CPS vs Rider Fans

[FanIn80]

For clarity's sake, I don't think every single Rider fan on the planet is a knob.

For eye-opener's sake, I was the security in the media lounge at the Grey Cup game at McMahon Stadium in 2000, and quite often the topic of conversation turned to the fans that were at that game... and invariably, the conversation always ended up using Rider fans as the low-end comparison. These were media personnel from all over the country, some weren't even sports media, but were there just to cover the parties and festivities.

Almost to a man, the consensus was that Rider fans represented the bottom of the barrel that is the CFL fanbase.

So ask yourself this question: if media from all over the country say that Rider fans are the worst visitors to their stadiums, and a guy who has spent 20 years working security at Stamps games says that Rider fans are the worst visiting fans we get here... maybe it's time to stop blaming everyone else?

[metallicat]

1 cop versus dozens and dozens of drunks...now that is a scary situation. I have no problem with how the cop handled the situation.

[GGG]

I would put the blame on large crowds of visiting members. It can't just be the team they cheer for. When you put in 10,000 rival people the drunken idiots come with them. No other team gets large numbers of visiting people to the same extent. If you read the article in the paper the 2nd worst team at McMahn is Edmonton. No suprise the second most number of visiting team fans happen when edmonton is playing.

This doesn't forgive indviduals but I hope that it explains the the idiots per capita isn't really higher amoungst rider fans.

[old-fart]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

For clarity's sake, I don't think every single Rider fan on the planet is a knob.

For eye-opener's sake, I was the security in the media lounge at the Grey Cup game at McMahon Stadium in 2000, and quite often the topic of conversation turned to the fans that were at that game... and invariably, the conversation always ended up using Rider fans as the low-end comparison. These were media personnel from all over the country, some weren't even sports media, but were there just to cover the parties and festivities.

Almost to a man, the consensus was that Rider fans represented the bottom of the barrel that is the CFL fanbase.

So ask yourself this question: if media from all over the country say that Rider fans are the worst visitors to their stadiums, and a guy who has spent 20 years working security at Stamps games says that Rider fans are the worst visiting fans we get here... maybe it's time to stop blaming everyone else?

Pfft... you are obviously just jealous of the greatness that is all things Riders. How dare you suggest anything contrary to standard Rider talking points! No Rider player has ever done anything wrong, no penalty has ever been called on the Rider's that is justified, the refs are always against us (let's start a letter writing blitz), and other team's fans/security/police are just big meanies. The Rider fans were just trying to help out BC by donating their cans to them... like recycling. And that guys lawn needed some fertilizer, that's all.


/end sarcasm.


Sorry Flip, I'm just playing.

Up until about 3 or 4 years ago, the Riders were my second favorite team. Now, I can't stand them and it really doesn't have anything to do with the team. It has to do with a small percentage of their fans that have driven other CFL fans away. I think it started with the Shivers/Barrett era, and has continued. Again, I can't say specifically why, but the attitude of that small percentage of Rider fans has definitely changed in the past few years.

[Kidder]

Very scary situation that luckily didn't escalate out of control.

Two things that stand out to me. one was this quote from the article

Originally Posted by Herald

Police said only one officer was called to the scene because the 35 other officers at the stadium were dealing with other incidents.

Wow, obviously there is a big problem with rowdy fans at these games. I'm not sure if more officers is the solution, but something has to be done.

Second, the rider fan grabs something on the officers belt and then releases it when the officer turns around, resulting in a snap. Watch from .06-.08. The rider fan gets his finger around something and pulls, and when the cop turns around the fan retracts his finger which coincides with an audible snap.

I have no idea what the officer has on his belt that would stretch like that, but obviously it was more than a simple tug.

[FanIn80]

Originally Posted by Kidder

Very scary situation that luckily didn't escalate out of control.

Two things that stand out to me. one was this quote from the article



Wow, obviously there is a big problem with rowdy fans at these games. I'm not sure if more officers is the solution, but something has to be done.

Second, the rider fan grabs something on the officers belt and then releases it when the officer turns around, resulting in a snap. Watch from .06-.08. The rider fan gets his finger around something and pulls, and when the cop turns around the fan retracts his finger which coincides with an audible snap.

I have no idea what the officer has on his belt that would stretch like that, but obviously it was more than a simple tug.

Without re-watching the video to see your reference point, my guess would be his keychain.

[Prototype]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

Without re-watching the video to see your reference point, my guess would be his keychain.

I thought it was his vest.

[calgaryred]

Saw the video I don't blame the cop if I was dealing with a stressful dangerous situation where Im surrounded by fans of another team and a guy is drunk and needs to be remove and a drunk guy from behind tries to touch me I would do the same.

Its easy to judge and complain but you get a split second to react while people watching this have all the time to make a judgement call.

If your drunk DON'T TOUCH A COP WHEN HE IS ARRESTING SOMEONE!!!

[chowdachad]

Originally Posted by The Fonz

I don't pay much attention to the CFL, but just out of curiousity, are the Rider fans equally as bad in Edmonton? Winnipeg? Or is this problem happening primarily in Calgary?

From my experience there just as bad in winnipeg lots of A-holes getting drunk and cocky sitting in the student section= bad idea, it's like they go there for a fight or something, I've also been to regina during labour day (as a bomber fan) and it's not to bad i find that the s like to watch games on the road were as the enjoyable fans stay home albeit there are still pricks who throw full cans of beer at you when your team scores or swear at you and call you diragatory names but other than that its nice.

[jammies]

Originally Posted by flip

Again how many times can you moronic Stamps fans attribute the acts of a few bad apples to our entire Rider Nation.

Pot, meet kettle. FEEL the irony! FEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLL IT!!!!!

I know quite a few people from Saskatchewan. Most of them are cool, but there are the few that continually badmouth Calgary and act like being from Saskatchewan is some kind of godly aura and not just a geographical accident of birth. I suspect these are the same idiots that go to a football game and get their beer balls up in everyone's face. Maybe if the majority of Riders fans kept these morons in check, the whole "Rider Nation" wouldn't take the blame.

While I'm wishing, I could use a supermodel rubdown. *checks room* Damn.

[rubecube]

If it makes you feel any better flip, I find Ti-Cats fans almost as irritating as Riders fans.

[Kidder]

nm

[ken0042]

So, I'd be curious to hear from anybody else who was at Saturday's game (and didn't somebody in this thread say they did security at Mcmahon as well) as to what they noticed in terms of Bomber fans' behavoir. Seeing as the last several posts seemed to indicate that this was not an issue of Riders fans, but more about Stamps fans causing it and football fans in general.

I was sporting my Bombers colours, and the worst that I got was a beer vendor playfully pretended to chuck a beer at me from 4 rows away. I also noticed a decent turnout of Bomber fans, and everybody seemed to get along. And this game was similar in it's makeup to the Riders game; away team got blown out, game was out of reach early, and it was a late afternoon on a weekend start.

[FanIn80]

Originally Posted by ken0042

So, I'd be curious to hear from anybody else who was at Saturday's game (and didn't somebody in this thread say they did security at Mcmahon as well) as to what they noticed in terms of Bomber fans' behavoir. Seeing as the last several posts seemed to indicate that this was not an issue of Riders fans, but more about Stamps fans causing it and football fans in general.

I was sporting my Bombers colours, and the worst that I got was a beer vendor playfully pretended to chuck a beer at me from 4 rows away. I also noticed a decent turnout of Bomber fans, and everybody seemed to get along. And this game was similar in it's makeup to the Riders game; away team got blown out, game was out of reach early, and it was a late afternoon on a weekend start.

That was me. It was a typical, boring (from a security standpoint) Bombers game. The most exciting thing that happened all game long was when we had to confiscate some alcohol from a couple of teenagers. They apologised and went back to their seats.

No watermelons, no beer cans chucked at the visiting team, no fights in the stands, no 37 arrests... just a fun, exciting game of CFL football.

[CaptainCrunch]

Its funny because I go to most games, and I only sense that hostility with the Rider fans. Bomber fans are great, and Edmonton fans while a little heated have a clear line that they don't cross.

When the Rider fans come to town they tend to up the abrasiveness, I feel sorry for anyone who takes kids to a game and sits anywhere near to that mad house, the drunken swearing, beer spilling and throwing are way over the top.

Is it every Rider fan, nope, not even close, however I think that there are a few of reasons for the problems.

1) First and foremost the Riders have been essentially a weak sister terrible franchise for a long time, they were a lovable loser, they would get heckled and there wasn't much they can do. Now that their team is decent again, they've decided to turn up their pride factor, however now they've overcompensated and become increasingly belligerant about it. In other words they're a fan base that has no ability to engage in harmless heckling.

2) There is a difference between the Rider fans who live in Calgary and the Rider fans that bus in and make it a massive drinking orgy because their tours are almost like pub crawls, and they whip themselves into a frenzy. I've heard of similar misbehaviors in Edmonton and in Winnipeg as well. At some point there has to be some controls put into place. In other words the foothill park parties have to stop, and people that show up at the Stadium for the game drunk have to be barred.

3) I think that there is a small group of non football fan Rider fans who are equivalent to the Soccer hooligans in Europe, they're not here to watch the games, they're here to get drunk and start problems, the only way that this is going to change is if the Rider fan base that show up at these games start self policing themselves and calling over security to eject unruly fans instead of laughing about it.

On the latest incident the police were entirely right, and they didn't use excessive force. Touching a cop is a no no, touching a cop from behind is a bigger no no, tugging on a gun belt even if by accident makes the cop think that your trying to take something off of his belt or trying to control him. In the old days of billy clubs, that Rider fan idiot would have been beaten into a coma and dragged out of the Stadium by his ears. The first fan when he was told to sit down and shut up because of complaints should have done just that.

Basically to me the warning is this to Rider fans, if you can't come into our house and act like a human being then get out of my province (with thanks to another Stamps fan for the reference).

Oh and Rod Pedersen is so full of poo that he smells like 3 day old corn.

[Cowboy89]

Originally Posted by flip

I know you're all going to just keep piling on the Rider fans but like I said they aren't fighting themselves. I'd be willing to bet fault is at least 50/50.

Very true it takes two to fight. However I think the X-factor though is the amount of pissed up Rider fans. My a$$ that a Stamps fan took the initial swing at a Riders fan in that particular section. If so it was a pretty dumb Stamps fan.


In my own personal experience I'm actually quite impressed with the majority of Edmonton fans at the Labor Day re-match. A friend of mine in our group of 10 Stamps fans had his Cowboy hat ripped off his head by some loser and tossed off the second deck after the Stamps scored a TD and we celebrated (In a respectful manor without hurling insults). Immediately after the pro-Edmonton crowd turned on the guy and pointed out he crossed the line. A random Edmonton fan went to the bother of tracking down my buddies hat. Very good fans who for the most part know where to draw the line between playful jesting and being idiots and were willing to publically defend where they draw that line.