GREY CUPS ARE BEST ON THE PRAIRIES
By: Braedyn Wozniak, RP Show Intern
It’s time the CFL and its fans come to terms with the fact the Grey Cup is best when it’s played on the prairies.
And by that, I mean Regina and Winnipeg. Edmonton and Calgary are formidable hosts as well, but it’s not the same. This year’s Grey Cup between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Toronto Argonauts in Regina just proves it.
Michael ‘Pinball’ Clemons, CFL legend and current Argonauts General Manager had a lot to say about the City of Regina.
He joined the Rod Pedersen Show during Grey Cup festivities and said there’s “no question,” Regina is the football capital of Canada.
“This is the heartbeat, if you will, of Canadian football,” said Clemons. “Martin Luther King had a quote … to exercise love, we must reside ourselves with power, and vice versa … Power at its best is love. The two are synonymous.’”
“The reason I say that is we all have the ability to embrace the game, so that’s the power portion. But when you add the power to do so with that genuine love, then that’s Regina. That’s Saskatchewan. That’s Roughrider football.”
Just ask Sportsnet’s Arash Madani, who resides in Toronto and has been to many Grey Cups across Canada.
“It just feels different coming to a Grey Cup when it’s in the prairies,” said Madani on the Rod Pedersen Show.
“This is the show in town. You just immediately know that people, for weeks and months, there’s been such a lead up, such a buzz for this, and everybody’s fully invested.”
And that’s exactly it. No other CFL city has fans like Regina and Winnipeg, and it’s not debateable.
Forget the cold weather and forget the fact the quality of football might be better played indoors in B.C. Place. The elements are part of the CFL game, and add another dimension to Canada’s league.
Even in the cold weather, Mosaic Stadium will be rocking. The vibe in the city just feels different, especially if the Roughriders were to make the big game.
Even without the hometown team playing, It’s hard to believe it won’t be a special night in Regina Sunday.
(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily on Game+ TV and WQEE Radio)
Not sure how Arash measures what the buzz of the grey cup was for the last few months when he’s not here, but there was little to no buzz at all until about last Saturday. Partly the league not finding a half time act, partly a fan base that was all in on a Rider appearance that has been slowly sliding from hope to laughable to tears since July. Grey Cup week is a party but it’s a party that week no matter who’s hosting. In the past the excitement built and built until the city was vibrating by Saturday… Read more »
Hopefully Regina is never granted another CFL Championship game until they put a roof on their Mosaic stadium and build proper Hotel Motel accommodations.