If you're a follower of this blog page then you will remember I was challenged in a YouTube comment to watch an entire XFL game to see what all the hype is about. So I did and here's what happened.
Spoiler: I watched an XFL game.
I set my PVR so that I could watch last Saturday's match up between Houston and Tampa Bay. It was on at 4PM Saskatchewan time on abc (no relation).
That evening I settled in to put my feet up and watch the game. My expectations were high.
I guess I chose the most CFL XFL game I could have. At first mass confusion ensued. It was like I was watching the Montreal Alouettes versus the Oregon Ducks. The Houston Roughnecks were the team in red, white and blue. The Tampa Bay Vipers were in green and white. To add to my confusion (and I did know this but had forgotten) Marc Trestman is the Head Coach of the Vipers meaning he's coaching the green team. Jaime Elizondo is the Offensive Coordinator while Jerry Glanville is the Defensive Coordinator. So on the Vipers we have an ex Alouettes Head Coach, and ex Redblacks coach and an ex TiCats coach. That's not all though because on the opposite sideline stood June Jones ex Ticats coach as Head Coach of the Roughnecks and there were a few ex CFL players in the lineup such as kicker Sergio Castillo.
Needless to say I was hooked because of all the CFL relatability. The TV shots even looked similar to a CFL game. The XFL does have some gimmicky rules but then it has to doesn't it because it needs something to be able to hold our attention and compete with the NFL which according to some is the best football in the world.
I found myself cheering for the green team. I mean that's only natural right.
My cheering for a great catch brought my husband back into the room for a replay.
I really really (did I say really?) liked the camera's in the booth during the reviews and they said every call was automatically reviewed. WOW. This seems like it's a huge effort to always make the right call and it's revolutionary to be able to hear and see the review happen and the referees discuss it. This aspect is fantastic. I didn't find it slowed the game down at all.
The thing was that initially I liked what I was watching but the excitement was short lived. After half time I got bored. The Vipers were losing and apparently aren't a very good team because they haven't won a game yet. My attention drifted to online conversations and I channel surfed.
What I didn't like was the television commentators refused to discuss anything CFL related at all. Apparently in the bio's of Trestman, Jones and Glanville there's a blank space where their CFL time existed. What's up with that? How can you be trying to inform viewers about something but leave out key information like where these men have been working the last few years?
I didn't watch the following game.
Please don't take this commentary as I want the XFL to fail. That's not the case. I want to like it but the truth is that I don't have a connection to the teams outside of these two which I happened to watch in Week 3. I would be likely to watch these two teams again. I would be likely to watch a game if I happened upon it on tv. I can't say that I'd honestly go out of my way to make sure I watched every game in a week.
What I do know is that attendance is declining over the 3 weeks and so is television viewership. I also know that is to be expected with anything new. It will be interesting to continue to follow the numbers. If the decline continues, regardless of the money Vince McMahon can inject into the XFL, we know what will happen.
As I've said before - if you like it then by all means support the XFL and watch all the games. Who am I to say you shouldn't? I was asked to watch a game and I fulfilled that promise. I was asked because I wrote a blog and posted a video discussing whether the new league is a threat to the CFL. I remain that it isn't. Please feel free to check out The CFL vs XFL: Should We Feel Threatened?
Don't take my word for it. Check out the games yourselves and form your own opinions. Here is the TV schedule for the rest of the XFL season.
We are coming up on that time of year where we see new fans coming to the league. Twitter sees its round of "I'm going to follow the CFL which team should I be a fan of?" tweets. Then of course every Saskatchewan Roughrider fan within earshot puts in their two cents...er, well five cents (because no pennies) and pretty soon we are indoctrinating new fans to the nation.
So what do you need to be a Roughrider fan?
Well, nothing really. That would be the end of the blog and thanks for reading.
No, of course you need things to show your solidarity with the green and white! Read on to find out what needs to be included in your Saskatchewan Roughrider Fan Starter Pack.
You need a jersey. It doesn't have to be a Charleston Hughes customized jersey like the one in the photo. We all know that players tend to change teams often so no one can place blame if you don't want your clothes emblazoned with the name of the guy who just abandoned the team. You can't go wrong with a retro jersey and names like Lancaster, Reed, Aldag, Jurasin or Fairholm. Don't forget you may need more than one. If one jersey doesn't create a winning atmosphere and gets discarded to the depths of the closet, you're going to want to wear another one with better mojo. You are going to want to wear this jersey to every major event you attend world wide because there is no other brand that's as recognizable as that of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Rider pride is world wide!
I am not a drinker but even I know that Pilsner beer is synonymous with Roughrider fans. Roughrider fans flock to liquor board stores to purchase the coveted case of beer in hopes of acquiring the famed Pilsner Roughrider flag. Fans can go as far as choosing to watch games from Pilsner Place at Mosaic Stadium. Even this fan has a hard hat with the famed Pilsner rabbit on it.
Bring 'em out! Bring 'em out! You are going to need a cowbell when the team gathers in the tunnel and we welcome them to the field. There is nothing more thrilling than when Rider Nation is standing and cheering and those pyrotechnics start going off. While cowbells are somewhat controversial and not everyone likes them you are going to wish you have something more effective than clapping and stomping from the opening kick off to the waning moments of the fourth quarter. Warning: You will go home with a sore throat and a lost voice but it will all be worth it and you will be anxious to do it all over again next week.
Your smart device whether it be an iphone or android will be a necessity for not only in game interaction but for snapping those impromptu photos. Sure, I like to think back to that time but isn't it better when you have a photo too? Like last season when the 1989 Grey Cup team appeared on the field right infront of my seats or when the Stanley Cup was brought to the stadium or even when Gainer gets to drive around strapped into his car. Something exciting happen? Can't wait to share it online after the game...I mean if we don't talk about it immediately on social media did it really happen at all?
Break out star Cody Fajardo has become known for a few things but none as viral as corndogs and sprinkles of jesus. In those dying moments when your heart is sinking but you are so hopeful the Riders can score and you look at the clock and say a little prayer...then you see Cody Fajardo take the ball and fly over the pilon in the endzone? Well that is what has become known as a sprinkle of jesus. In other words you don't really need a bottle of sprinkles but you need to have undying faith in the most dire of situations. When it happens and we are rejoicing in a walk off victory there is no better way to celebrate than with a corndog and according to Cody Fajardo himself a carnival corndog is the best but they are available at your local Co-Op in a pinch.
Last but not least the watermelon. There's all kinds of stories about how the watermelon came to be known as the head gear of choice for the most rabid of Roughrider fans but no one knows the true story for sure. No we aren't interested in eating them. Didn't you know watermelon hats are the height of fashion from June to November?
