It may be the latest in the year that it has ever taken place, but 12th December will see us witnessing the 108th Grey Cup. With the Winnipeg Blue Bombers set to face the Hamilton Tiger-cats, it will be the latter who is looking for revenge. As a rerun of the 2019 cup, the Bombers swept the Tiger-cats aside and took victory. With Covid getting in the way of the 2020 game, this is a chance to put things right. According to Betway insider, the Bombers are still the favourites, so the Tiger-cats have some work to do over the next few days.
What is it about the Grey Cup that sees teams desperate to win? What is it about a single game that can draw in an audience of millions? Let’s take a look.
The Canadian way
Ultimately the Grey Cup comes down to being all about Canadian culture. While Canadian Football has somewhat of a crossover with American Football, the Grey Cup is exclusive to Canada and there is no outside interference.
The Canadian Football League (CFL) and the Grey Cup are about distinguishing the sport in its own right. This goes a long way towards keeping the cultural differences between the country and the US.
A whole lot of history
The Grey Cup is steeped in history and tradition and for this reason, it will always matter. The cup was first awarded back in 1909 and was there for the amateur football championship. The game was a little different back then and was perhaps closer to rugby rather than the football game that we all know and love today.
It was in the 1950s that professional football teams became a dominant force in Canadian Football. By 1966 the Grey Cup was part of the Canadian Football League and has remained so ever since. It is the ultimate in sporting prizes in the country.
An open game
The Grey Cup doesn’t discriminate against any team. Any team can earn its place in the game and, once there, any team can win. This is what makes the Grey Cup so exciting to watch and goes some way to explaining why it is so popular and remains relevant to Canadians.
You don’t have to look too far back to find a dramatic upset with the Calgary Stampeders being trampled by the Ottawa Redblacks. This was one of the biggest upsets ever seen in the Grey Cup and it just goes to show that anything can happen!
The Covid effect
There has always been competition from the NFL and there may have been times that the CFL has struggled somewhat. For all the suffering that Covid has brought, it didn’t seem to turn around the fortunes of the Canadian game with fans seemingly becoming more loyal to their home game.
Of course, loyalty to the game as a whole means that the Grey Cup will remain important for the long term as it is the ultimate prize. Fans showed their support for the cup, and for the sport, by paying to have their names inscribed on the base of the cup. The funds from this went to supporting the game and helping it to recover from the losses caused by Covid. To this end, the Grey Cup has saved the sport itself.
Other articles from mtltimes.ca – totimes.ca – otttimes.ca
Omicron COVID-19 Variant is in Quebec
Latest data sees rise in separation anxiety as Canadian pet owners start to return to office
