We have an issue within the Rider Nation.   It's not a problem ... yet.   But it definitely is an issue.

 

Just about anybody connected with the Saskatchewan Roughriders -- be it employees, players or fans -- have been astounded by the coverage devoted to the incidents which occurred on Ron Lancaster Night at Mosaic Stadium last Saturday.

I've certainly been outspoken with regards to the reasons behind Rider fans pelting the B.C. Lions' bench with beer cans and debris and there's been plenty of opposition to my views.  But we can all agree on one thing; that display was utterly unacceptable.

I brought to light the catalyst for the melee, the Lions' antagonism of the crowd by launching a football into the stands after a fumble recovery, for one precise reason.  It's because of comments like the one from Sportsnet's Jim Lange in his weekly CFL power rankings at www.sportsnet.ca:

 

"In honour of the sad passing of the legendary "Little General" – Ron Lancaster – the Riders wore their vintage throwback jerseys Saturday night. With the spirit of Ron Lancaster smiling down on Mosaic Stadium in this one, I really thought the Riders were going to find a way to win.  I am thinking Lancaster would have been more than a little disgusted to see Rider fans pelting the Lions bench with beer cans and garbage in the third quarter after a disputed call by the officials. I always thought Rider fans had way more class than that."

That was like a dagger through the heart for anyone who passionately follows the Saskatchewan Roughriders, and admires the love our fans have for the team.   I maintain this incident wouldn't have occurred if not for the Lions' actions, but the national media has the wrong idea about what went on, as evidenced by Jim's writings.  By the way, Jim Lange is a former Voice of the Argonauts and he and I have discussed at length the magic of Rider games at Mosaic Stadium.  I respect him greatly.

Rest assured Roughrider staffers have spent the majority of the week trying to sort out the mess, and deciding which direction to go from here.  Should they ban the sale of beer in cans?  This policy was instituted for two reasons; one, to turn back proceeds from recycling back into the community and two, to vastly speed up the process of serving thirsty patrons.  I know for a fact Molson has doubled its sales the past two seasons because of this method and it would be difficult to go back.

Pouring drinks from a keg is impossible.  You may say that NHL and MLB teams can do it, so why can't we?  Well that's because those teams play every second day or in baseball's case, everyday.   In the CFL, we have home games once every two weeks and once a keg is tapped, it can't sit idle for two weeks or else it'll spoil.

However this isn't the issue to which I'm referring.

 

To put it bluntly, the east side stands at Mosaic Stadium are rank.  Some have said to me this week "it's not that bad over there".   But when I counter with, "would you take your kid to sit over there?", they look at you wide-eyed and say "not a chance".

The Riders would be disappointed to think that their games aren't family-friendly.  However it's clear that to a lot of citizens of the Rider Nation, their obsession over the home team blinds them to the point they don't know right from wrong.  As Regina Mayor Pat Fiacco said this week, people get caught up in the emotion of sporting events and sometimes get carried away.

This is not however, indigenous to us.  My good friend, U of R Rams coach Frank McCrystal, said the only time he's feared for his life at a sporting event was in The Black Hole, home of the Oakland Raiders.   Regina Pats owner Russ Parker said the same thing about a trip to the outfield bleachers at Yankee Stadium.   Winnipeg Sun writer Paul Friesen wrote years ago that the New York Yankees send their fans to Taylor Field for training!