After the coach’s media conference social media has been all a buzz about who Saskatchewan season tickets will be cheering for on Sunday.
All of the chatter around who Saskatchewan fans will cheer for first stemmed from a comment made that suggested this would be like a home game for Winnipeg.
Certainly more fans from Manitoba are going to make the trip than fans from Toronto, but this is almost like a minority government…somebody else holds the balance of power. In this case the balance of power rests with Saskatchewan Roughriders season ticket holders – those that were not able to sell their tickets or decided they wanted to see the big game even if their team was not in it.
Before we get to who the Saskatchewan fans will be cheering for I want to make another point, and I want to make it crystal clear.
Grey Cup Festival Was Cheering For Winnipeg
I cannot imagine any other scenario than the festival organizers hoping that the Saskatchewan Roughriders made it to the Grey Cup. Once that hope was eliminated I believe they squarely, yet quietly, hoped the Bombers made it to the Grey Cup.
In my opinion this festival was set to be a bit of a bust once Saskatchewan was eliminated. Tell me, what other team was going to come out in droves, spend a bunch of money and have a great time! BC fans? They have a hard time filling their own stadium. Toronto fans? They have the same issue as BC. Montreal fans? Have you seen the cost of air travel to Regina for the Grey Cup? Calgary? Maybe, but they are not the ultra-hot commodity they once were. How about Hamilton? Again, travel could have been a major issue.
Look, I have been at the Grey Cup Festival already this year, and there are tons of great fans here. But any of the last minute fans that show up – and it could be substantial will be Bomber fans to a larger degree than any other team that would have made it to the big dance.
If you want more proof, consider that one day before there are still tickets available for the iconic Spirit of Edmonton Breakfast…that never happens this close to that event.
If you are in Regina and you still are trying to decide what to do, make sure to check out the full 2022 Grey Cup Schedule.
Who Are The Saskatchewan Fans Cheering For?
The Bombers are the bitter enemy of the Riders, and vice versa! But here is the choice the Rider fans have; they could cheer for Winnipeg, or they could cheer for Andrew Harris.
If the Rider fans hate the Bombers as a whole, they have equal distain for Andrew Harris. Remember in 2019 when Harris tested positive for PEDs? Rider fans were all over that. They were declaring he should never make the Hall of Fame. They suggested that Grey Cup win should have an asterisk beside it. Many Saskatchewan called out his character and said all kinds of hateful things on social media.
Are you telling me that those fans will cheer for Toronto?
Maybe those fans will cheer for Toronto but not Andrew Harris – that is actually like cheering for Winnipeg because for Toronto to win they Grey Cup Harris will need to have a whale of a game.
What The Fans Told Me
On Thursday night I enjoyed being at the Grey Cup Awards ceremony and met many fans from many teams. I asked many fans (both Saskatchewan and otherwise) who they were cheering for. What I received was a mixed bag.
Some Edmonton fans told me they would be cheering for Winnipeg – “others told me they could not cheer for Winnipeg “there is no way we can cheer for Saskatchewan,” were their exact words. Some Saskatchewan fans even told me they were not cheering for Winnipeg but Cheering for the Bombers’ Head Coach Mike O’Shea. Still other fans (from both east and west teams) told me they were cheering for Toronto.
So who will the fans be cheering for on Sunday? I do not know. Like you I will find out during the game – however I will find out from the stands, and hopefully you will too!
