 Especially in the mid-20th century, many African American players came to Canada to avoid the racially charged atmosphere of segregation-era America.For many years, blacks were better represented in the CFL than they were in the National Football League (NFL), and achieved a number of "firsts" in the CFL years before the same was accomplished in the NFL.More recently, the CFL has provided opportunities for black, as well as other, Americans unable to break into the NFL.