TORONTO'S VIEW OF THE RIDERS

Toronto Star
Fri Oct 1 2010
Page: S1
Section: Sports
Byline: Wendy Gillis Toronto Star

"In Saskatchewan, the Roughriders are like rock stars," Darrell MacDonald says, taking a sip of beer and adjusting his old-school Double Blue cap.

The 49-year-old Argonauts fan has never been to my home province, but he's right on. The Riders are the Nickelback of the CFL: proudly prairie, adored by famously obnoxious fans at sold-out stadiums, and - above all - absurdly popular, even during frequent lapses in talent.

And the Argonauts? I guess they could be considered the band past their prime. They've still got fans, but their sold-out days have passed - kind of like the Guess Who.

Chad Kroeger versus Randy Bachman is not the most glamorous competition. But it's enough to say they're dramatically different bands, and we're dramatically different fans. So as the Argos prepare to host the Riders on Saturday, I was curious to find out why there's no such thing as Argo Nation.

MacDonald - one of just over 1,200 fans on the team's official Facebook group (Saskatchewan's has over 46,000) - offered to fill me in. Prior to our meeting, I had not seen evidence of his kind. Sports stores are stocked with Maple Leaf jerseys and Blue Jays hats - I'm told I "won't find much" when I ask after CFL gear. At our sports bars on Sunday, the majority of TVs were playing the NFL game.

But Argonaut fans are definitely out there, MacDonald assures me. He's had season tickets every year since 1998, after superstar quarterback Doug Flutie convinced him to fully commit. He's seen fans of all kinds, including Rider fanatics, and there's a reason we're known, he says.

"Saskatchewan definitely has much more goofiness to their fans," he says. "And the amazing thing about you guys is that you pop up everywhere. I'll be at some game in the States and there will be some group of guys running through the stands with a Rider Pride flag."

Sure, there are the watermelon helmets and the beer throwing. There's even a rumour that Calgary grocery stores have shipped in emergency supplies of the fruit to meet Rider fan demand (and it's not that hard to believe).

But the sold-out home games and ever-growing merchandise sales suggest Rider fans aren't just goofy, they're loyal. Even if we leave the province, we take our green with us: the Riders have had the highest road attendance in the CFL for the last decade.

In short, we take our football seriously. Why don't other teams?

"I think every team in the CFL would love to be the Saskatchewan Roughriders," says MacDonald. But there's a good reason why the Argos just can't be as popular, he says.

"That's all Saskatchewan's got out there, whereas in Toronto you've got a lot of ways to (spend) your entertainment dollar. Every city has one team that's close to their heart, and for Toronto I think that will always be the Leafs," he says.

MacDonald also believes the venue is part of the problem. Although Regina's Mosaic Stadium is far from the technological marvel that is the Rogers Centre, the Roughriders outdraw the Double Blue by 10,000 a game. What's more, the Rogers Centre's capacity is 46,000. The half-empty stadium is always a bad thing, MacDonald says, but attendance is not as bad as it looks. It's easier for Saskatchewan to fill the stands when Mosaic Stadium only seats 30,000.

The Riders, on the other hand, have blades of wheat on their logo. So contrary to what Premier Brad Wall thinks, the fans don't need a $431 million facility to watch the Riders win - even if there's nothing else to spend the money on in Saskatchewan than the new stadium he's proposing. All we need there is beer and bleachers.

It's essentially an urban versus country thing, MacDonald says. City sensibilities kick in when people make it out to Argos games.

"Toronto's a big city, so there's that sense of not getting too crazy. Some will get crazy, but I think most of them take a more reserved attitude," he said.

Of course, there was an Argos heyday - when the team played at Exhibition Stadium, the place was packed - but people have just got plenty of other things to do, MacDonald says.

There are still plenty of deeply passionate fans out there, just like him. They may not all be as loud or as crazy as Rider fans, but they're devoted.

"The Argos don't get a lot of fans, but those fans are very loyal," he said.

Beth Waldman, director of communications for the Argonauts, agrees. She offered up the suggestion that the Argos are like the Guess Who, or maybe the Tragically Hip.

"They've got longevity and a loyal fan base. There are ebbs and flows of popularity, but they've got consistent appeal."

But if I'm missing the utter, fanatical football obsession, looks like I'll be running back to Saskatoon - or anywhere in Saskatchewan, for that matter.