Wheat Sheaves & Maple Leaves

Canada's Team.

Innocent enough to say right?  But what team is Canada's team?  After an informal Twitter pole, admittedly, most thought of Olypmpic hockey or even the "We the North" Rapters.  No one answered with a football team. 

There are several instances on the Saskatchewan Roughrider website where the team has called themselves Canada's team.  This is nothing new or recent.  The team has always had the lovable bumbling moniker.  The team that tried and tried and just never won.  The team who in spite of everything indeered our hearts nationwide but never quite succeeded.  I won't bore you with details but you can read about the team history here --> Riderville

We were all going about our lives when an innocent tweet was sent out by Sportcages Rod Pederson mentioning the Riders being Canada's Team.  Full on panic ensued as if he had said the dress was blue and black/white and gold.  There was never a story written although when I asked him about it yesterday he said he just hasn't written it "yet".  I begged him to write it.

In 2013 the Grey Cup Champion Roughriders were named Canadian Press Team of the Year.  Wahoo!  You can read the story here by Dan Ralph.  This time it's not the Roughrider's or related media calling themselves Canada's team, but other media outlets.  

"They are Canada's team and their Grey Cup win in front of their home fans capped a Cinderella season for the Riders," said Bob Irving, the sports director at CJOB radio in Winnipeg.

"Canada's Team wins the Grey Cup in its home province," added Montreal Gazette sports editor Stu Cowan. "Might never happen again. Enough said."

I will also note that this was the second time the Riders won this title with the first being the 2007 Grey Cup winning year.

So if someone outside of the "easy to draw" province cites the Riders as Canada's Team, why can't it be said?  What's the big deal?  I'd rather be mentioned and related to Canada than forgotten and not mentioned at all!

Just when the dust started to settle a blog appeared written by Josh Smith A Condemnation of Ridernation.
  

Honestly, he has some good points even though I had blocked his butt on a previous argumentative occasion.  But that's a twitter thing and not a blog thing.  I digress.  We are a ritious bunch.  Yes, we were the losers of the CFL for far too long so excuse me if I choose to flaunt our recent success.  It's because many of us who lived through the 70's and aching 80's and the OMG 90's remember...we remember how close we came to losing this team.  It's not only about the wins and losses column.  It's about a fight for survival.  It's about being community owned and how we welcome anyone wanting to come join our Riderville community.  It's how we represent.

If you don't like it then do something about it.

It's very interesting how much attention is being paid to this by a Hamilton Tiger Cats fan.

Imagine if he paid this much attention to his own team.

*boom*

A few years ago there was a ruckas when the CFL season opener featuring the Riders (and someone else who may have been the Allouettes although I cannot remember) was on Canada Day.  As you can imagine all of us Rider fans wore our Rider gear and it apparently offended people who believed we should be clad in maple leaves.  The same happened recently when many wanted to wear red or poppies to support the family of the soldier killed in Ottawa.  

Something has changed, indeed.  Once where we would wear the flag and maple leaf in our travels to make us stand out and be noticed and set appart from Americans.  Those of us in Saskatchewan (and other destinations) have taken to wearing our own hearts on our sleeves by wearing our Rider pride.  Let's face it, there is nothing more obvious in a crowd than a green jersey and a vivid //=S=// wheat sheaf insignia.

Does Rider Nation possess all the camera's?  Rider Nation is photographed EVERYWHERE.  Why aren't other teams colors represended and in pictures for us all to see?  I asked a few people and they've seen some Eskimo jerseys and Blue Bomber jerseys in their travels and yet the photo's never seem to be circulated.  The truth is that for some reason the reach of the Roughriders is far more than the province or even country because you can travel far and wide and see someone somewhere wearing something with a Rider logo.

Again, if you don't like it then do something about it!  CFLers get out those fancy smartphones and wear your team pride and share it like all of Rider Nation!  Don't just sit there in your man cave complaining!  Join us!  We love to see others share the passion and spirit of Canadian football.  If you can't beat us...join us in the fun!

Or don't.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders have become the Nickelback of the CFL.  If you can't love us then you can love to hate us.  But thank you for thinking of us.  We are obviously your guilty pleasure.  

And we do love the attention.