First CFL game in a long time

Yesterday Charla's dad and sister came up to Edmonton for the weekend with one sole reason - to watch the CFL match between the Edmonton Eskimos and the Saskatchewan Roughriders. They invited me to come and I thought I may as well go along for the ride. I wasn't really a huge CFL fan before we left for the UK and my interest decreased even more during our time in the UK. But the one thing that stuck out at the game was how many Saskatchewan Roughrider fans attended. Even from the loud banter that went on before the game as we were entering the stadium you heard typical cliches - people from Saskatchewan are into the Roughriders so much because they have no hockey teams to cheer for there, there are so many Saskatchewan fans at the game in Edmonton because they all tend to leave Saskatchewan and settle in Alberta eventually, etc. But I was surprised in the end by how many Sask fans were really at the game - i described it as feeling like an only black man walking around in an all white neighbourhood later and i don't think it was just the section I was in either. Of course it didn't help that Char's sister and dad were cheering for Sask but you could also see and hear them all over the stadium and they seemed to take strength from their numbers and being the pestering opposing team fans in the stadium. Edmonton did end up winning a close game but the experience awakened me to the fact that there is a fierce rivalry between Edmonton and Saskatchewan at those games and if I ever do go again cheering for the Eskimos again I'll certainly be in for another fierce battle against proud Saskatchewan fans where ever I end up sitting in the stadium.