Quick Slants: Fighting With My Green Family

Quick Slants: Fighting With My Green Family

Published: Friday, Mar 29th 2019, 4:03am

by: Greg McCulloch (@GregOnSports)

 

I love Rider fans, I truly do.

I tell anyone that will listen to me there is nothing cooler than Regina on Rider game day. The sun is brighter, the air is sweeter, the fans are greener, and for a couple of hours everyone is on the same page.

But when the game is over, the call-in shows have stopped taking calls, and the anger or joy wears off Rider fans go back at what they do… being Canada’s biggest dysfunctional family.

Family is probably the only way I can describe being a Rider fan to someone on the outside. Sometimes you get to see the people you like weekly, sometimes you reconnect with a someone you haven’t seen in forever, and sometimes you deal with a blowhard who claims they have inside information and runs their Facebook page like his own little fiefdom… Anyway, what I am trying to say is you can’t choose family.

One thing family does is fight, it is almost inevitable. There is so much love, passion, and caring it is hard not to get swept up in emotion.

The worst part is everyone is fighting for what they think is the greater good and they get blinded by their passion. And sometimes lines get crossed and fandom gets called into question. I hate the term “real” or “true” fans, and I will admit I have used them in the past, and often regretted it.

For instance, I love Rob Bagg for everything he did as a Rider and his work ethic, but do I think Rob Bagg is probably 2 years past his prime?

Yes, and I have said so very publicly.

But I also know of fans that would crawl on hot coals from Regina to Davidson to hand Bagg and his biceps a 5-year contract to come back.

Which to me is crazy but at the root of it all, what we want is for the roster to be the best it can be.

Not everything is black and white, or Green and White in this case. We just have 2 very different ideas on how to get there and often let our shouting voices get in the way… or more likely, 280 characters.

So yes families fight, but they also love and we are back at where we started.

I love Rider fans, I really do but sometimes you guys drive me up the wall… and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Bring on the season.