I’ve always been fascinated by Canadian football. I never actually watch it, but it’s the idea that fascinates me.

It’s like explaining American football to an alien and then letting him loose to try and replicate it himself. The idea is there, but something is completely off.

12 players, 3 downs, the field dimensions are messed up, the goal posts are in the wrong place, and for a long time there was a team called the Rough Riders and another called the Roughriders.

Of course, I realize that Canada – and McGill University in particular – has played a huge role in the development of football, but for many Americans, our version of the game is just right.

And this becomes clear when you see how a rule in Canadian football can ruin the end of a game.

A rouge, also known as a “single,” is a point awarded to a team when it kicks or punts a ball into the end zone and it is not returned, including when the ball is punted out of the end zone, as happened Thursday night between the Toronto Argonauts and the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The game was tied 19-19, and here in the States that would mean one team could win with a last-second field goal.

This is exciting.

However, it is less exciting if the kicking team misses the field goal and still wins.

That’s what happened.

Seriously? But celebrating a victory just because a field goal was missed is very typical of Trudeau’s Canada.

Lirim Hajrullahu of the Toronto Argonauts celebrates the game-winning point with a “rouge” against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. (Photo by John E. Sokolowski/Getty Images)

The single rule is the stupidest in sport

If you can win a game like this, why even try to get a shot on goal? Do what I do when I have to shoot a basketball. Throw the ball as hard as you can and pray it hits the backboard.

No finesse, no accuracy; just kick the Canadian football over the back of the end zone to the next province, who cares.

This rule led to the lowest-scoring game in league history, when in 1966 the Ottawa Rough Riders (not to be confused with the Roughriders, come on, Canada…) defeated the Montreal Alouettes 1-0 thanks to a single that was awarded on a missed field goal.

If I were at the game, I would demand my one and two cent coins back because this is ridiculous.

Apparently there have been efforts over the years to remove this move from the game, but nothing has come of it.

On a related note, do we think Don Cherry loves or hates the rouge? I think there are cases that go both ways. The man is a proud Canadian, so maybe he likes it because it’s a rule that only applies up north.

On the other hand, an old-school coach with a penchant for flashy suits doesn’t seem like the type to want to see a team rewarded for missing a field goal.

Let me know what you think and tell me if you think there are any dumber rules in sports than this one: [email protected]