as the Saskatchewan Roughriders take on the Ottawa Red Blacks in Regina, SK, July 22, 2016 Photo Electric Umbrella/Liam Richards
Luc Mullinder
Nobody does Traditions quite like the United States of America. With the knack for flash and pageantry, there are staples of folklore rooted deeply into every aspect of the American culture. Even their electoral process has become a party that places celebrity before policy.
It’s the Western way of life…dream up a reason to celebrate anything and then find the Quality Dairy, or Meijers outlet that sells fireworks and cheap beer for that very occasion.
Once such institution is HOMECOMING. It doesn’t get bigger than that.
Homecoming weekend is a special occasion to celebrate the high school or University that one is attending. More importantly, it is a chance for all Alumni to be welcomed back!
On the banks of the Red Cedar River, in East Lansing Michigan, the Homecoming weekend at my Alma mater, Michigan State University, is filled with activities and tailgates all over campus that welcome home all Alumni, and give us a chance to meet up with old teammates and friends in order to reminisce about our wild days as young Spartans.
Old varsity jackets, secret handshakes, and making stops at your crew’s favourite college bars are all part of this incredible American tradition. What puts the icing on the cake is that the entire weekend of activities and fellowship is built around another American favourite…a football game.
The football game becomes the centerpiece of Homecoming because it is the common ground by which the Alumni, and the current student population all meet. The atmosphere is unlike any other. With the energy created by all the weekend’s proceedings there is always an element of excitement (and pressure) that goes into the game.
In all cases, the celebrating University is expected to win, consequently the opponent that is scheduled for that game wants nothing more than to disappoint the thousands of revellers in attendance. There is more than enough motivation to go around.
All football enthusiasts should put “attend a homecoming weekend” on one’s bucket list. Just ensure that you wear the right colours, and KNOW THE FIGHT SONG of the campus that you choose.
That’s what makes the Labour Day game in Saskatchewan such a unique and exciting experience. Homecoming games, and their importance, are ingrained in the fabric of the majority of these players because most of them have played their college ball south of the border. When one straps up that helmet and gets ready to hit the field in front of a rowdy sold-out crowd in Mosaic Stadium, they will be running into the CFL’s equivalent to a celebration that they’ve come to love; It’s Homecoming all over again.
Every athlete that has played ball (especially big time Division 1 NCAA football) in the United States has experienced the early morning tailgates, the fan fests, the special parties, and the heightened sense of urgency that all come along with a game like this. It doesn’t matter what a team’s record is during these bouts. The fact that the Saskatchewan Roughriders have won the last 11 Labour Day games should be enough to convince anyone that there is something very special about this weekend.
Being a professional athlete has its many privileges. More importantly, when one has walked away from the game for good, one will look back from time to time and get to re-live some of the most incredible moments of his or her lifetime. Many of those memories will stem from this moment in time.
This Labour Day Classic becomes much more meaningful for the players because no matter how new one is to this team, one gets an understanding of how much meaning this game has to the people of Saskatchewan. For as much unfamiliarity that exists between this roster and the fan base of this proud organization, it’s nice to find common ground between everybody for at least one weekend.
It’s HOMECOMING folks. Embrace everything about this game. It’s the one spot on the schedule where everyone is on the same page. Go Green.
