STAY CONNECTED TO VIBRANTVICTORIA
WHAT'S HAPPENING ON CITIFIED VICTORIA
The US has 58 college stadiums that have more seating capacity than BC Place. Many (most?) of them hosting a game will be full this Saturday.
In 2002 because I was working for a large Omaha-based technology firm I got the opportunity to watch a Nebraska Cornhuskers game, home stadium in Lincoln NB, seating ~ 90,000. The game was against Texas which was the # 7 ranked team in the US coming into that game. All I can say is attend any large US college game at a program where BCS football is king and I promise you won't forget the experience any time soon. There were probably 10,000+ people at the tailgate party alone, and happening at the same time. It was in a nutshell a complete and utter gong show. I am a proud Canadian and love this country as much as the next person but football here isn't even in the same galactic dimension as south of the 49th. The "cradle" of the CFL by common consent is the Prairie region, Saskatchewan specifically. Their stadium seats less than 30,000.
The Cornhuskers are virtually a religion in the entire state of Nebraska pure and simple. On the four corners of the Memorial Stadium are inspirational messages which any kid under 16 in the state probably knows by heart, one of the most repeated being "Not the victory but the action; Not the goal but the game; In the deed the glory." Can the Canadian game claim to have anything remotely similar? And remember - this happens in over a 100 other US college campuses each Sunday. And then there is the mega-hype over Super Bowl which everyone knows all too well....
On game day in Nebraska - not just Lincoln but in virtually the entire state - everyone, and I do mean EVERYONE regardless of gender or age, wears Husker t-shirts, shorts, track pants, shoes, underwear and sports bras. You stick out like a bruised thumb if you don't. The closest thing we have in this country in terms of sporting passion, participation and media coverage is, not surprisingly, hockey. The CFL, venerable as it is, doesn't even begin to come close IMO and I've been to three Grey Cups.
