So it’s off to the Grey Cup.
Who would have thought, back in 2013, when the Redblacks were christened and started to come together, that the city would be watching its latest football franchise out on the gridiron, battling the Edmonton Eskimos for Canadian football’s top prize?
“Save the WiFi password here because we coming back,” tweeted Redblacks player Damaso Munoz back in October after playing in Winnipeg.
Munoz’s tweet spokes to a certain bravado, maybe unexpected, given the team’s dismal two wins and 16 losses in 2014.
A little more than a year ago, people openly wondered about some sort of curse on the Redblacks playing at home. Coach Rick Campbell wrote an open letter asking fans not to give up hope.
This is the fourth time owners have tried to make a go of pro football in this city. The 2015 Redblacks, of those teams, is the first to post a winning record since 1979. Campbell was with the Eskimos for five Grey Cup titles, and now he’ll try to do the same for Ottawa. Taking the team to the Grey Cup in only its second season is surely a promising state of affairs.
Success and celebration haven’t been hallmarks of football in Ottawa over the years. Franchises have played in a ramshackle stadium, and they’ve been lacklustre teams and, ostensibly, dealt with the backing of lukewarm fans.
This time, the city has rallied, as this team deserves. Games sold out last year even when the club was getting stomped. Sellouts are no surprise, now. These days, people sit outside TD Place to catch a glimpse of the Redblacks playing. Shirtsleeves polish bar rails during game time. At home, coffee tables are laden with nachos, and jerseys are proudly worn at work.
By all accounts, the atmosphere at Lansdowne during the east division final was electric.
The Redblacks have put up an astonishing season, from some early and pre-season wobbles to the stunning pass from quarterback Henry Burris to Greg Ellingson in the final moments of the game against Hamilton to take the team to the championship.
It’s never been enough to be the only football team in town — they’ve also had to win. This season, the team has shown itself, whatever happens on Sunday. And it has been fun to watch.
We’ve shown that this is a town that cares about football. There are passionate fans, and it’s partly their doing that this team has been so successful. No team can stand without its fans.
Once upon a time people asked what on earth a Redblack was.
Now we know: It’s a darn good football team of which this city can be proud.
