Contrary to popular belief, the best thing about the Grey Cup is not the actual game itself. In fact, the crowning of the league’s champion is just the icing on the cake.
The real important part of Canada’s championship is Grey Cup week and the parties that come with it. Unlike the Super Bowl, the charm of the Grey Cup is that it is approachable, quaint and organic.
The 104th rendition of Grey Cup week was proof that the game is not yet as corporate and over-saturated as the Super Bowl has become. The real stars of the CFL are not the players who will lace it up on Sunday but the fans who were getting laced all weekend long.
Here’s a recap of the best events and parties that took place this week as the Grey Cup took over Toronto.
Arrival of the Cup
How many championship trophies are open for public conception before they’re awarded to the recipients? The Grey Cup is showcased throughout the city at parties and events during the week. Nothing is involved in more selfies than the CFL’s biggest prize.
Stampeders pancake breakfast
There is no shortage of free food to lure fans to the parties throughout the week but the largest and most acclaimed initiative is the Stamps pancake breakfast. Put on by the Stampeders Grey Cup committee, a small team of volunteers gets up early to mix batter that’s better than your ready-made mix at home.
Walk in and you’re crowned with red beads, pins, and a helping of two flapjacks sandwiching a large sausage round. Food is the common denominator that brings foes together as a Lions fan brings his own brew of maple syrup to the equation to top you up so no bite is dry.
Want to work off those calories? The live music will get you on the dance floor that in this case is mud and slim blades of grass as one of the week’s outdoor parties isn’t stopped by the elements.
Huddle up rally against bullying
The week is both fun and philanthropic. The Toronto Argonauts have a long standing tradition of community involvement and bullying prevention. The franchise hosted a rally at city hall for thousands of youth to both discourage bullying and encourage excitement around the league for the next generation of fans.
Festival kickoff party
It’s customary for the owners of the team hosting the Grey Cup to throw a party. This year Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada was taken over for the swanky event.
Dressed to impress were players, league officials, media members and team executives and influencers all under one roof. Look one way and you have brand representatives from league sponsor Adidas having a good time. Look the other way and you see Kardinal Offishall lifted above the fray DJing the night away.
Snapchats in front of the shark tank are common on a night where the entire league is not competing but celebrating. The Bonnethead sharks had a game simulation to decipher who would win on Sunday. Just like the sharks in Las Vegas, who have Calgary as 9.5 favourites, the real sharks chose Calgary as the winner.
With the ability to watch jellyfish and take in jello shooters, this party was the talk of grey Cup week.
Fans state of the league with the commissioner
The media’s state of the league availability made news with the words CTE and concussion being in every reporter’s headline.
But the fans have their own chance to pick the top man’s brain and their state of the league gives those that travelled to the game the opportunity to ask him directly what concerns them.
“When is Tim Horton’s Field going to get another Grey Cup?”
“Is there progress towards a 10th team?”
“Can all games have live mic’d players and coaches?”
These are the types of things the commissioner fields. It’s an initiative that allows the fans to have a voice and the league to get immediate market research on what the fans want in an intimate setting.
Empowering women and community through sport luncheon
Not just a forum to get more women involved in the league but to start to drive the conversation about women ascending in sports business, this luncheon was a new initiative but one badly overdue.
In attendance was Stacey Allaster, chief executive, professional tennis for the United States Tennis Association, Canada Basketball president and CEO Michele O’Keefe, Olympian and activist Rosie Cossar, Olympian, Canadian women’s hockey player Natalie Spooner and senior PepsiCo executive Susan Irving.
The two-hour keynote address and panel discussion was a small but important step for sharing best practices around breaking sports’ biggest glass ceiling.
Tiger-Cats takeover in Toronto
Just a 50-minute drive down the highway, Hamilton fans have long taken over both the in-stadium experience and the pre-game festivities during the regular season while on the road in Toronto.
The bar of choice has often been Shoeless Joe’s so it is no surprise when the Grey Cup is in town that’s where the Ticats’ official party resides.
The spirit of Edmonton
The Eskimos fans won’t be winning a title again at this Grey Cup but the city of champions sure party like champs.
They hosted both a breakfast and all-day, all-night party that had lines down the block before entry. This event has become so big it even has a dedicated twitter account and the hashtag is known to trend.
Riderville
There’s lots of red and black in town as those are the colours of the teams playing in the big game, but the next most dominant colour around town is most certainly Rider green. In order to accommodate, the biggest hall space in the Metro Toronto Convention Centre was rented out for their party.
Saskatchewan’s players are so adored that a separate VIP area was set aside for Riders fans who were willing to pay more to take a load off, relax, and meet the men who put it on the line at Taylor field.
Don’t be surprised if you even see the players take part in the customary line dancing. The offensive line definitely showed off their footwork in 2016. This isn’t just an only-in-the-CFL moment, it’s an only-in-Riderville scene.
Atlantic Schooners downtown east kitchen party
No, Atlantic Canada doesn’t have a team yet. No, it isn’t necessarily interim as they don’t yet have a place to play or an ownership group. But they do have a ready-made fanbase.
Every year Atlantic Schooners fans come to the Grey Cup in large numbers to prove that the idea of the team at this point is fictional, but the support is not — they even have a full cheerleading squad selling calendars to raise funds and have made their own jerseys.
The Shipyard at the Grey Cup
No team has won more Grey Cups in league history than the Toronto Argonauts. And this year no franchise threw a better team party.
The “Dwayne Gretzky’s” band playing live at the Shipyard was appointment viewing and this party was always standing-room only.
Montreal tailgate
This venue was outside the box as it took place at the Metropolitan United Church. Which, when you think about it, makes sense as football is religion in La Belle province.
A completely bilingual affair, no matter if you spoke English or French, the conversations at this party almost always centred around the future of the franchise: Will they have a Canadian coach and GM next year? Will Montreal man Danny Maciocia return to the franchise?
The main observation, Montreal fans prove to be the most plugged in, knowledgeable fans in the league.
https://twitter.com/autumnzephyr/status/802305587669245952
RNation party
There was some concern that lots of RedBlacks fans would skip out on this Grey Cup because they’re hosting the 105th rendition of the event next year. I was mistaken. Talking to Ottawa fans the issue is tickets will be virtually impossible to get a year from now, therefore RNation isn’t taking this game for granted.
Lions’ den
Lions supporters are a much more eclectic group and they decided to hold their in the Toronto hot spot “Early Mercy” located in the trendy King Street west club district.
On this week it wasn’t Drake or NBA stars taking over the back booths of the club but fans from B.C. with throwback Geroy Simon jerseys sipping on appropriately coloured orange martinis and chilling.
Touchdown Manitoba
Real Sports Bar and Grill is known as the location for all things MLSE but it was all about Manitoba football this weekend.
Mike O’Shea was on hand still with the playoff beard going after elimination talking to season ticket holders about decisions to challenge and the difference between the first month of the season and the rest. Kyle Walters blended into the crowd with no official team attire, but the fans that recognized him congratulated him for his success and explained what it means for them that a Canadian is the executive of the team that represents their province.
Notice the name of the party is for the province not just the team. That isn’t a clerical error. Manitoba Bisons talk is just as lively as the Blue Bombers banter and local boy Andrew Harris is a full on celebrity in these parts.
Stamps house
The Bottom Line is a bar adjacent to the hockey hall of fame but this week they had some legendary football fans in attendance. Everyone, including the DJ, in the building has Stamps gear on head to toe.
There are many inside who believe they’ve got the best Stampeders team they’ve ever seen but nothing is taken for granted, even the superstitions of having their small mascot in town to cheer on the team.
Grey Cup Tweet up
It started as 15 or so fans and Nik Lewis in the basement of a bar. Now it’s a fully sanctioned event where players, bloggers and the league’s most social fans get together in a mixer where the socializing is done both online and orally.
