Matt Cauz
CFL.ca
The first myth I would like to debunk about going to a Toronto Argonauts game is that the majority of the crowd is made up of people over the age of 40.
The second misconception is that SkyDome (Rogers messed with my cable when I moved two years ago, thus I refuse to call the SkyDome by any other name) is a lousy place to watch a football game.
I have spent the majority of the season watching just about every game from my cottage, eschewing the great outdoors to watch some really good football and the Toronto Argonauts. So I decided it was about time to leave my northern bunker and check out a game live. I figured I was long overdue.
Now back to the first misconception, I was surprised and happy to see just how many kids and teenagers were at the game. Whenever someone is writing a premature eulogy for the league the first thing they point to is the lack of young people getting into the CFL. I know I took in just a tiny sample size of the typical fan base, but it was refreshing to see such a wide range of people at the game.
As for atmosphere, the game, with the exception of a brutal third quarter was quite entertaining. It was a beautiful night, the roof was open and the crowd of about 25,000 was into the game from the start. I didn’t even have one drink and I still had a great time.
I’ll say this about a Toronto Argonaut crowd; you are not going to find many people that don’t know the game. A Blue Jays game is littered with fans with little interest in baseball. Many of them are just going for a couple innings because they had tickets forced on them. Leaf and Raptor games are filled with Bay Street types who are there to be seen, for the event, but without much emotional connection to the game. Trust me I have been to enough Raptor games to see just how many fans don’t have a clue what’s going on. But this isn’t the case at an Argo game, there really isn’t such a thing as a casual football fan at SkyDome. You either love the team and the game or you are doing something else.
Of course the fan base needs some work. I don’t know what it is about Toronto fans but you will not find a bigger collection of mullets anywhere else in the city than at an Argo game. I have no idea why this is, but somehow thousands of die hard football fans didn’t get the message that the mullet died a merciful death about 15 years ago.
Here are 10 other non football thoughts from the game:
(1) Why were there Hamilton Tiger-Cat cheerleaders on the field? I have never seen a road team being allowed to have their own cheerleaders do a routine during a game. In any other facet of my life I would welcome the sudden addition of 20-30 attractive smiling women, but not like that. Just weird to see.
(2) Scalpers have got skuzzier over the years. Seriously, wouldn’t they be able to sell more tickets if they didn’t look like they had just spent five straight days chain smoking in an off track betting bar?
(3) The tickets may be cheaper and a CFL game is economically more sensible than most other sports but it’s nice to see they still gouge you for a beer. $9.50 for a tall boy is just wrong.
(4) I saw three people wearing Tyler Scott jerseys! I had the over/under for the number of Scott jerseys at 0.5 and I would have bet large on the under.
(5) Speaking of jerseys, I saw a bunch of Saskatchewan gear being worn at the game. Is there anywhere you won’t find Roughrider fans? Oh by the way if you own a Ricky Williams jersey you are not a smart football fan. Did you really think he would play more than one season in Toronto?
(6) Great idea for the national anthem by the front office! The team had set up a talent contest for seniors with the winner getting to sing the anthem. The winner, Lloyd Knight, did a solid job. He didn’t try to add too many bells and whistles to his rendition but he did manage to kick it up a notch at the end. One of the loudest ovations was for Lloyd.
(7) Please oh mighty Jumbotron, stop telling the crowd to make noise and for the love of god don’t implore the fans to stand up. This is Toronto; we almost never stand up unless there are cheap t-shirts or mini footballs being thrown at us.
(8) Introducing Jonathon Brown last was a nice touch by the team. Crowd was excited to see him back.
(9) I don’t know who is in charge of music but can they please stop playing ‘Mony Mony’? I felt like I was stuck at a bad wedding.
(10) One of the funniest moments of the game was when the camera caught a young woman asleep. Of course this was late in the 3rd quarter when both teams were trying to set a record for the most punts so I don’t really blame her.
My ten football thoughts from the game:
(1) Cody Pickett played his best game of the season. He showed enough arm strength to complete some medium out patterns and several other difficult throws.
(2) Forget his game-winning kick; Justin Medlock’s punting played a pivotal role in the team’s success. He constantly put Hamilton in bad field position.
(3) Why did it take the Argonauts so long to realize their best return man is Andre Durie?
(4) Nice to see Jonathan Brown register a sack in his first game back. One of the nicest players you will ever meet.
(5) I know some people are calling him a bust, but beyond two games, Rob Murphy has played up to expectations. He did a great job in pass protection for two straight games against Hamilton.
(6) Beyond one circus catch by Marquay McDaniel Hamilton did not take enough shots deep. The Argonauts have been prone to the big play all season.
(7) Even though they lost; I imagine that Arland Bruce must be happy to get a touchdown against his former team.
(8) WR Jason Carter had a great game for Toronto. Who is Jason Carter? Good question, because I don’t think anyone knew until game time. Of course an Argonaut game is not considered official until at least one new wide-out who hasn’t played all season steps onto the field.
(9) Kevin Glenn’s 18-yard TD run to force overtime was just one of those classic kick in the stomach plays. I’m amazed the Argos were able to come back and win in overtime. That play just killed the crowd.
(10) I love the CFL rules for overtime, so much more drama than a simple coin flip giving one team a distinct advantage.
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