A wall of humanity surrounded us. Miniature footballs flew over our heads. The smell of hot dogs and beer clung to the air. I was in the midst of Friday football fever.
I’ve heard about Mosaic Stadium for months. I’ve read descriptions that paint it as a sports Mecca. The home of the Saskatchewan Roughriders feels like the focal point of Regina.
I’m not a huge football fan, but when an opportunity arose to visit Mosaic with my friends, I took it.
In my group of three, I, the East Coaster with a limited knowledge of the Regina roadways, was assigned the role of driver. I weaved through cars and buses on the way to the Mosaic Stadium. The whole city buzzed with football frenzy.
I snagged a parking spot near the stadium. My friend, sporting a Calgary Stampeders jersey (the rival team at the game that day), received more than his fair share of dirty looks as we got in line at the gate. We scanned our tickets and entered the stadium.
Mosaic makes you feel like an ant. People are stacked up in chairs that seem to touch the clouds. The constant roar of the crowd echoes in your ribcage. Walking into the Mosaic Stadium is the closest experience to witnessing Colosseum battles in ancient Rome.
We walked halfway around the stadium to reach our seats. We grabbed refreshments and pretzel-wrapped sausages. We settled into our seats for three hours of the football fracas.
During the game, my friend asked me if I thought Halifax could support its own football team and stadium. Every few years there’s a rumour that Nova Scotia will join the CFL. I looked at the 30,000 people in a stadium bigger than most Saskatchewan towns and I responded: “Absolutely not.”
I love my hometown. We’ve accomplished more than most Maritime provinces (looking at you, PEI). But when it comes to sports, everything outside of hockey is a non-starter. Our basketball team, the Rainmen, went bankrupt. Other sports are relegated to high school and college teams. The general public seems to lack a taste for sports that don’t involve ice.
Saskatchewan is built for football. The Mosaic Stadium is the exclamation mark on this province’s obsession with the pigskin classic. The market answered the demand.
Halifax, prove me wrong. Build a giant stadium near Peggy’s Cove. Spend billions getting a team off the ground. After all, who wouldn’t love to eat a pretzel-wrapped sausage next to the ocean?
