Knock, knock.
Who鈥檚 there?
Owen.
Owen who?
0-7.
If you鈥檙e a Saskatchewan Roughrider fan then chances are good that you鈥檝e heard that joke, or a variation of it, sometime this season already.
If not, then you鈥檙e simply not listening to anything that anyone ever says to you鈥� ever.
After all, it鈥檚 no secret that the Saskatchewan Roughriders are, to put it nicely, struggling in the 2015 CFL season (in reality they鈥檙e going down quicker than the Titanic).
In fact the Riders are off to one of, if not their worst, starts in franchise history with a 鈥榩erfect鈥� 0-7 record thru seven games this year, boasting the second worst defence in the league behind only the lovely Winnipeg Blue Bombers (allowing 225 points to Winnipeg鈥檚 237) and a struggling offence that, despite it鈥檚 troubles is still fourth best in the league at 174 points scored so far.
But if one didn鈥檛 look at the standings, watch the games or talk to any Winnipeg Blue Bomber or Calgary Stampeder fans, then they wouldn鈥檛 know it, because the fans of the Riders are still proudly cheering for their team, seemingly oblivious to the fact that their team is dead last (although fully aware of the standings. After all, they鈥檙e smart fans).
You see it not just every game day, but literally every day; people walking around clad in Rider gear, wearing green and proudly displaying their Rider pride for everyone to see, not just in Saskatchewan but all across Canada from Vancouver to St. John鈥檚, Windsor to Iqaluit. It really is impressive.
I can safely say that as fan of a different CFL team (Here we go Eskies, here we go!) it鈥檚 honestly admirable how Riders fans continue to support their team despite the on field issues.
Sure, that鈥檚 exactly what fans are supposed to do. They鈥檙e supposed to stick with their team through thick and thin. Every sports team鈥檚 fan bases do the same if their struggling (to an extent).
But that鈥檚 where the similarities end.
Because while fans of other teams may continue to cheer for their team, they鈥檒l do so quietly so no one can see.
The majority of the fans from other teams don鈥檛 really feel like wearing their team gear out in public if their team is doing badly. For example many Oilers fans (myself included) haven鈥檛 put on their Oilers clothing in years (other than in the privacy of their own homes, where their tears can run freely down their cheeks without judgement鈥� or is that only me?)
Meanwhile Riders fans are celebrating their team as if they鈥檙e 7-0 and not the complete opposite. Sure, they may poke fun at their inept defence, the horrible quarterbacking or bad coaching decisions that have been more prominent this season than in recent years, but they do it while 100%, completely, fully and without embarrassment supporting their team.
Many other fan bases around the CFL ridicule and poke fun at the Rider fans. I鈥檝e seen it, heard it, heck, I鈥檝e even done it (in jest, of course). However those fan bases could also learn a thing or two from Rider Nation. The way Rider fans love their team is really second to none. The support and pride they have in their team is incredible, almost as if the Riders aren鈥檛 just a sports team but a family member.
To end, the Rider fans shouldn鈥檛 be embarrassed for their team鈥檚 horrible start to the season; instead the team should be embarrassed to let down such a supporting fan base that, although unhappy, has continued to support the team in ways that other teams can only dream of. Well done, Rider Nation, well done.
