Welcome to the Journal's newest feature, my weekly look at the Saskatchewan Roughriders. I'm a huge sports fan, but growing up in Halifax the CFL was never a part of my life. When I moved here three months ago one of the first things I noticed was how insanely popular the Riders are. I couldn't believe it. Everywhere I looked I saw a Riders licence plate or jersey and even one person with a tattoo on the back of their calf (if you're reading this, I apologize for being a weirdo and noticing).
It's not an exaggeration to say the Riders are a religion here, and so I figured it would be fun to write about them once a week. These columns are going to be eclectic; if you're looking for a simple recap of last week's game, there's dozens of places to get that on the Internet. Here I want to look at all aspects of the Riders, from the weird to the wonderful. I also want to hear from you, so if you haven't missed a game in 20 years or you have some bizarre pre-game ritual, please, tell me about it. If there's anything I love, it's crazy sports stories.
Without further ado, let's get into the bizarre psychology of sports fans and how some of you might be reacting to the Riders' come-from-behind win over Montreal on Sunday.
There are two ways to look at that game and which camp you fall into says a lot about you as a fan.
The first is to ignore the process and focus solely on the result, a 24-21 victory that wouldn't have happened without a miraculous 65-yard touchdown run from wide receiver Taj Smith in the last minute of regulation to tie the game. I don't recommend this approach, tempting as it might be. This way of thinking will be popular with the worst kind of fan, the one who thinks the Roughriders are as infallible as the Pope. This type of fan might have any combination of the following: a Riders tattoo, a Riders licence plate, a Riders flag in their window and/or a belief system that revolves around the assumption that the Roughriders are God's most perfect creation. Having any of these things doesn't necessarily place you on the far end of the irrational fan spectrum, but they are symptoms of a disease and, if not controlled, can lead to a debilitating form of fan psychosis.
"Yeah, but we won, didn't we?" is the worst kind of response to this game, conveniently overlooking the four fumbles and overall sloppy play that would have cost Saskatchewan the game nine out of 10 times. This kind of thinking ignores the fact that football games are often decided by the most random of events. What happens if Taj Smith drops that long pass? Are the Riders now bums? Did they all of a sudden play a much worse game? Of course not, but many people will completely change their perception of the team based on that one random moment. Sports are weird, aren't they?
The second, and better, way to look at the game is to recognize that the Roughriders should have lost. They didn't, though, and that's the beauty of the game. Any rational fan should recognize that, despite the 5-0 start, these Roughriders are not the 1927 Yankees. They might be the best team in the league, but they're not going to steamroll their way through the rest of the regular season and the playoffs. Those of you who are already planning the parade route should take a breath and remember that Rome wasn't built in a day. There will be ups and downs and unforeseen circumstances to come.
Whether this performance is just a bump in the road or a sign of things to come will go a long way in determining the future of this season.
Until next week!
