Социолог опроверг конкуренцию CFL и NFL: интерес к обоим лигам в Канаде растет одновременно

TORONTO — It's an annual perception in Canada that the start of the NFL season is bad news for the CFL. But sociologist Reginald Bibby, a longtime trend tracker, says that's not the case. Bibby's latest national survey on pro football in Canada suggests there's plenty of interest in this country in both leagues. "The assumption is the CFL is in competition with the NFL for fan interest and Canadians are choosing the American league over the Canadian league," Bibby said. "While people do have their preferences, there's considerable overlap in fan interest in the two leagues." The 2026 NFL season kicks off Sept. 9 with the defending-champion Seattle Seahawks hosting the New England Patriot in a Super Bowl rematch. Meanwhile, the CFL campaign began June 4 and currently all nine teams are in the second half of their respective 18-game schedules heading into the Labour Day weekend. The survey was conducted in collaboration with Angus Reid in December 2025 with a representative national sample of 1,500 people. Forty-nine per cent (731) were male while 51 per cent (769) were female, which mirrors the Canadian population. According to the survey, last year seven per cent of participants said they were CFL-only fans while 10 per cent professed to be NFL-only supporters. But another 10 per cent stated they followed both leagues. Seventeen per cent of respondents said they followed the CFL closely while 20 per cent added they followed the NFL closely. Bibby notes that 27 per cent of Canadians following pro football is at the same level as major league baseball (27 per cent). It's second only to the NHL (38 per cent), and well above that of the NBA (nine per cent). A previous survey conducted by Bibby found approximately 10 per cent of Canadians followed the CFL only in 1990. Over that time, though, those following the NFL only has doubled from five per cent to about 10 per cent. The slight decline in CFL-only fans has been offset by number of people following both leagues. Over that 35-year span, the number of Canadians following both the CFL and the NFL has doubled from about five per cent to 10 per cent. Bibby points out CFL interest has persisted despite the popularity of the NFL and the exposure it gets in the Canadian media, and the negligible coverage the CFL gets in American media consumed by Canadians. He called it a "a cultural miracle.” "Contrary to what many do believe, the increase in the popularity of the NFL has actually contributed to the popularity of the CFL," he said. "The major change is not the abandonment of interest in the CFL but growing interest in both leagues." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 1, 2026. Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press