What a disaster that NFL exhibition game in Winnipeg between the Raiders and Packers was. Or was it? it should’ve been a huge humiliation. Our fields are longer and wider than theirs but this one was in such rough shape, they had to shorten it to 80 yards to find decent turf. That is totally unheard of. It meant cancelling kickoffs. Star quarterback Aaron Rodgers never stepped onto the field. Fans said they felt ripped off. The players were befuddled. But wait. Think what was at stake. Canadian football is a national icon. It developed parallel to the US game but independently- with more room, fewer downs, so there’s more passing, a more exciting kicking element: it’s less robotic. It’s our version of a game they also love. Canadian football exists for only one reason: because Canada does. But there’ve always been wannabe Americans like Paul Godfrey who schemed to bring the NFL here so we could be like them- and who were blocked by proud Canadians like John Tory, who had his finest hour in the 1990s when he helped save the CFL. I see Winnipeg as another moment in that drama of national survival. So what really happened? I picture people saying to each other as the Raiders and Packers landed: OK everybody, play dumb and incompetent till they leave. When the Americans finally flew out wondering why they’d bothered, it was high-fives all around. They won’t be back anytime soon looking to plant their football flag here. Follow the Toronto Star on social media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/torontostar/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TorontoStar Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetorontostar/