A friend of mine (the guy in the Sheffield jersey in the second video) recently attended the Chargers/Jets playoff game last weekend.  Now, this friend is actually a rabid Buffalo Bills fan…..so, needless to say, he was not cheering for the Jets.  That being said though, once again, he was blown away by the overwhelming support Jets fans showed their team.  Even in San Diego…..Jets Nation was strongly represented and, as my friend stated:

“Jets fans are crazy…by far the best fans to party with at a tailgaiter!”.

Although Fireman Ed was not in attendance, it is rumored that he was there in spirit and has been cheering on his beloved Jets back in New York.  I can honestly say that throughout our travels, the spirit of Jets fans can only be rivaled by the spirit of our own Saskatchewan Roughrider fans.  They are both “Green” at heart and hard-working, blue collar in nature.  Exactly how you would envision a football fan.

NY Jets Photos – http://www.flickr.com/photos/42340245@N02/sets/72157622575665005/

Saskatchewan Roughrider photos – http://www.flickr.com/photos/greycupfanconnect/sets/72157622907460298/

Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts will be a tough test for the surging Jets this Sunday, but I can only imagine that the Jets faithful will be out in full force and Rider Nation will be cheering along with you!!!!  GO GREEN!!!!!!!

J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets!!!!!!!!!!!

NY Jets Experience & Social Media

Throughout all of our travels and experience over the past few months attending professional games in the NFL, MLB and NHL, one thing has stood out about the CFL is that the relationship that exists between the CFL, it’s players and fans is truly special.  Nothing captures this connection better that the Grey Cup Festival weekend and Grey Cup Championship game.

The Canadian Football League has a long history in Canada and has seen a rise in popularity over the past few years.  Mostly in part to the tremendous job that the CFL does in promoting the game, it’s players, coaches and executives. What makes the CFL unique compared to other professional leagues is that these players, coaches and executives are accessible to the fans and this is never more apparent than during the Grey Cup Festival weekend.

The following videos are a collection of experiences we captured during the 2009 Grey Cup Festival weekend.  Each of these showcase the unique connection between the CFL, players, executives and their fans.

CFL fans greet Wally Buono (BC Lions Head Coach)

While walking back from the CFL Experience at the Telus Convention centre, we bumped into Wally Buono outside of the BC Lions official Grey Cup party at The Palomino in downtown Calgary. Wally took the time to chat with these fans that showered him with praise.  Following this experience, one of these fans expressed his opinion on “What the CFL is all about!”.

CFL Tweetup

Led by the amazing team at CFL.ca, the first official CFL Tweetup was organized during the 2009 Grey Cup Festival weekend at The Unicorn bar in downtown Calgary.  For those that don’t know, a Tweetup is an event where people who Twitter come together to meet in person. In this case, the invitation was open to all passionate CFL fans on Twitter that wanted to socialize with other “Tweeps” and talk about the game they love.

There have been many other examples of Tweetup’s in other leagues including those organized by @dani3boyz (http://nhltweetup.com) and the Phoenix Suns being the most well known.  What made the CFL Tweetup a special event is that the CFL.ca staff (with the assistance of Jeff Armstead – InTheTunnel.com) brought along some special guest including Nik Lewis, Tad Kornegay and the CFL commissioner – Mark Cohon.  All of the CFL Twitter fans in attendance had a chance to meet and greet these individuals. And, the players and commish got to express their gratitude to the fans that make the CFL so special.

Anwar Stewart (Montreal Alouettes) gives his 2009 Grey Cup Champions cap to a young Calgary Stampeders fan.

Following the Montreal Alouettes 2009 Grey Cup victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Anwar Stewart (Defensive End for the Montreal Alouettes) celebrated with fans by running around with an Alouettes flag.  He took a moment during his celebration to approach the stands and hand his 2009 Grey Cup Champions cap to a young Calgary Stampeders fan.  This moment of kindness truly showed Anwar’s character and provided a young CFL fan an experience that he will never forget.  The look on this young guys face is priceless!

It is moments like these that make me proud to be Canadian and to have a league that we can call our own. Although just under half of the players on each team are made up of “import” players, it is apparent that each and every one of these guys appreciate the level of support their receive from north of the border and value their responsibility as role models to many CFL fans. And, for many CFL players, the connection they have with the fans is one that is appreciate as much as it is by the fans.

This year marks the 97th Grey Cup, but did you know that the Grey Cup itself is already 100 years old?  And, did you know that the Grey Cup was originally presented as an Amateur Rugby trophy?

Dennis Dowell (CFL Hall of Fame) – Grey Cup History

“The Grey Cup has a long history and there have been many memorable moments over the years,” says Sheldon Lachambre – 2009 Grey Cup Festival – Director of Marketing and Media Relations “Some people have been coming to the Grey Cup Festival religiously for 20+ years, and every CFL fan has a Grey Cup game memory that is special to them!”

“These Grey Cup memories and the connection CFL fans have with each other is what makes the Grey Cup Festival such a special event. Therefore we felt it was important to implement a social media strategy and to showcase how the 2009 Grey Cup Festival connects CFL fans from East to West.”

Check out the 2009 Grey Cup Festival website to view the official press release: http://2009greycupfestival.com/news/34.html

2009 Grey Cup Festival, CFL Playoffs & CFL Fans = Excitement!!!

While at the game, I took time to chat with some CFL fans about the Grey Cup Festival.  Virtually everyone I speak with about this topic says the same things.

1. The Grey Cup Festival connects people from across Canada
2. The Grey Cup game is the pinnacle of the Festival, but all the events leading up to the game are what make the Festival special
3. Many people make the Grey Cup Festival an annual event and have made lifelong friends that are all connected by the Grey Cup Festival.

The two videos below communicate these points from two perspectives…….a Lions fan and an Eskimos fan.  Traditionally, they are football rivals, but when it comes to the Grey Cup Festival, it’s all about having fun, connecting with old friends and making new friends!

Edmonton Eskimos Fans – Grey Cup Festival Highlights (a 17 yr veteran!)

BC Lions Fan – Grey Cup Festival Highlights