The Toronto Argonauts and Edmonton Elks are debuting new logos in 2021, so it was time to reevaluate which CFL teams have the strongest and weakest emblems.
We asked our readers to help us rank the CFL’s nine logos by rating each one on a scale from 1 (awful) to 5 (great). Over 2,000 of you filled out ballots and we can’t thank you enough for taking the time to provide your feedback.
It should be noted that we received a small number of ballots with one 5-point grade and eight 1-point grades. These ballots were obvious attempts to artificially inflate the score of one particular team and were discounted.
Without further ado, here they are — the CFL’s nine team logos ranked from worst to best by our readers.
9. Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Average score: 2.59
10 percent of respondents gave Winnipeg’s logo a score of 5, presumably because they admire simplicity and/or the team itself. 52 percent of respondents gave the logo a score of 2 or lower, however, tanking the Bombers into last place.
8. Montreal Alouettes
Average score: 2.71
The Als were held back by a lack of top-end grades as just 6 percent of respondents gave their logo a score of 5. One could argue that Montreal’s new logo is an improvement over their old one, though it doesn’t appear to have won the hearts of CFL fans.
7. Ottawa Redblacks
Average score: 2.85
Ottawa’s logo appears to be the most polarizing among CFL fans. 39 percent of respondents gave it a 4 or higher but 25 percent of voters gave it a 1, which was the most 1-point scores of any CFL logo. Ouch.
6. Saskatchewan Roughriders
Average score: 2.94
There’s no doubt that Rider Nation loves its team, but Saskatchewan’s logo received more than twice as many 1-point scores (23 percent) as 5-point scores (10 percent). Maybe the Riders should consider a full-time switch to the Lancaster-era ‘S’ logo?
5. B.C. Lions
Average score: 3.28
B.C.’s logo appears to be the least polarizing among CFL fans with 1-point and 5-point scores accounting for just 10.1 percent of all votes. 46.2 percent of respondents gave it a 3, which was the highest percentage any logo received at any point level.
4. Calgary Stampeders
Average score: 3.30
Calgary appears to have the CFL’s most inoffensive logo with just 7.7 percent of respondents scoring it a 1. The remaining votes were spread relatively evenly from 2 to 5, which is why the Stamps don’t appear higher on this list.
3. Edmonton Elks
Average score: 3.44
The Elks finished in the top third of voting with just 18.9 percent of respondents giving their logo a 2 or lower. Edmonton received more 4-point grades than any other logo, which has to be considered a success for the new brand.
2. Toronto Argonauts
Average score: 3.47
The Argos recently introduced an updated version of the boat logo and it appears to have been a good decision, receiving more 5-point scores than any other team. Toronto narrowly missed out on the top spot due to 20.5 percent of respondents grading it a 2.
1. Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Average score: 3.60
Hamilton received fewer 5-point grades than Toronto and Edmonton but finished at No. 1 because they received very few poor scores. 82.6 percent of respondents gave the Ticats a 3 or higher, which was the strongest percentage of any logo.
