If you didn't want the Toronto Argonauts to advance to the Grey Cup in part because you were afraid of Rob Ford sightings, you likely weren't alone.
Despite not being invited by the Argos and strongly discouraged by CFL Commissioner Mark Cohon, Rob Ford did show up at the CFL East final at Rogers Centre. Suddenly, the U.S. audience cared about a CFL playoff game, but for all the wrong reasons.
Toronto football fans cared about the playoff game, but for the right reasons. The Toronto mayor showed up shortly after halftime, wearing the same jersey he wore when he made his infamous oral sex remarks. Was it coincidence that after Ford arrived, the Argonauts didn't score a single point for the rest of the game. Toronto only had 2 first downs and 50 passing yards after Ford's arrival.
The Argos were up 24-17 when Ford arrived. Hamilton won 36-24.
Okay, so Ford wasn't literally responsible for the Argos' collapse. But what was he trying to accomplish but splashing into Rogers Centre the way he did?
One area where supporters and detractors agree is that Rob Ford loves football. NFL ties and CFL jerseys are parts of his wardrobe, and his youth coaching is well-known. If you or I had a ticket to the East final, we would have been there for the kickoff, not strolling in late.
Well, as it turns out, Ford was late to the game because he was doing an interview with Canadian John Roberts on the Fox 'News' Channel and taping his first show for the Sun 'News' Network. Ford and his brother lost their long-time radio show on Newstalk 1010 earlier this month.
“Yes, one day I do want to run for prime minister,” Ford told Roberts.
Cohon was in Calgary for the West final, so he didn't cross paths with Ford. And while Ford might still be tempted to go to Regina for the Grey Cup, without his beloved Toronto Argos, the incentive won't be as strong for him to make the trip.
The picture above from a Hamilton fan in Section 129 spoke for how a lot of people think about the crack-smoking mayor. Hamilton Mayor Bob Bratina, a former Tiger-Cats play-by-play guy, refused to make a bet with Ford. Bratina would have collected on that bet, but is better off for not having to deal with Ford.
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Just after Hamilton tied the game at 24 early in the third quarter, TSN's Rod Black called attention to the elephant in the dome, but did so in the same spirit where you are talking about your ex, but don't want to say the name out loud. The pauses are only slightly exaggerated.
"Guess who's in the house? … The headline grabber himself … in that Argo jersey. … Had to pay for his own ticket. … Big football fan."
And that was the last we saw of what's-his-name.
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Ford could have watched "Saturday Night Live" take its shot at the Toronto mayor. The late Chris Farley was made for this role, but Bobby Moynihan did his best with Taran Killam as the CBC reporter. The skit was more of a shot at Canada than Ford, though the use of the CBC logo and graphics was pretty cool.
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photo credit: Twitter @MyManDK
Hamilton, Ontario, has had its own city council dysfunctions - particularly with establishing a new PanAm-ready football stadium in recent years. Besides, no one in Hamilton can likely afford to place a bet; U.S. Steel has tightly closed down whatever dregs of a century old ex-Canadian owned industry it purchased there.
Two Notes to SNL:
1) In Toronto, most TV news presenters more often than not can be recognized as either women and/or "visible minorities". The Ron Burgundyish plain vanilla white man routine is 30 years out of date. So why wouldn't SNL have followed suit?
2) (Even through a mid-2000s bankruptcy) Shaw Media owned 'Global TV' is the long-time Cdn licence holder of SNL broadcasts while CTV's group features NBC's late night shows. (English-Canadian network programmings are typically a mixed bag of individually purchased U.S. series; CBC has virtually no U.S. programming on its channel - except for Summer-season movies.) Pointedly featuring a CBC logo seems like a slap in the face to one of NBC/SNL's reliable revenue sources.
Posted by: CQ | November 18, 2013 at 06:34 PM
I wholeheartedly agree on the stadium issue in Hamilton. Downtown would have been a great spot. And the city lost huge revenue in 2013 from not having a team in town, especially if they win the Grey Cup.
As for SNL, the show has had trouble having visible minorities over the years. Nasim Pedrad would have been a better choice. Even though they used the CBC logo, it's not like they likely watch. I think the CBC logo was used because it's more recognizable to "Americans" and Lorne Michaels is Canadian. You also have to remember that SNL is about lazy comedy. Thinking that they are thinking about anything is overthinking.
Posted by: Chad | November 19, 2013 at 08:55 AM
Unrelated, can we agree that NBCSN really sucks? I just finished the West Final-what I wish they still called it. Editing 3-4minutes from the East Final and starting the 2nd half of West at 11:29 blows. Did they really need that $1,000 for the infomercial they air? Or maybe could they develop and grow an audience for a sport much more recognizable to us than soccer?
Posted by: Tim | November 20, 2013 at 08:58 PM
Totally not unrelated. You can see my response in the 2013 Grey Cup preview. You have a strong overall point about growing the game in the United States.
Posted by: Chad | November 21, 2013 at 01:46 AM