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Sukh Chungh: The New South Asian Face Of The CFL
Why You Need To Know About Sukh Chungh
The Canadian Football League is dawning on a fresh chapter with the introduction of new league commissioner Jeffrey Orridge. However, one of the biggest issues is that this Canadian version of football needs a stimulus package by trying to attract a new demographic of viewers.
With the league's prospects combine slated for late March in Toronto, the name of the University of Calgary Dinos' offensive lineman, Sukh Chungh, will be on the minds of many teams looking for help at that position.
Currently ranked as the seventh-best prospect on the CFL's draft scouting bureau rankings, Chungh will have a great deal to gain at the Toronto Combine by performing individual tests that could result in his becoming the top player at his position.
Aside from Chungh's being a unique talent, he is of South Asian background. However, this North American version of football is a sport that is foreign, rarely played and seldom understood by this community trying to assimilate into Western culture.
But, if Chungh does get selected, he will extend the streak of two years in a row that a player with a South Asian background is drafted into the CFL.
The other South Asian CFL athlete is former University of British Columbia offensive lineman Jaskaran Dhillon, who was taken by the Toronto Argonauts. As one CFL coach explained to me, "With Toronto taking Dhillon, it can open another door [for the Indian community] of fans by having him sell the game to an untapped market."
For Chungh, collegiately, it would add another feather to the cap of the University Calgary program continually producing CFL and NFL talent.
Chungh has all the tangibles needed to play at the next level: he has great size, he is naturally strong and he possesses a high football IQ in understanding his assignments.
As CFL on TSN lead analyst and draft guru Duane Forde described Chungh's game perfectly, "Sukh Chungh is a prototypical Canadian Football League offensive guard, combining physical strength and sound technique with a nasty edge. … He's benefited over the last five years from both tremendous coaching at the University of Calgary and his own impressive work ethic."
With a burgeoning South Asian population growing across Canada, Chungh could pave the way by educating a market that wants to learn this sport.
The CFL needs to discover new avenues — just like Vince Carter did for basketball in Toronto and across Canada. Chungh can be the face of football for the next generation of kids wanting to play this sport.
Forde further elaborates on the off-field impact Chungh would have: "He is a perfect example of how sports know no ethnic or cultural boundaries. His success in the sport of football should serve as a source of encouragement for young members of the South Asian community who have an interest in the game."
Already, current and former NFL players have invested in creating a domestic league in India, realizing the growth potential. The CFL is on the cusp of getting more fans to follow this sport.
If Chungh is selected, perhaps the move will bring in new fans to the Canadian culture of football. Commissioner Orridge could realize this untouched marketplace for this game.
We'll find out what happens within the next few years, but Chungh could become the face that the CFL needs, attracting the next generation of football fans.
Images Courtesy of: facebook.com/sukh.chungh.9
Moe Khan
Author
Moe Khan is a radio host and guest booker on TSN 690 radio in Montreal, Canada. He also is the official play by play voice for McGill University varsity teams on webcast as well as the FlagPlus Football webcast host, and play by play voice for the league's finals. Contact him @MoeKhan19 to catc...
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