One of Us

I've joked that we make you put on a Roughrider football jersey at the Saskatchewan border.  We Rider fans are steadfast and passionate around the province and elsewhere.  We are Rider Nation.  We are the snappiest dressed fans at CFL games and the loudest.  We wear Rider green loud and proud.  We are the 13th Man.

In Canadian football there are 12 men on the field.  We like to think of ourselves as that extra man helping out the team from the safety of the stands.  The term is much more meaningful than what the rest of the country thinks of.....which is that horrible terrible gut wrenching eye wincing falling to our knees praying 2009 Grey Cup.

I fly a Rider flag in the window of my spare bedroom.  My neighbour camps in a green and white decaled camper.  My eye doctors office workers are clad in jerseys the Friday before the game.  It's like that all across the country.  It's game day and we're ready for it by wearing our team colours all day.  It's not like that in other team cities.  Everywhere you look, there is green.....whether you go to the game or prefer the armchair in your living room. 

We are the fans who stand in line for 2 hours to see legends and future legends at the Grey Cup Train.  We are the fans who buy the most CFL merchandise.  We are the fans who eat Triple Berry Getzlaf Cereal for breakfast and Dressler chips for dinner.  We show support with our closet, our food and our pocket books.

From Wikipedia:

Fanaticism is a belief or behavior involving uncritical zeal, particularly for an extreme religious or political cause or in some cases sports, or with an obsessive enthusiasm for a pastime or hobby.

We are zealous Rider fans.  It is like a religion and it can be political. I recall it was meant to be that the Riders won the 2007 Grey Cup because Brad Wall won the provincial election that year.  I've seen fans wear priest and nun garb to the games too.  I'd say that's obsessive alright.

Sports fanaticism - high levels of intensity surrounding sporting events. This is either done based on the belief that extreme fanaticism can alter games for one's favorite team or because the person uses sports activities as an ultra-masculine "proving ground" for brawls, as in the case of football hooliganism.

HOLD THE TRAIN!  Yes, I'm a little superstitious when it comes to game day routine, however I am a woman and don't have anything to prove.  I've never picked a brawl and I'm pretty sure I'm not a hooligan.

Who says hooligan anymore anyway?

Being a Rider fan brings the community together.  I've blogged about Labour Day and how my street came alive after the big win.  I've seen two little boys become friends while waiting in line at an event to see Riders and ex-Riders. I've seen friendships form in the supermarket because someone admired the other fans Rider gear.

Those who come together, grieve together.  I will never forget the day after the 2009 Grey Cup.  The day was dull and dreary.  The sullen players had returned home.  Football was over and what was there to look forward to?  There was a hush everywhere I went that day.  I walked into the Fairlight Drive Tim Hortons where everyone was still sitting in shock.  [Except for the guy in the Stampeder jersey.]  There was a soft murmur.  No one wanted to be too loud.  It was then that I professed my love for the Riders even more.  "They need us now more than ever."  I had said.  I said it multiple times that day, holding strong to my beliefs.

It's easy to love a team when they are winning, but when your team has only won 3 championships, can you love them when they don't win too?  And that's what really defines those of us die hard stand out in the rain power goes off Rider loving fanatics.  We love them no matter what and we wear our hearts on our sleeves to prove it.