Archrivals and then some: Eskimos face Roughriders in CFL West Division semifinal on Sunday

EDMONTON – The Edmonton Eskimos face off Sunday against the Saskatchewan Roughriders, and it would be an understatement to describe the teams — and their fans — as archrivals. Alberta is filled with former Saskatchewan residents who haven’t lost allegiance to their football team. The Eskimos have a good shot at winning this weekend, which has pumped up loyal fans even more than usual. Here are three perspectives on the CFL’s Western semifinal, which starts at 2 p.m. at Commonwealth Stadium.

The official word

Roughly 25,000 tickets were sold for the semifinal game as of Friday evening. Freezing temperatures this week likely affected sales and Eskimos president Len Rhodes thinks fans will buy tickets right up to game time. The weather will be warmer this weekend and a crowd of more than 30,000 people is expected. Or, as one CFL fan noted on Twitter, that’s a crowd that would represent the third biggest city in Saskatchewan.

To keep people warm during the game, the Eskimos will be handing out thousands of hand warmers.

Aside from the football, fans might also be drawn to another healthy 50-50 draw.

“Seventy-thousand dollars is the new normal for our 50-50,” Rhodes said.

Despite the tense rivalry, security won’t be beefed up at this game, Rhodes said. The tension in the stadium is often related to whether a game is in the afternoon or the evening, with afternoon events attracting more families and less alcohol.

The Eskimos fan

When you’re a football fan in Edmonton, you know you’ll hear cheers for the Roughriders at Eskimos home games. When you’re super fan Matt Machado, you use that noise to make your cheers even louder.

“When the Riders come to town, the wheels are spinning on the Riders bandwagon, and it blows into town and they are loud,” said Machado, who is part of the Section O Eskimos fan group.

“When they do that, though, it entices everyone else around them to be louder and more fired up for their team … There are home games and there are home games against the Riders. It’s more passionate because you just hate them. I hate them, I hate their fans, I hate the eight-hour drive to Regina to watch my team play there.”

Despite his avowed hatred of the Riders, Machado conceded his smack-talk is all “good-natured ribbing.” For the playoff game on Sunday, Machado will wear his standard Eskimos fan uniform, which includes yellow shorts. Even if the temperatures dip below freezing.

“You have to show your team colours with pride, especially when the Riders are coming in because they’re bringing their stupid watermelons and their stupid banjos.”

The Riders fan

Travis Currah represents a particular kind of Roughriders fan — a Saskatchewan native now living in Alberta.

His girlfriend is an Eskimos fan.

Since moving to Alberta, Currah has thought about what it would be like to cheer for the Eskimos. His conclusion: “It just didn’t feel right.”

His girlfriend, too, has thought about changing allegiances, especially during the Grey Cup last year.

“With all of the green and all of the excitement with the Riders being in the big game she said, ‘I almost want to be a Rider fan.’ In the end, she couldn’t change her mind.”

Currah, a radio host in Red Deer, will not being wearing a watermelon helmet to Sunday’s game. Watermelons are pretty hard to find at this time of year and he doesn’t think his head would fit into one.

Currah is not worried about the cold, as a playoff game in Regina last year was -25 C. “This will be pretty warm in comparison.”

azabjek@edmontonjournal.com

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