. You really like playing football for a living, not quite ready to settle down or maybe hope to get into coaching later.
2. You are an established starter and make pretty good money.
3. You are playing for a chance to make the NFL.
4. You are desperate and have no other skills or options.
5. A combination of 1-5.

For someone like Hawkins and Norman, #'s 2-5 didn't really apply, so it came down to #1. Very natural that as a guy gets older, he starts looking at more permanent options closer to home. Injuries (or potential for harm) must play a role too.

Some people might say that CFL salaries are too low, but I think they're just fine. The money in other pro sports is a sign of a social illness, in my opinion. In the CFL, salaries are more commensurate with the sport's contribution to the good of society.
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jcalhoun
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maxlion wrote:Some people might say that CFL salaries are too low, but I think they're just fine. The money in other pro sports is a sign of a social illness, in my opinion. In the CFL, salaries are more commensurate with the sport's contribution to the good of society.
I've always wondered why CFL teams don't make more of the fact they pay reasonable salaries to their players, who play for the love of the game. (The answer, of course, is a rhetorical "CFL marketing?" --but I digress). When I win the lotto max and buy the club, we're going to shoot an ad for online where there is audio of NHL/MLB/NBA/NFL contract holdouts, talking about how they're worth x millions per season over footage of current and former Lions working regular jobs (Kevin Konar sells insurance, iirc, Sean Millington at the bank, Bret Anderson & Guilo at the firehall, etc) alongside flashbacks of their playing days. Then a tag line like: no prima donnas, no millionaires taking a night off, just your neighbours playing for the love of the game. Or some such.

Cheers,

James
TheLionKing
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Unfortunately a lot of people equate low salaries to being bush league, second rate etc.
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DanoT
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TheLionKing wrote:Unfortunately a lot of people equate low salaries to being bush league, second rate etc.
So do a lot of American football players who come to Canada knowing little about the country or the CFL and then based on the salary difference between the NFL and CFL they figure they will shine in the CFL and be in the NFL shortly. Then reality hits and they are struggling to make the 46 man roster.
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CardiacKid
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jcalhoun wrote:
maxlion wrote:Some people might say that CFL salaries are too low, but I think they're just fine. The money in other pro sports is a sign of a social illness, in my opinion. In the CFL, salaries are more commensurate with the sport's contribution to the good of society.
I've always wondered why CFL teams don't make more of the fact they pay reasonable salaries to their players, who play for the love of the game. (The answer, of course, is a rhetorical "CFL marketing?" --but I digress). When I win the lotto max and buy the club, we're going to shoot an ad for online where there is audio of NHL/MLB/NBA/NFL contract holdouts, talking about how they're worth x millions per season over footage of current and former Lions working regular jobs (Kevin Konar sells insurance, iirc, Sean Millington at the bank, Bret Anderson & Guilo at the firehall, etc) alongside flashbacks of their playing days. Then a tag line like: no prima donnas, no millionaires taking a night off, just your neighbours playing for the love of the game. Or some such.

Cheers,

James
IMO the biggest attribute the league has, besides the entertainment value of the CFL game, is the approachability and just "regular-ness" of the players. The schism between the fans and players of other leagues is palpable and leaves a bad taste in this fan's mouth. I work in education in Victoria and we often get the Leos coming over to talk to kids as part of their various programs, Hydro Energy Sense, Standup To Bullying, etc. I can't tell you how refreshing it was to talk to Rolly Lumbala about his first day as a substitute teacher or JR LaRose working with youth.

I recall a conversation I had in the stands last year with a man from California who was an alum of Eastern Washington and was familiar with Bo Levi Mitchell and Matt Nicholls, along with a few other players. He asked about what sort of money CFL players typically make and when I said they pretty much all have to work in the off-season, he reacted like I had a third-eye in my forehead. It was like I was the first person to ever suggest the world was round and not flat. And he kept returning to the topic like I was trying to pull the wool over his eyes and he was going to catch me out.

It was a total bizarro moment for him.
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