What kind of fan are you?

So how would you characterize yourself when it comes to your interest in the CFL? Are you a team specific fan, or more of a supporter of Canadian football in general?

???

I went with number 2.
Don’t care who’s playing, or the teams records, if it’s on, I’m watching.

I answered number 1, but any fan, whether it’s 1 team or the league in general, both support and love the CFL.

I think being a fan of any team means you have to care greatly for the league. It’s another quirk of being a CFL fan.

Ti-cat fan, but love watching all the games. Yeah, I even root for Toronto when they play Montreal or Calgary!

I watch every Ticat game, and have most other games playing on my laptop while watching other things on the TV. I also share a Redblacks season ticket, going to half their games.

Basically, I’m a Ticat fan. I also cheer for the Redblacks when they’re playing anyone else (until the end of the season and the Ticats need them to lose), and I watch most other games.

Option #2 for the love of football

OG - Jack Abendschan
C- Al Wilson
LB - Greg Battle
QB - Ben Roethlisberger
RB - Ricky Williams
SB - Nik Lewis
KR - Henry"Gismo"Williams

Fun players to be around - AJ Gass/Ricky Ray

Definitely no. 2. Grew up an Argos fan in London, Ont. but living in Hamilton, Ontario for decades and ended up being a season ticket holder for the Cats for a number of years and cheering them on but the key for me is just seeing each year how it plays out to win Lord Grey’s mug and be crowned the national football champs of Canada.
But the Argos are still deep down my no. 1 team even though I mainly now have TiCat clothing and other stuff but Double Blue, nothing like it, at least deep down in the heart. But Canadian football overall, the best.

I am a patriotic fan.
Then a league fan
Then a player fan
Then a team fan

Fan of the CFL first, and then the Riders second. There have been many times over the last 40 years where in certain games it would have been nice for the Riders to win a particular game but knew it was best for the league if another team won. (ie) if a particular team needs victories so as to get more butts in the seats it didn’t bother me if the other team beat the Riders. Wish it didn’t have to be that way with the CFL but, alas, asDan 38 said “I think being a fan of any team means you have to care greatly for the league. It’s another quirk of being a CFL fan.”

So you’re a fan of the Patriots first!?

I’m the same. I follow the league because I’m a patriotic fan who loves Canadian football, which I have watched for as long as I can remember.
There are some teams I like more than others, but really, I like them all. I’m also a big fan of the players, and especially the ones I’ve had the honour of meeting (with one exception, who shall remain unnamed).
I’m also happy to report that my 92 year old dad, who lives in Michigan, still watches the CFL when he can get a game on TV. He’s on cable, so he depends on games that are on ESPN. Streaming isn’t his thing.

First I liked the league, but had trouble zeroing in on a favourite team.

So I went all in on the expansion Redblacks when they started up.

I have been sometimes, but I figure they have had their day for a while.

or do you mean these guys

Diehard Redblacks fan. Before them, the Rough Riders. Ti-Cats are my number two. Overall, a big fan of the CFL first and foremost. Without the other teams, no Redblacks, no Ti-Cats. This is a small league, the health of which is dependent upon the good health of the individual teams.

And this is the philosophical approach that I have tried to maintain after watching my ORBs lose back to back games against the Als and the Lions…

I am 100% a team fan. Don’t care about any other team but the team I cheer for. Could care less about the league, as long as there’s another team for mine to play against. 3 years from now when the league contracts, and there’s only the 4 prairie teams left…I’ll be just fine.

I’m guessing the fans who are “league” fans or don’t know what team to cheer for are located outside of any teams area. You don’t pick a team, they pick you :wink:

I picked option 2, though I am first and foremost a Ticats fan, if there’s a game on, I’m watching it.

If the Ticats aren’t playing, I generally root for whatever benefits the Ticats; for example, western teams over Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal. Games between those three teams, I root against Toronto, unless a Toronto win helps Hamilton. That can be hard to do; fortunately, it doesn’t happen often. Between Ottawa and Montreal, I root against the team Hamilton is currently battling in the standings.

All-West games, I usually cheer for the underdogs. I like league parity and having one team run away with the division gets under my skin. (Unless that team is the Ticats. :)) If the teams are relatively even, there are some players and coaches I don’t like, and some I do, and that can determine which team I favour.

Sometimes, though not often, I really don’t care who wins. When that happens, I cheer for whoever has the ball. I love a good defense, but two teams marching the ball up and down the field and scoring a lot of touchdowns is way more exciting than a lot of 2-and-outs.

I’ve got a long day ahead of me today. A nine-hour marathon is exhausting. A Ticat win in game 1 will make the rest of the day a cakewalk. Go Bombers (don’t like Chris Jones)! Go Esks (league parity)!

Love the CFL first and everything else a close second. I like the NFL as well but hate when people put down our league as second rate. I just tell them “so you enjoy when a quarterback takes a knee for the last two minutes?”

A long winded story to prove my point (sorry):

In 1993 my brother in law, his kids and some friends made the 24 hour drive from Calgary to Sacramento to watch the first regular season game south of the border. As we approached the city on Friday afternoon (Saturday game) we tuned the radio to see if there was any talk about the game. Found a local sports talk station. Pulled over and went to a payphone and called in and mentioned we were from Calgary and went to the head of the line. I talked to the hosts on air about our great game and had fun.

Next day, game day, we arrive at the stadium with our van all decorated in Stamps regalia. Pulling into the parking lot filled with Gold Miners tailgaters we got a real kick out of the nonplussed look on their faces as they saw our Stamp van. Peter Watts from TSN spots me and basically sticks a mic in the driver side window as I’m driving in. The fans there were awesome and directed us into a parking spot so we could hang out together. Larry Ryckman and Deacon Jones must have got wind of our arrival because they came over to see us. Saw Scott Oake from CBC and told him our story but he kinda blew me off but he must have mentioned it to the booth because we got some TV time celebrating a Stamp touchdown and Don Wittman mentioned us on the telecast.

The Sac fans were great and we had a great time hanging out with them. One of them said to me that they enjoyed the CFL game and noted that they have “less fights in the stands than at a Raiders game”
The game was a barn burner 38-36 Stamps and what a showcase for three down football. Post game tailgate party and Matt Finlay came out and had a beer with us and our new found Miners friends.

The next day in The Sacramento Bee their sports writer said how good our game was, to put icing on the cake.

Bottom line, best CFL experience ever. It was fun to be an ambassador for our country and league and it was a real shame that the US expansion never took off because we made some serious fans down there.

So that’s what the CFL means to me. Cheers

…cool story…

Very good story . THKS for sharing it .