Tuesday 19 July 2016

Roughriders "Reign of Error" look needs to go

The circle "S" logo on retro uniforms brings bad luck.
    On August 31, 2014, the Saskatchewan Roughriders made an error that brought back the ghosts of the “Reign of Error.”
    The Roughriders took the field for the Labour Day Classic that day sporting their classic green uniforms with the two white arm stripes on each shoulder and green helmets showing off their traditional circle logo with the “S.” Unfortunately, there was one noticeable difference a superstitious fan would notice about the retro look in this game that was unsettling.
    When the Roughriders first brought back these classic retro uniforms in the 2007, they were looking to mirror a look the team had from the late 1960s through the 1970s during the glory days of when Ron Lancaster quarterbacked the club and George Reed powered the team on the ground at fullback. 
    In a match that was a tribute of that era, the Roughriders wore those throwbacks in the 2007 Labour Day Classic, where quarterback Kerry Joseph ran in the game-winning touchdown from 27 yards out in the final seconds to give the Green and White a thrilling 31-26 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
    The retro uniforms the Roughriders wore in 2007 did not contain a team logo and sported each players’ number on the sleeve of the upper arm. This look was widely recognized as the club’s 1970s look, and the Roughriders often wore these throwbacks for special occasions in the regular season and key games in the post-season. That included crushing the Blue Bombers in the 2012 Labour Day Classic 52-0.
    When those uniforms were brought back as alternates 2007, the Roughriders went on to make four Grey Cup appearances, which included wins in 2007 and at home in 2013.
    Unfortunately, there was a change in the look of these retro uniforms in the 2014 Labour Day Classic. The numbers on the sleeve on the upper arm were replaced with the classic circle logo with the “S.” The numbers were moved to the shoulder area.
The retro uniforms with no logo and numbers on sleeve bring good luck.
    With those subtle moves, the retro uniforms went from bringing back memories of the glory era of Lancaster and Reed to bringing back memories of the “Reign of Error,” when the Roughriders missed the playoffs for 11 straight years from 1977 to 1987. The Roughriders wore their classic green uniforms complete with the circle “S” logo on the sleeve on the upper arm through most of that unsuccessful span.
    That look is viewed as the look of the unsuccessful era of the early to mid-1980s. While wearing that look, the Roughriders once got bombed 56-0 by the Blue Bombers in Winnipeg on July 5, 1986. For all intents and purposes, that look is a cursed look.
    The cursed look didn’t bite the Roughriders right away, when they wore the retros with the circle “S” logo for the 2014 Labour Day Classic. In a thriller, Roughriders running back Anthony Allen delivered the hosts to a 35-30 victory over the Blue Bombers with a major in the last seconds. Saskatchewan improved to 7-2 with that victory.
    While the Roughriders don’t wear those uniforms all the time, the superstitious fan saw the door open to allow a string of bad things to fall the Roughriders way.
The Roughriders retro jerseys with circle "S" logo on sleeve are cursed.
    The curse struck in the team’s very next game on September 7, 2014. The Roughriders downed the Blue Bombers in Winnipeg that day 30-24 to improve to 8-2, but Saskatchewan lost franchise quarterback and Grey Cup hero Darian Durant to injury. He tore a tendon in his right elbow.
    That injury occurred when the officials didn’t blow a play dead with certainty in a loud Investors Group Field, which saw half of the players stop and half continue on the play. Bombers defensive end Bryant Turner continued with the play and nailed Durant to cause the injury.
    Since that game, the Roughriders have posted an unspectacular 5-25 record including regular season and playoffs. Durant returned for the regular season opener in 2015, but he was lost before halftime after rupturing his left Achilles tendon shortly before halftime on a non-contact play. He missed the rest of the 2015 campaign, which saw the Roughriders sit in the basement of the CFL with an awful 3-15 mark.
    In the Roughriders 0-3 start in 2016, Durant played the full first two games before leaving Saturday’s 40-27 loss to the B.C. Lions at Mosaic Stadium in the second quarter due to a severe left ankle sprain on a low hit. The Roughriders were ahead 10-7 when Durant left and were even up 23-10 at halftime before the wheels fell off.
These Roughriders classic retros with no logo should always be worn.
    During most of the 25 losses the Roughriders have suffered in their last 30 games, they have usually fallen in some sort of heartbreaking fashion. It seems the team can’t get a break.
    When they decide to wear throwbacks, they usually turn to their classic green uniforms with the circle “S” logo. The purpose of having the team logo on a uniform helps cement brand recognition. Unfortunately in the case of the Roughriders retro uniforms, it brings back the stench of a bad era, when the team almost folded.
    To make things clear, the Roughriders classic retro throwbacks with the circle “S” logo on the upper sleeve of the jersey are cursed, and they cause the team to be cursed when in use.
    The Roughriders classic retro throwbacks with no logo and the players’ numbers on the sleeve of the upper arm are good and lucky. Saskatchewan needs wear this retro look from here on out to no longer be cursed.
    That is my thought process, and I am sticking to it.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this kind of irrational fan-type post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.