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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
