The Canadian Football League Players Association is gearing up for another round of report cards this offseason.
A project in which all nine CFL franchises received letter grades in eight different categories based on player surveys. was first introduced in December last yearcreating headlines across the country. A year later, the organization considers it a resounding success.
“100 percent, and I'll go further. When I visit teams, it's one of the first things they talk about,” CFLPA President Solomon Elimimian said earlier this month. “We know it works because they got feedback and made some positive changes, and we're going to do it again this year in an improved format.”
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Saskatchewan Roughriders fared well in the rankings, finishing in first place with overall grades of B. Other franchises were not so lucky The Edmonton Elks finished last with a D+ grade.while the BC Lions and Calgary Stampeders recorded a C-.
Poor ratings have brought these organizations under scrutiny, but Elimimian believes most have taken the public call in stride.
“It may have been tough at first, but I think teams have gotten over it. I talk to teams that they look forward to the report cards because they can go and convince their owners of what they need to do to lure free agents to the clubs,” he said.
“We view this as constructive feedback rather than criticism. You have to want to improve as a business. You have to want to improve the performance of our players to make sure they are capable of performing at the highest level. We are in professional sports – we all get graded.”
Elimimian provided several examples of specific improvements the teams made to address the issues highlighted in the first report card.
While the Calgary Stampeders already had plans to replace the aging turf at McMahon Stadium, which drew the ire of players, they also worked with the Calgary Flames to create a new nutrition program after they have drawn ridicule from all over the league for serving cold cereal and stale bagels.
After players complained about the quality of the BC Lions' amenities, owner Amar Doman built a temporary outdoor training area at the team's training ground in Surrey while renovation work began on the indoor gym and players' lounge. This was done despite the fact that the team wants to move to a new building in the near future.
In Winnipeg, the Blue Bombers chartered a new plane after players complained that their old plane was cramped and falling apart. Elimimian also talked about improving in-flight food, joking: “I don't think they eat goldfish anymore.”
He believes that teams that show improvement year after year will ultimately be rewarded as players learn which organizations truly care about their experience.
“For us, it’s a tool for our members,” he said. “When our members look around during the offseason and ask, 'Where should I go play?' The report card is a tool they can use to say, “You know what? I will go here because they treat their families well,” or “I will go here because they have good nutrition.”
The CFLPA was inspired to create the report cards after the NFLPA began a similar project south of the border in 2023. This was not well received by the league's owners, and the NFL recently filed a grievance against their union after repeated requests to stop publishing the scores.
CFL Commissioner Stuart Johnston didn't close any doors open to him when asked about the possibility of a similar complaint during his appearance with the league, but did strike a sunny tone regarding relations with the union.
“I'm very happy with the relationship that I've started personally and I think we've made a difference in the league, between the league and the PA,” he said. “Look, we're not going to agree on everything, and we acknowledge that, and that's okay. We have systems in place to manage disagreements. I'm incredibly supportive of those conversations.”
Elimimian believes that the current report card structure is beneficial to all parties and that the upcoming second wave will show how much of a positive impact it has had.
“It's a good thing and we as a league should strive to do better. I think it was received well and we're excited that there will be transparency again soon,” he said. “Let's challenge teams to be better. That's a good thing.”
