Perry Lefko

Perry Lefko keeps you connected to all the news in the CFL on Sportsnet.ca.

Give the Eskimos credit for their play on the number 13 to sell tickets for the game vs. the Riders.

What if every team in the Canadian Football League punked opposing teams heading into their games to create hype and sell tickets?

It’s not as if it doesn’t work.

Look at what the Edmonton Eskimos have done to create ticket demand for this Saturday’s home game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The Eskimos, tied for second last in the league with a 1-6 record, have taken out some creative advertising to knock the Roughriders’ too-many-men-on-the-field penalty in last year’s Grey Cup.

Their theme is they have 13 Grey Cups, while the Roughriders couldn’t correctly count to 13 in last year’s big game.

It’s amusing and rather clever. It has created interest in a game which otherwise looks terribly tilted in the Riders’ favour with their 5-2 mark.

Last year in advance of a game in Edmonton, the Riders took out an ad on an Edmonton billboard saying, "Hey, Eskies fans. We’ll save a section for you." It spoke of how Riders fans are so keen to make the trek to opposing stadiums -- in this case Commonwealth Stadium -- that they will outnumber the fans of the hometown team. It produced a CFL regular-season record of 62,517 at Commonwealth on Sept. 26. The Riders won 23-20.

We’re not sure how many people came from Saskatchewan, but they’ve been making the trek in droves since the team started to turn around its fortunes, on and off the field, beginning in the new millennium and specifically starting in 2007 when they won the Grey Cup.

How much is 62,517? About three times the regular-sized crowd that watches games at Ivor Wynne Stadium.

Of course at the end of next season, the Ticats could be playing anywhere but Ivor Wynne unless the city council and Ticats’ owner Bob Young come to an agreement on the site of a new stadium.

We could suggest the Ticats play all their games at Commonwealth or Mosaic Stadium in Regina to guarantee a robust crowd. But we don’t want to be accused of being a smart-ass.

Maybe the key to this is having every team scheduled to play host to the Riders punk them with an ad. Go to any game these days and you’ll see Roughriders fans scattered throughout the crowd. That’s how popular and successful the Roughriders have become as a team and a brand.

Funny, but back in 1997 there was a telethon to keep the Roughriders operating.

My how times have changed!

Let’s look at another example of politically-incorrect advertising: Remember what Blue Bombers’ kicker Troy Westwood did a few years ago when he called Saskatchewan people "banjo-pickin’ inbreds"? It led to the annual Banjo Bowl played in the back-half of a home-and-home series with the Roughriders and Blue Bombers. What was normally the back half of a two-game set played before and after Labour Day really took on a whole new atmosphere.

We recall in 2004 when Young was in his first season as owner/caretaker of the Ticats that he was aghast at the "Argos Suck" cheer/jeer by the good people of Hamilton. He thought it was distasteful and had a contest with a cash reward for the most original anti-Argo anthem that was not linguistically offensive. He quickly found out that when it comes to the Argos and Ticats, you simply can’t replace the backlash against the team from Toronto.

Even if the Argos don’t suck, no one cares in Hamilton.

This year the Argos have had a clever radio campaign featuring head coach Jim Barker taking some good-natured shots at opposing teams. It’s stuff written by radio ad writers, but the commercials have been well-received by Toronto audiences.

And in a year in which the Argos don’t suck, that’s good.

Then again, it hasn’t created any added interest in ticket sales by Torontonians, though Ticat supporters who have journeyed from Steeltown to Hogtown have been loud and proud.

So good on the Eskimos for finding a way to spice up a game that seemed interesting when the schedule was conceived and the decision to rib the Saskatchewan people had some traction.

It’s lost it now -- at least in terms of the standings -- and it will be funny when the Eskimos offence is on the field and they have to go with a silent snap count because of the noise from the rowdy Roughriders fans.

Maybe there’s something to be learned from all of this: When home teams are selling tickets, they should rip the opposition in hopes of drawing their fan base.

If you slag them, they will come.

Whether they come to see the home team or the opposition will usually depend if the away team is coming from Saskatchewan.

And if you want to say the other team sucks, go ahead.

Just don’t say that about the Eskimos this year, even if it’s true.

After all, the organization has won 13 Grey Cups and to the best of my knowledge they haven’t been flagged for 13 men on the field.