Traitor?

I must admit I left the Sunday afternoon football game with some mixed feelings. I attended the game with 4 Forstbauers and 3 of their family/friends, all of whom are great BC Lions fans. This playoff game was even more of an important event in their eyes and they were decked out in orange, yelling and screaming like usual but with the added effect of three drums and a trumpet! It was (it always is) fun to go to a game with fans like the Forstbauers...

This family has had 8 seasons' tickets for as many years as I've known them and that's going on ten years now. Loyal fans who enjoy the CFL (they are out there). I even bought one of their season tickets from them about three years ago and managed to get to just about half the home games. It was a lot of fun! They certainly make the BC Lions and the CFL a worthwhile experience.

The mixed feelings I mentioned didn't arise from the fact that BC ended up losing the game, securing a woeful 1-7 record for the second half of the season after starting it 11-0! They were caused by a yellow sweatshirt...

I spent the vast majority of my life in Alberta and grew up a big fan of the Edmonton Eskimos. When I was a youngster, Warren Moon led the Esks to three Grey Cup victories (I think) before going on to a hall of fame career in the NFL. I loved knowing who he was before the NFL fans really caught on to how good he was! His teams, including Gizmo Williams, drew me in and made me love the CFL. I would be green and gold for life!

Anytime Edmonton came to town (here in Vancouver) I made a greater effort to get out to the game so I could be "one of those guys" who would cheer for the visiting team. That was how it worked, remember, I was green and gold for life...

Well, this game was a big game. Huge! The winner would move on to the Grey Cup and a shot at the championship of the CFL. I stuck my yellow sweatshirt in my backpack and went to the game. Unfortunately, other than a brief appearance during the warmups (when I tied it to the railing in front of me) this symbol of faithfulness, this declaration of allegiance never saw the light of day. I watched the Forstbauers and their fervent support of the Lions and made a decision: I would not cheer for the Eskimos today. I won't cheer against them, but I won't cheer for them either. It would prove to be an interesting choice.

The Eskimos won the game 28-23 and will play in the Grey Cup on Sunday, which I could go to if I wanted to pay for it ($150.00!!). My team is in the Grey Cup in the city where I live and I have access to a field level ticket to the sold out game (sold out seven weeks ago) and I'm not going to go....green and gold for life?

The mixed feelings arose when I wondered if something fundamental in me died on Sunday: a little piece of romanticized idealism birthed in childhood, my loyalty to the Eskimos. The child in me questioned why I didn't wear the sweatshirt, scream for my team and celebrate the victory. I didn't have an answer other than to say I was honoring my friends' wishes, the loyal Forstbauers who had invited me to the game. The child in me shook his head and snorted, unimpressed.

I'm still a little mixed up by it all, though not in any significant way. I know I can always go back to bleeding green and gold for life...I just have to wait for the next game.

Poll: Should I go to the Grey Cup? Yes or no...opinions?