The football world is a tight one.
That鈥檚 something that the administration at Simon Fraser University is finding out after they announced last week that they would be terminating the football program after 57 years.
Not only have alumni of the program let their displeasure be known, but individuals such as B.C. Lions owner Amar Doman and CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie have also weighed in with their support.
Doman, who financially backed the rebirth of the Shrum Bowl this past year, pledged his support in a video message saying 鈥淲e鈥檙e not going to go away. We鈥檙e going to see whatever we can do to try to get the season salvaged. We want to continue the tradition鈥� while Ambrosie has even gone as far to write an open letter to U Sports CEO Pierre Arsenault asking that the organization allow SFU an exemption to compete only in football which goes against U Sports doctrine.
There also has been a steady stream of pressure applied on social media by the likes of Football Canada President and broadcaster Jim Mullin and SFU alumni such as TSN personalities Farhan Lalji and Glen Suitor.
Best known as the lead analyst for TSN鈥檚 CFL broadcasts for over two decades, Suitor played at Simon Fraser from 1980-1984 before embarking on a 11-year career with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
For Suitor, the announcement came as a shock. He has seen college football programs fold before, but to him, the SFU move was unprecedented.
鈥淚鈥檝e heard this type of thing before with other programs and other universities. But never has there been an announcement that the program will be shut down immediately. That has never happened and that鈥檚 what surprised me - it was the immediate announcement with no communication prior. No news or any information to the alumni or to anyone else suggesting that there were any issues or that the program was even in trouble. It surprised me that that it came down with zero notice after spring camp and with the team preparing to play a full schedule in the Lone Star Conference,鈥� Suitor explains.
The overwhelming support that the football program has received shouldn鈥檛 come as a surprise.
Mullin told Business in Vancouver that 鈥渢here鈥檚 27 other teams across this country playing university football, and as much as they鈥檙e competitive, it鈥檚 like NATO. You attack one, you attack all 27.鈥�
Suitor isn鈥檛 surprised either but is also viewing this situation through a different lens.
鈥淚 think many people in Canada right now are looking at this from a bigger picture point of view and saying amateur sports and collegiate sports are under attack. There are many people that understand the value of our youth playing sports. Playing a sport like football requires you to become selfless. It requires you to show great humility, to put the goal of the team and the goal of your teammates before your own personal agenda. And that鈥檚 something that society needs. And I think there鈥檚 a lot of people across our country right now that are looking at this from a bigger picture and saying, we can鈥檛 let this happen because it could happen here. Then we start losing sports in our college programs - whether it鈥檚 football or any other sport. Then what鈥檚 next? Is it the wrestling program? The basketball program?鈥� says Suitor.
The inconsistency in the messaging from SFU as well as the fact that not all avenues were exhausted to save the program has many people upset.
For Suitor, it鈥檚 become personal.
鈥淚 think when you ask someone in a position of authority to explain something鈥o give you a reason for a ruling鈥nd they tell you that it鈥檚 too complex for you to understand. Yeah, then it becomes personal. When you think about the way that this was done鈥hat鈥檚 why people are so angry and people are frustrated,鈥� responds Suitor.
And he and others are definitely not buying what the administration is selling in terms of not having anywhere to play in 2024.
鈥淣o, I鈥檓 not buying it because it鈥檚 not a reason because they had a full schedule. They don鈥檛 have a reason for why they鈥檙e wanting to shut down. Because at the time of the announcement, they had their full schedule for the 2023 season. So that isn鈥檛 a reason to shut it down now. If, after this season, they鈥檙e shutting down the program, then that鈥檚 different. But we鈥檙e shutting it down effective immediately? It doesn鈥檛 make sense,鈥� says Suitor.
The SFU Football Alumni Society is planning to file a court injunction this week to have the program restored for the 2023 season and it has initiated an online petition to 鈥淩ESTORE the SFU Football Program before May 1, 2023鈥� which is getting close to 10,000 signatures according to Suitor.
A Post-Media report has Lone Star Conference Commissioner Jay Poerner saying that 鈥渙ur institutions have moved on and we are working hard to help fill the voids left in their 2023 schedules鈥� which clearly isn鈥檛 good news for SFU for 2023 but in all likelihood that news is irrelevant as Ambrosie and the CFL are pressuring U Sports to accept SFU for the 2023 season and beyond.
According to a report by Global TV鈥檚 Jay Janower, Canada West officials will meet today (Tuesday) to discuss the possibility of admitting SFU鈥檚 football program into U Sports.
If Canada West says yes, the administration鈥檚 excuse of not having a league to play in won鈥檛 hold up.
For Suitor and others, it will be a litmus test of the administration鈥檚 commitment to football and an opportunity to restore some damaged credibility.
鈥淒uring the meeting where the administration told the student-athletes that the program was folding, they were asked three times why can鈥檛 we play this year? And they didn鈥檛 have an answer. And that鈥檚 what we鈥檙e fighting for. I have always taken such great pride to tell anyone that will listen that I am so proud of my time at SFU and that I am a proud alumnus of one of the most respected football programs in our country. When I saw that Facebook video of the meeting, it was the first time in my life I felt embarrassed for the school. It was the first time I didn鈥檛 feel proud of being an SFU alumnus,鈥� says Suitor.
Veteran B.C. sports personality Bob 鈥渢he Moj鈥� Marjanovich writes twice weekly for Black Press Media. And check out his weekly podcast every Monday at or your local Black Press Media website.
THE MOJ:
PODCAST:
Like us on and follow us on
