Tag: CFL

Saying Goodbye to SkyDome

Saying Goodbye to SkyDome

Tonight is the end of an era, albeit one that many Toronto sports fans (particularly CFL fans) have struggled with over the last 27 years. Tonight the Toronto Argonauts play their last game at the Rogers Centre (formerly – and forever to me – known as SkyDome). I was at the first game at SkyDome on July 12, 1989, and I will be there tonight at the last game. In between those dates I’ve seen around 70% of the Canadian football games played there (including Vanier Cups and Metro Bowl finals but not including the Bills in Toronto series or the NCAA games). I’ve been feeling nostalgic today and reading some of the articles about the best memories at SkyDome including this one by the very talented Andrew Bucholtz, Mike Hogan’s trip down memory lane, and this one from the Toronto Star that focuses on Michael “Pinball” Clemons’ memories of the stadium where he played his entire CFL career and still calls home as Vice Chairman of the Argos.

I’d like to start by addressing the elephant in the room, the notion that Sky Dome / Rogers Centre is not a good place for football. While it’s not one of my favourite places to have watched a game, it’s not at the bottom of the list either. Multi-purpose stadiums (especially ones that convert between baseball and football) are never going to have the same great sight-lines as somewhere like Ford Field that was built for football and football alone. I agree that in the first few seasons, before the team got their act together, there were some truly awful seats available for football. I would know, my family’s seasons’ tickets were moved from being really amazing at Exhibition Stadium to being horrible at SkyDome. The first 10 rows in the 100 level don’t have enough of a slope and left fans staring at the back of players on the sidelines instead of the action on the field. The team eventually realized this and covered up those seats with banners. Apart from that, the SkyDome is not a horrible place to watch football. Sure there have been times when it is agonizingly empty, but that has less to do with the stadium itself and more to do with the people running the organization / marketing and a bad on field product. Toronto football fans are fickle and when the team is crap, they make their opinions known.

That said, some of the most passionate CFL fans I know are Toronto Argonauts fans. People who, like myself, have been there through thick and thin, and have felt the highs of winning a Grey Cup at home in 2012, and the lows of 3-15 seasons (1993 and 2009 are the two I remember as being horrible – though nobody really cared too much about 1993 since the Jays won the World Series that year). Don’t believe anyone who tells you that Torontonians don’t like football. They do, but in recent years scheduling woes have made figuring out when the team plays a challenge. The team had a playoff game re-scheduled for a Wiggles Concert in 2004, were forced to have games on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings in the past 5 seasons (hardly a typical night for a football game), and this season were forced to play home games away from home by both the PanAm Games and the Blue Jays’ playoff run. With Rogers Communications buying the Blue Jays in 2000 and the SkyDome in 2004 (renaming it the Rogers Centre in 2005), the Argos have been given the short end of the stick many times. In 2009, the Argos had to play a game without the availability of Alcohol (and that was the season where fans really needed a drink) because of Rogers Centre infractions. What made it worse was that there were 2 Blue Jay games affected by the suspended liquor license but baseball fans were allowed to trade their tickets in for another game while Argo fans were not.

Even with the frustrations of the past decade, the SkyDome has been a good home to the team for the past 27 seasons. The 2012 Grey Cup, won by the hometown Toronto Argonauts had an electric atmosphere and the fans who packed the stadium were loud and proud.

For the past 18 years, I have been attending Argos home games as a member of Argonotes, the official band of the Toronto Argonauts. For someone like me, who adores football and music, the band has been an amazing part of my life. It allows me to combine two of my passions and the people in the band are some of the most fantastic people I know. Skydome has been Argonotes’ home since the band came into being in 1995. Over the years, we’ve played in different locations from section 124, to the stage in the end zone (my favourite location ever), to our current “not real seats but amazing view of the game” seats. Not that the pleasure of listening to us is restricted to those with seats within earshot. Nope, we’re an equal opportunity band and wander the stadium (usually during the 3rd quarter of the game) and entertain the fans [except the 200 level where we haven’t played in a couple of years because some people complained that we were annoying them]. The band has been a big part of the game day experience in some years, and almost forgotten in other years but the fans always get a show at gate 2 after the game. Win (Argos Rule!) or lose (Heartbreak Hotel), the band plays a post-game concert after every home game. I’m going to miss our gate 2 concerts almost as much as our beloved pregame ritual of playing in bars and restaurants along Front Street on our way to the SkyDome from our meeting point at Front and Simcoe Streets. Most of the bars love us, some forget to tell their weekend managers that this happens (which is always fun – the look of shock on the hostess’ face at Lonestar one Sunday afternoon was priceless), and some demand we not play on the stairs close to their restaurant located at the base of the CN tower.

Argonotes outside gate 2 – our traditional post game concert location

Starting next season, the Argos will have new ownership and a new home at BMO Field. I’m excited for an open-air stadium experience, thrilled to be getting away from the scheduling nightmare that has been part of the Argos’ season of late, but also sad that all of my familiar landmarks (and favourite stadium food) won’t be part of my game day experience anymore. The memories, and there are so very many of them, will continue to live on though. Whether it was Pinball’s Last Run in September of 2000, Rickey Foggie’s amazing game in 1990 (7 touchdowns and 100 yards – and he was the BACKUP quarterback), the hometown heroics of the 2012 Grey Cup, Rocket Ismail’s 87 yard kickoff return int he 1991 East Final, or watching Doug Flutie and Pinball Clemons join forces in the 1997 Eastern Final to lead the Argos to the Grey Cup, the SkyDome will always have a place in my heart. Next season, marks a new era for the Toronto Argonauts, one that will hopefully return the excitement the city used to feel about the oldest professional sports team in North America still playing under its original name (and the oldest professional football team in North America). BMO field will be the Argos’ 5th home in the team’s 143 year history and I’m hopeful that the team will re-capture some of the magic I remember from Exhibition Stadium.

Tonight, however, I’m heading into Toronto, making the familiar turns towards the SkyDome, meeting up with the band at Front and Simcoe, doing a little bar crashing on the way into SkyDome, playing during breaks in the game (and watching the game when it’s on), and heading outside for one last Gate 2 post game concert, trying to pack a few more SkyDome memories into my heart. ARRRRRGOOOOOOSSSSSS!

Photo (I think) by Wayne Dawe – from Argonotes.com. Our pre-game warmup spot in warmer weather circa 2002. That parking lot is now a condo building.

November 6, 2015
Celebration!
Celebration!

It comes as no surprise to those who know me that I’m a sports nut. Football (particularly the CFL and the Toronto Argonauts, but also the NFL and the Detroit Lions) was and continues to be my first love, with Auto Racing (Formula 1, IndyCar, and NASCAR in that order) a close second. Third place has changed a few times – most of the time it’s Baseball, unless the Olympics are on, with Hockey and Basketball tied for fourth in my hierarchy of sports. Living in Blue Jays’ country (which, technically is all of Canada since they’re the only professional baseball team in the country) though, it’s hard not to get caught up in the excitement that has been gripping the Toronto sports community.

Skydome at its finest. Image courtesy CTV News

Yes, I scream at the television whenever a commentator says “the city of Toronto has been starved for a championship” because the Argos won the 100th Grey Cup in 2012, also taking home the title in 2004, 1997, and 1996 since the Blue Jays last won the World Series in 1993. Despite that, I get it. This city really wants to be seen as a world class city and part of that is having a championships in one of the 3 professional sports (Hockey, Baseball, and Basketball) played in both Canada and the United States. As the Blue Jays season has progressed, so has my interest in watching baseball. Which brings me to today, and scheduling work around being able to watch the first game of a doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles, to see if the Jays could clinch their first division title since the world series win in 1993.

The Blue Jays clearly knew the importance of the game and worked hard to get out in front, never looking back. After the game, and despite the fact that game 2 of the doubleheader was set to start half an hour after the end of the first one, the team erupted onto the field. Which brings me to today’s word Wednesday word: Jubilation. It’s the perfect word for the look on the faces of the Blue Jays’ players, coaches, and management. It is also what many long suffering Toronto sports fans are feeling tonight.

Jubilation

Jubilation comes from Middle English (with a nod of the head to French) jubilacioun, which in turns, come from Latin jūbilātiō which means to shout for joy. Seems pretty fitting for a team that was jumping around and shouting as soon as the final out was recorded.

Jubilation (ju·bi·la·tion) noun
1. great happiness or joy
2. an act of rejoicing : the state of being jubilant.
Now, I’m going to go back to watching the second game to see the further jubilation that ensues when the Jays are able to fully celebrate when the second game is over.
September 30, 2015
The Grey Cup with BlackBerry

The Grey Cup with BlackBerry

It’s no secret that I love my BlackBerry devices. I also love the Canadian Football League. With the 100th Grey Cup practically in my backyard, I decided that once again this year, I was going to go and report from the big game without taking my old and heavy laptop. This year, however, I did add the BlackBerry Bluetooth keyboard for my PlayBook. This gave me more functionality with very little additional weight.

I also added a second battery and charging case (which is basically a small case for the extra battery that you plug the regular micro usb adapter into) for my trusty Bold 9900. I knew I would be putting in some very long days and didn’t want to need to find somewhere to plug in my BlackBerry. Between the 2 batteries, I got somewhere in the range of 12-13 hours of heavy use out of my Bold each day. My BlackBerry was in hand from the time I got up (around 6am each day) until I finally got back to my hotel room somewhere between midnight and 1 am.

I was pulling double duty at the Grey Cup this year – as a member of Argonotes (the official pep band of the Toronto Argonauts) and as a member of the media for Rouge Radio.com. I could not have successfully done both things without my BlackBerry calendar to help me keep track of where I needed to be and when. It was indispensable for getting press releases, schedule updates, and interview requests into my hands immediately so that I could add or adjust my schedule accordingly. Between my Bold and my PlayBook, I had everything I needed: email, calendar, documents to go, a voice recorder, cameras, a phone, access to text messages, Twitter, Facebook, and, of course, BlackBerry Messenger.

I recorded interviews on my PlayBook while tweeting and taking pictures on my Bold or vice versa. I typed game notes on my PlayBook with the keyboard while watching the game. I freaked out another reporter by using the remote control feature to type on my PlayBook from 2 rows back in the press box. Having words appear on the tablet next to you that you were asked to watch for a couple of minutes can be a freaky experience, especially when the words are addressed specifically to you. (Yes I know, it was wrong to use my PlayBook to freak out other people but it was a prank I’d been planning for awhile and the opportunity presented itself at the Vanier Cup on Friday night.)

The combination of my Bold 9900 and my PlayBook were all I needed to make the most of my Grey Cup experience – no need to lug around a heavy, awkward laptop, a voice recorder, or a camera – just my trusty BlackBerry Bold 9900 and my PlayBook.

I will note that being able to update my Facebook, Twitter, and BBM statuses with things like “I just drank out of the Grey Cup” was awesome. I uploaded a ton of Photos, directly from my devices, often while walking between events.

Have you ever used a tablet instead of a Laptop? Would you consider leaving the laptop at home for a major conference or event?

Banners outside the Rogers Centre

[

January 11, 2013
Thoughts on She’s Connected 2012

Thoughts on She’s Connected 2012

In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been blogging over at my other blog Adventures with my BlackBerry for the last few months. I’m going to have another wrap up there but from the technological side of things – how my BlackBerry helped me make connections and made my conference experience more enjoyable. This is more about the experience I had at She’s Connected (or SCCTO which was the twitter hashtag for the event), what I learned, and the great people I met.

Overall, I had a great time at She’s Connected. The getting up at the crack of dawn wasn’t something I was looking forward to but I had great carpool with Courtney and Jacki and not only did we get to the hotel an hour before the conference breakfast was supposed to start, the fabulous people at the Renaissance Hotel were able to check us into our room super early (at 7am) so that we didn’t have to come back later and check in or try to do it after the conference when we were tired etc. I have to say that the Renaissance is a fabulous hotel, and I wish I’d spent more than just one night there! I’d go back for Grey Cup in the blink of an eye but it’s definitely out of my price range!

I learned a lot about myself at the conference. I learned I can be funny and witty in real life even with strangers and when I’m scared to death that I’ll say something stupid and they will write me off as a moron. I learned that mink eyelashes are pretty cool and very dramatic but take a long time to get used to. I learned that having a professional do a blow out on my hair leads to the same result as me doing one – flat hair in less than an hour! Not that the stylist from Blo wasn’t really good, but my hair is stupid that way. It looked fabulous for the hour, but then it was just messy and full of product. I learned that I really get a kick out of people complementing me on my business cards (which were super fabulous thanks to Lindsay from Grace Announcements).

The sessions were amazing. It’s impossible to pick just one to single out as the best. One of the best part of the sessions was that the panelists and speakers were more than willing to meet and speak with the attendees after the panels. There were 2 time slots in which I couldn’t find a session that I really wanted to attend, one on Friday and one on Saturday. This worked out pretty well because it gave me a chance to hang out in the McCafe lounge and get my nails painted and enjoy a chair massage. On Friday I got to hang out in the Molson 67 lounge and learn about pairing Beer and Cheese. This was really awesome and I’m never going back to wine and cheese again.

Beer and cheese = nature’s perfect pairing.

I learned a lot about trying to find a niche in the overcrowded world of online writing, editing and social media. I got some awesome advice from awesome people. I got to meet people with whom I’ve been tweeting and BBMing for over a year. I learned that if I love blogging (and I do) I should keep doing it. That getting a chance at a community manager position isn’t as impossible a dream as I thought it would be and that some brands and agencies are okay with paying bloggers.

I missed the Friday ’80s Party because I wanted to go watch the ~~Argos Lose~~ Argo game and play with Argonotes. I love playing with the best band in the CFL. Even when the team loses, we get to go out and entertain thousands of people. I did, however, stick around for the Shades of Grey party on Saturday night. There’s not a lot to say about that Party other than wow. I got gel nail polish put on – it’s supposed to last 2 weeks and so far it’s lasted through me digging in sand and typing so I’m impressed. The food was delicious! It’s A Cake Thing made some of the best cookies and cupcakes that I’ve ever had! They looked as good as they tasted.

The Shades of Grey Cupcakes

All in all it was a great 2 days. I’m glad it was only 2 days because I was exhausted at the end of the party. I know I’ve missed some wonderful people and things in this wrap up but the point is, it was a great experience and I can’t wait to go again next year.

October 24, 2012
Why I love the CFL

Why I love the CFL

Recently I’ve had a number of conversations on twitter and out in the real world about the CFL and how it’s seen to be bush league or second tier. First off, if you were one of the people with whom i had those conversations, I’m sorry. I must have seemed like a zealot. The fact is I love 3 down football. Always have. Maybe because i was exposed to it years before the 4 down version. I know I that I live and breathe Canadian Football. I’m sure the nice people at Toshiba were sick of me by the end of the She’s Connected conference. While most of the other women there were worried about which apps were available for their kids, I kept asking about football apps. (In case you’re wondering, I want an app that lets me create and run plays against multiple defensive schemes and – most important of all – allows the right number of players on the field).

Yep. I’m addicted to football. I enjoy NCAA and NFL football too (Michigan State Spartans and Detroit Lions!) but given my druthers, I’d much rather watch 3 down football. It’s not just the speed of the game (though on average it takes 45 minutes less to play a CFL game than an NFL game – and I’d argue that only about 20 minutes of this is commercial and the slightly (2 mins) longer halftime (again due to commercial breaks)) it’s the character. I like the 20 second play clock because it keeps the game moving. 40 seconds feels like an eternity to me and i find myself yelling at the TV during NFL games for the Quarterbacks to “Hurry up”.

I take issue with people who call the CFL second rate. It’s not a second rate league in anything except the TV revenue. In fact, until the late 1970s NFL players came up to the CFL because they could make more money! People such as Cam Wake who have played in both leagues have said that the NFL isn’t a tougher league, just different. In fact, in an interview with ESPN 760, Cam Wake said that the rules made the CFL tougher to play in as an outside linebacker.

He’s right – and the changes don’t just make it harder for the Defence either. The wider field has been known to give NCAA Quarterbacks, even those who have won a Heisman Trophy fits. Wide receivers can have problems adjusting their routes to the wider field. The extra 10 yards in field length makes running a kickoff back for a touchdown that much harder.

Then there’s my favourite difference between the CFL and the NFL – the 3 downs. Having 3 downs means that you actually have 2 real attempts to get the ball 10 yards. This means that running (which typically averages 3-4 yards a carry) won’t get you a first down. So there are more pass attempts in the CFL. Take Sunday’s Eastern Semi-Final as an example and compare it to one of the NFL games on at the same time. The LOSING Quarterback in the Eastern Semi-Final completed 30 of 42 pass attempts for 513 yards. AND HE LOST THE GAME. In contrast, Tim Tebow, the quarterback for the Denver Broncos, DID NOT MAKE A PASS ATTEMPT IN THE FIRST HALF. At the end of the game he was 2 for 8 for 69 yards. You just can’t do that in the CFL. You have to have a good passing game as well as a running game to mix things up or you’ll be eaten alive. (Note the troubles that both the Argos and the Riders had this year as an example – though you *can* win in the CFL without a solid passing game, it’s much harder and usually at least partly dependent on special teams).

The Rouge. Oh the Rouge. I love the Rouge (and not just because I’m on RougeRadio.com). I have had to explain the Rouge until I’m literally red in the face. It’s not a reward for missing a Field goal. It’s a reward for preventing the other team from running it out. If it was simply a reward for failure, it wouldn’t be awarded on a punt.

No Lead is Safe – this is the CFL’s most recent ad campaign. It’s very true. Very few games are complete blowouts with no chance for redemption. In the final week of the regular season, I stayed up really late to watch Montreal at BC. Even though BC had a decent lead at the half, I didn’t want to go to bed because I have witnessed Anthony Calvillo put up insane numbers in one half, so I couldn’t trust that it wouldn’t happen. It didn’t but overall, it seems that the last 4-5 minutes of a CFL game end up having more weird and wacky endings than the NFL ones. (the one thing that drives me nuts with the NFL play clock is that with 1:30 on the clock, and a fresh set of downs, the QB can take a knee and the game’s done. You’d have to get at least a 1st down in the CFL.

Finally, I love the CFL because Our Balls are Bigger. It’s not just a slogan. It’s true. I even have the T-Shirt.

November 14, 2011
The Good, the Bad, and the Argos

The Good, the Bad, and the Argos

I’m not going to play armchair GM at 2 am the morning after a loss. Especially after a home game where I didn’t see all of the game because I was playing in the band. Yes the Argos played badly, no I don’t have a magic fix to make the season all better. It wasn’t just one thing or one player that made the team lose, it was a number of factors working together. It’s really easy to lay the blame at the feet of a single player but football is a team sport. Part of the Argos’ trouble seems to be an inability to deal with unexpected changes such as a key player going down to injury. If left to their own game plan, the Argos seem to be a decent (Not spectacular) team; but when a monkey wrench is thrown into the works, such as Rob Murphy’s injury this week or Kevin Eiben’s injury a few weeks ago, the team collapses in on itself. I think it goes back to confidence and the Argos seem to be lacking in it. When everything is carefully scripted, they’re fine but going off script is disastrous because the players are worried that in doing so they’ll make a mistake. The most dangerous thing to be in football is cautious – it’s also the most boring! There’s nothing worse than a team playing to not lose. I can root for a losing team, but not a boring team. Other than some spectacular special teams plays by Chad Owens. the Argos were boring tonight There was a lot of potential to not be boring – there was a great string of 1st downs in the first quarter but then the drive ended with a rather anti-climatic field goal. Turnovers were not capitalized on, turning an exciting event into nothing. Again I’m not sure how to fix it but I’m hoping one of the coaches on the Argos does.

Even with the loss, the Argo game was fun tonight. That’s the best thing about being in Argonotes – even when the team on the field is less than entertaining, the band is always awesome. At halftime tonight, we did our usual show – 4 or 5 songs to a small but loyal crowd by gate 5. As we were playing our first song, I noticed 2 little girls dancing along to the band. I went over to our ~~director~~ Dictator’s big bag o’ musical toys and dug out a tambourine and gave it to the girls. The look on their face was of pure delight. They shook it together and were generally adorable. Their dad took some pictures and the girls were having a great time. For the next song, I asked the girls if they wanted to play WITH the band. Our fantastic bass drummer Tyler came in front of the band and let the younger girl “help” play the bass drum and the older girl got to play the tambourine in front of the band, wearing the Dictators furry blue hat. The looks of joy on their faces made my whole night. To make things even better, when I was walking around the Dome after our half-time show, I saw the family. The girls came up to me and thanked me and then the older one went to call her mum and was eagerly telling her about being IN the band. The grandmother told me that we had made their night extra special and that they’d remember it for a long time.Thinking about that makes me put the loss in perspective. The Argos may not have won, but this Argonote sure did.

September 3, 2011
Random thoughts on a CFL standard

Random thoughts on a CFL standard

I know a lot of CFL teams have at least one “football 101” day for women to learn about football. Today, as I was explaining some of the basics of the game to a friend, I wondered why they don’t have the same thing for men. Are men supposed to just know about football? is there something in the Y chromosome that makes them know all about football? What about recent immigrants from countries where there is no football tradition? I don’t know how well it would go over but I’m thinking there might be a demand, even as part of the game day for a team. In one of the commercial time outs, instead of some inane promo thing, (or even after one of the short ones), show a play or a formation on the scoreboard and explain it. I think that you’d get more people coming back to games if they knew what was going on on the field.

I had a friend from high school, a very smart woman, who when watching her first live CFL game asked “where’s the yellow line” – referring of course to the line that is generally added by television to show where the first down is. Naturally since this line is added in production, you can’t see it in the stadium. Her boyfriend at the time (now her husband), nearly choked himself laughing. It’s not that it was a dumb question but it was one he had never thought of, having watched very few games on TV. Everyone coming to the CFL for the first time is going to have questions. Simple things such as what a first down is. Why a team is kicking a field goal when they are, what a 2 point convert is, onside kicks, simple offensive and defensive formations, man versus zone defensive schemes.

What about you, football fans? what else would you love to know more about?

August 31, 2011
Bye Week

Bye Week

So it’s the bye week for my team the Toronto Argos – I’m going through withdrawal even though there were 2 very good teams playing football this week. The Bye week means that we’re halfway through the CFL season – It feels like it just started yesterday. I’m not ready for the regular season to be over in 8 short weeks! the CFL season is so short compared to the off-season. Pretty soon it will be November and November means PLAYOFFS. I dearly hope that my Argos turn things around and make it into the playoffs! There’s nothing better than playoff football. And while I root for the Argos, that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate a good game no matter who is playing. This week was a prime example of why I love the CFL – Both games went down to the final two minutes, and both of my picks were right (but boy was I nervous!).

I was rooting for Winnipeg primarily because of the flak Tina LaPolice got for daring to express an opinion. I don’t believe that anything is different because she is the wife of the Head Coach of the Bombers. I think she has a right to cheer for the team and not take crap from certain loudmouthed players and fans on twitter. It even says in her twitter bio that her opinions are her own. I LOVE her twitter bio Football wife, mother of 2 gorgeous babes! Opinions are my own, not that of my husband! It’s not the 50’s..I say what I want! Still!! I think the whole situation got seriously blown out of proportion. When Dave Stala commented about wanting to take the swag out of swaggerville, she replied “We’ll see hacky sack boy!” – the Hacky sack boy comment refers to a touchdown celebration in which Stala plays hacky sack with the football (how this doesn’t run afoul of the non celebration rule still boggles my mind). That’s it. That was the comment that got everyone riled up. Seriously? Don’t you people have better things to do with your time? Tina is a strong woman who has strong beliefs – she was a Bomber’s cheerleader too so it’s natural for her to stick up for her team. I know I’m in the minority here, but I salute her and hope that she continues to show confidence in her team. They are one of the best stories of the 2011 CFL season to date – Yes Calvillo breaking the passing records is a great story but it was expected. I’m not sure that anyone expected the Bombers to be 7-1 at the midway point. Instead of making a twitter tempest in a teapot, let’s celebrate the great season the Bombers are having – and this despite the untimely death of their Assistant Head Coach Richard Harris earlier this season.

I will also add to the twitter follower who told me after I tweeted in support of @tinalapo … “Of course you’d defend her your (sic) a mouthy broad too”. Thanks. I will take that as a complement.

August 28, 2011
Venturing into Enemy Territory

Venturing into Enemy Territory

Every fan of a CFL team needs to go on a road trip with their team at least once in their lifetime. It may not be feasible to go and see your team in every CFL city but hopefully you can go to the one closest to you. It truly is an unforgettable experience.

For starters, just getting to Hamilton is an adventure in one way streets, streets that suddenly end, and road closures. So much fun. It’s almost like they don’t want opposing fans to find the stadium.

There is no real, designated parking lot near the stadium, instead you get to drive up and down all the streets around Ivor Wynne and (in my case) settle on a street in a not too bad in daylight but sketchy as all get out neighbourhood and walk for 15 minutes to the stadium. At least it was free.

The game day experience is truly awesome though. Granted I didn’t wear my Argo blues until I was safely in the stadium and sitting with other Argo fans. As a female walking on my own, it just wasn’t worth the hassle.

95% of Hamilton fans are great people out for fun at a game. The other 5% are drunken jerks who are not really football fans so much as they are drinking fans. These are the ones who have already put back 4 or 5 beers before they get to the stadium, consume another 4 during the game (what happened to not being served if you were intoxicated?) and then resume drinking when they are either ejected from the stadium or after the game. I like to actually watch a football game and remember that I was there, so I don’t get the whole “how much can I drink before, during and after the game” philosophy.

About 5 minutes into the game, the heavens opened up a bit. It rained fairly steadily for about 15 minutes. That’s the beauty of outdoor football people! I brought a rain poncho for myself and at the last-minute had stuck in a package of the disposable ponchos – which came in handy. The amusing thing was that all the Ti-cat fans around us ran for the exits to get out of the rain while the Toronto fans stuck it out. Shouldn’t it have been the other way around since the Argo fans are used to the comfort of the ~~Rogers Centre~~ Skydome? I love football outside – although I would think twice about bringing my piccolo out to play in the band when it would get rained on.

Halftime included an awesome tribute to Bernie Custis, a true football pioneer. Custis was the first African-American quarterback to play in the CFL. After an outstanding collegiate career with the Syracuse Orangemen, Custis was told that he could not play the position he had excelled at. The Cleveland Browns, one of the more progressive teams in the NFL, told Custis that if he wanted to play, he would have to convert to be a running back. Custis declined, and instead headed north to Canada. As he said last night, in Canada he had the freedom that he had lacked in the US. Freedom to play the position he excelled at regardless of the colour of his skin. Custis earned the starting position in his first year in the CFL and went on to play 8 more seasons with the Tiger Cats. As the first African-American quarterback in professional football, Custis blazed a path that many have followed. Without Custis there would be no Damon Allen, no Henry Burris, no Warren Moon. If Bernie Custis had simply accepted the position change to running back, who knows when the next opportunity for an African-American quarterback would have arrived. A truly remarkable man with a great story. There is a documentary film coming out in the new year and I can’t wait to watch the story of this hall-of-fame quarterback!

The PA announcer at Ivor Wynne does a great job of getting the fans into the game. Toronto could learn a lot from the Ti-cats in this regard. Even the amusing scoreboard animation when there was a video review got the fans geared up and making noise. I was glad I brought earplugs, and not just because I was sitting between two Argo fans with very loud noisemakers. There weren’t a lot of Argo fans in the stands at Ivor Wynne – but the ones who made the trip down the QEW made sure the team knew they were there!

The atmosphere in Ivor Wynne Stadium is a lot more electric than at the Rogers Centre. The fans may be chanting “Argos Suck” or some other equally inventive cheer but they’re loud and they’re proud. Toronto fans could take a lesson from their Hamilton counterparts – on Thursday, be loud and brash (but please skip being drunk and obnoxious) and come cheer on your Argonaut football team. I know it’s being called the “bottom bowl” and that both teams are 1-6. Even more reason to come out and support the Double Blue – it’s easy to be a fan when the team is winning. It’s much harder to stick by them when they’re frustrating to watch and losing games you think they should win.

All in all it was a great experience. Yes there were a few drunken idiots who hassled me as i tried to get to my car. Better alcohol control in the stadium would improve things immensely in that regard. That said, I will still go back to Hamilton the next time the Argos play there and cheer loudly and proudly for the Double Blue.

August 14, 2011
Sexism and the CFL

Sexism and the CFL

Look, I’m not new here. I get that football is a male dominated sport and that some teams like Toronto and Hamilton have an amazing rivalry going. I get the good-natured ribbing that goes on between the fans of the two teams. I do, however, expect players to rise above some of the more juvenile fan chants. I am vacillating between rage, disgust and disbelief at the fact that a player such as Avon Cobourne would retweet something as sexist and insulting towards women as this

The offending tweet

I get that fans can be sexist jerks. I expect much better from CFL players. It’s not funny. It’s insulting to women as whole and to the dedicated ladies on the Argos cheer team in particular. I’m hoping that someone either from the team or from the league (or both) will sit down and have a very serious talk with Mr. Cobourne about the implications of retweeting something. The guiding principle on twitter should be “would I say this to someone standing in front of me?” if the answer is no, then you shouldn’t retweet. It’s that simple.

August 13, 2011