Survey: 10 per cent of Americans follow CFL

Jeffrey-L.-Orridge

CFL commissioner Jeffrey Orridge. (Graham Hughes/CP)

The NFL is king in the United States. Nobody will ever dispute that. But apparently the Canadian Football League has gained quite the following south of the border as well, according to a new poll.

The results of a Canadian-American sports survey, reported on by Maclean’s Magazine, reveal that 10 per cent of Americans say they follow the CFL either “very closely” or “fairly closely.”

Given that the U.S. population is over 320 million, the CFL likely has more fans than most people previously imagined.

In comparison, 25 per cent of Canadians follow the league.

“It’s still football,” CFL commissioner Jeffrey Orridge told Maclean’s. “It certainly satisfies an appetite for live sport when other sports are not in season in the U.S.”

The CFL is benefiting from increased coverage in the States due to a broadcast agreement with ESPN. In addition, the article notes that prominent football journalists in the U.S. are increasing their CFL coverage.

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