OK i strongly disagree with your last point. the Grey Cup is not about the teams that are in the game its a celebration of the Our game! i love it that we have other teams fans showing up! And the other cheerleaders are fine it doesn't bug me, more the better. and i do agree with the tee-shirt thing tho.
I did hate the big Pepsi logo made my the people, that was bad
I know the CFL is trying to promote the "our game" motto. My major issue with that is promote the GAME, not the none sense around the game. I'm not there for free tee-shirt, or there to watch cheerleaders. Montreal has enough strip clubs if I want to watch the women. Gimmicks are a cheap way to win fans, everyone knows it. I just thought some of the stuff cheapened the event a bit. The CFL should be promoting the long history of the game, the rivalries.
I think its a good thing that other teams fans show up. It just surprised me how many did. I would still go to a grey cup game if the Al's were not in it, but I wouldn't be decked out in Al's memorabilia. If my teams not playing in the game I just find it pointless wearing my teams colors. Maybe it's cultural differences, I don't know.
I didn't mind Diet Pepsi sponsoring the half time show, it's a big part of the business. I'm sure they had to pony up a good chunk of change to sponsor it.
As for the game itself it was awesome. I can't wait for the game to return to Montreal. The city did a great job. Olympic Stadium wasn't a bad venue for this kind of event. Molson Stadium is still the best place for the Al's to play
It's the biggest national audience the CFL is going to get right? So they're definitely going to try and add lots of flash and glitter to sell the game. Casual fans can't relate to league history in the same way as they can to wow factor stuff. So they use all kinds of different stuff to appeal to as many people as possible. It sort of sells out the die hards in some ways i guess, but the CFL knows we will be back, they want to try and get some casual fans attention and make them think that maybe they should go to a regular season game.
As for fans dressing up in their favorite teams gear - i think its great. It shows that this game isn't always about the teams that are playing, its about having a good time, i find most of those people to be as entertaining as anything else.
So maybe in soe ways it'd be better to honour some CFL legends and do some stuff like that but i think it would be lost on too many people for it to appeal to and attract new fans which i think is one of the main uses of the Grey Cup outside of the game itself.
Peter, this is what the CFL is about, showing up at the Cup in your teams colours, jerseys! Get with the Canadian programme my friend. Yup, the t-shirt thing I could do without but what can you do.
I disagree with your last point also, I was supporting my Argonauts Jersey, There was lots of Green, Orange, Gold, and Bomber fans also, I didn't see alot of Eskimos fans but they where there. The Grey Cup is a celebration about the diversity of our league all across Canada, If you were not going to wear your Als colours if the Als were not in the Grey Cup, that makes you a "fair weather fan" Only supporting your team when they are winning.
I'm with everyone else; I thought it was terrific seeing fans from all over the country wearing their respective teams' regalia. We did an informal survey and we figured that Saskatchewan colours were the most numerous; Calgary close second; Winnipeg~Edmonton~Hamilton~Montreal all fairly close in the middle, BC next, and Toronto last. Not scientific mind you, just our impression.
A Grey Cup without fans wearing team colours from across the country would be BORING!!!!!!!!!!!! :cowboy:
iT ALSO MAKES THE GREY CUP DISTINCTIVE!!!!!!!
You might not see people who attend a Super Bowl wearing their team colours since it is more of a corporate affair with not a lot of seats, from what I've heard, availabe for joe public. The CFL and Grey Cup is much more grass roots and true fan based, not nearly the corporate presence of a SB. More of a CFL fans celebration of the league and I hope it stays this way forever.
I concur. Fans at the Grey Cup should wear neutral colours...and get rid of those darn cheerleaders prancing on the sidelines!! I came here to watch a bloody football game!...and did I mention that loud rock music they play at EVERY stoppage in play? It drives me NUTS I tell you!!! What was so wrong with a good ole marching band????
Talking about marching bands, I think the Bills Toronto game Dec. 7 there will be a marching band from Syracuse Univ. I think I read. Now one would assume that young people and marching bands are not the in thing so to speak, so old-persons thing I would think young people would say. But to those "NFL only counts" fans in Canada and especially the young people, my guess is they will come out of this game if they go to it and say "wow, marching bands are the best, the CFL should do this." Mark my words there will be no oldie-goldie attached in this case. For those "NFL only counts" fans that think the CFL is just followed by older people in this country.
How does that make me a fair weather fan? If I wore a different team jersey that would make me a fair weather fan. If my team is not in the grey cup and I go to the game and I’m not wearing my colors that doesn’t make a fair weather fan. My team is not in the game, why do I have to put on face paint and look foolish? I will even go one step further, I guarantee you those people that dressed up with face paint couldn’t tell you a damn thing about there team and are just looking for attention. There were a few people dressed up as doctors, that had smocks on that said “grey cup anatomy?” My question is what does that have to do with football. My answer: Absolutely nothing.
Look, it doesn't make anyone a fair weather fan if they don't dress at all in their team colours or what not.
Peter, in Canada we have more of a festival carnival approach to things like the Grey Cup or any event, especially in the province of Quebec. You want to wear something even funny looking, I had on my head an pillow in the shape of a football that I took the stuffing out and used as a clown hat, other people have fake hair in their teams colours etc, you name it, hats with little twirlies coming out of it. Remember, the Cirque du Soleil is Canadian Quebecoise. We like a circus atmosphere around things, makes it fun for us. Most of die-hard CFL fans are not loaded with money as well, just regular folk. Grey Cup time is time to be a clown of sorts and as I say, not just Grey Cup but with lots of real grass roots festivals in Canada and especially as I say Quebec.
Just different cultures I think. But I doubt you'll see this at the Bills game in Toronto, there it will be more corporate and less carnival in nature. Just my guess anyways.
Ya, And if you actually looked at what they were wearing, They had large patchs on of every Grey Cup they’ve been to. Does that have nothing to do with football?
It’s “Their” team, and I bet they could. And I also bet they enjoyed the game alot.
This comes down to choice, Most of the people who visit each Grey cup city go every home game like that, If they put face paint on in their home stadium, why not when you goto the grey cup? Do you want it to be just bunch of people sitting down acting “normal”
How it makes you a fair weather fan? Simple, you stated that if your team was not there, you said you wouldn’t wear the Jersey. So what happens if your team starts losing during the season? going to stop wearing the jersey then? Next thing you know you don’t renew season tickets if you got them. Regardless of who’s in the game, people support their team first, and adopt a second team for the Grey Cup, and the overall goal is to have fun and enjoy the game. You may think it’s foolish to put face paint on and dress up, While other people call it a good time. Who are you to decide what people should and shouldn’t do?
I was there in my Rider jersey all weekend. I was screaming Riders in the street. I was there to celebrate and have fun. Grey Cup is way less about the actual game for me, but the party to celebrate the season.
I had about 10 people, and I get it every year, that came up to me and asked me if I knew that my team wasn't there. These people just don't understand.
I'm at a football game, I wear Rider green.
What I don't understand is the people who wear NFL jerseys, or NHL jerseys to Grey Cup. That baffles me.
As for the schticks, I could do without a lot of them (like the two morons with fake dreads and kilts. The one with no shirt, was especially dumb as he was in the only fight I have ever seen at Grey Cup)
I just pointed out I thought it was odd, and I know I’m not the only one. I never been to a sporting event with that many losing fans dressed up in there team gear. Some in skirts, and some like doctors. I know its all in fun, but its odd. It looks like you are only looking for attention when you put all that crap on and your team is not their, and you players are already on vacation.
Yeah, I wouldn’t wear it because my teams not in it. I seen plenty of fans dressed like clowns and there team wasn’t in it and they were cheering for the Al’s or the Stamps. What does that make them? Sorry I wouldn’t cheer for another team in the CFL only the Al’s. I’m not there to celebrate the diversity of teams in the league, I’m there for the Al’s.
Yeah real fair weather fan, I drove 5 hours in the snow from North of Boston to watch a former teammate play for the Al’s. Don’t worry either I was an Al’s fan way before my teammate signed a contract with them.
