The First NFL & NCAA Team to Canada: 'It Is A Non-Question, Just A Matter of Time' Toronto's Pat Mazza says it's only a matter of time before he brings the first NFL and NCAA team to Canada
By Mohit Mirchandani •
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Former top Microsoft and Google Executive Pat Mazza has a myriad of achievements under his belt. As well as being an author and voted number 1 life coach by The New York Times, he has an overriding ambition that he says he obsesses over…to bring the NFL and NCAA to the snowy reaches of the north.
"It is my major short term goal," Pat Mazza says, "that I obsess over daily. This is a non-question. I will be here in five years and I will be talking of how I pulled off actually bringing an NFL & NCAA team to Toronto after many have tried and failed."
Pat Mazza and the NFL
What has Mazza got to do with the NFL? As a National Football League team owner, Mazza has a vested interest in using football to achieve new heights. His former roles with big named firms, as well as his skill in motivation, bodes well for the weight of his words. If Mazza says he wants something, he usually goes out and gets it.
While his background might be in the life coaching capacity, Mazza has a personal dream to bring the NFL and NCAA to Canada. His promise to do so within the next five years could only be upheld by someone of his ilk. With a history of driving life towards achieving his goals, this author, CEO, and NFL team owner is more than capable of living up to his word.
The NFL, NCAA and Canada
At the moment, the NFL is available to view only in Toronto, Ontario. Games have been held here as part of the NFL since 1959—but are not held throughout the rest of this substantially sized country. In fact, the NFL doesn't have a Canadian team. By and large, Canadian footballers take part in the CFL—the Canadian Football League—although Canadians are free to join the American League teams.
Mazza is on a mission to change all this, allowing the NFL to play more games in other cities, using Canadian teams. The Canadians might already have their own domestic football league, but the NFL isn't likely to let a little competition keep them away forever. Mazza reckons it is only a matter of time before the deal is done and Canada is just another stop on the NFL machine.
The NCAA, the National Collegiate Athletic association, is responsible for ensuring competitions are held in a safe and sportsmanlike manner. If Mazza can convince them to re-evaluate their stance on Canadian college input to the NFL, the potential for an all-state football league inclusive of our friends north of the border, is endless.
In football terms, Canada is like an untapped vein, ready to provide sustenance for a wealth of football teams, each eager to join the competition. If Mazza can tap it like he thinks he can, it won't be long before we see those teams in action.
