I grew up loving the CFL. It was the league that made me fall in love with sports. I don’t even think I really knew other leagues existed for a little while.
When I found out about them, I was like, “Why would anyone watch that?” “Why would anyone want to watch the NHL, or the NBA, or the MLB when you could watch the CFL?” I remember one time I was at an airport when I was six, and I walked past one of the restaurants, and they had an NFL game on. I didn’t recognize the teams, and my dad told me it was a different league. I couldn’t believe it! I remember thinking, “Why on earth would anyone watch some other football league? What’s the point when we already have the CFL?” That’s what the CFL was to me.
It was the preeminent league, filled with superstars, and every game was an appointment event. All of this is to say that one of the largest contributing factors was the crowd. The atmosphere. The environment. Seeing Saskatchewan and Winnipeg consistently sold out. An average attendance of 39,032 here in Edmonton when I was seven and 41,933 when I was eight. There were 2,303,365 fans that attended games across the league that year as well. A single game record of 62,517 at Commonwealth when I was 12.
Those were the ages I fell in love with the league, and a huge part of why was because of the atmosphere these crowds drew, what the environments were, and what it felt like. It felt like something special. It made these players feel like rockstars. It was something special. So I don’t know. Maybe there’s a kid out there who feels like that too. And maybe what would take him over the edge and follow that line of passion is 30,000+ out in the stands consistently, because then he would know what it means to people. Maybe it’s a little corny, or maybe I’m overblowing this whole thing. But it’s what happened to me.
What does a 30,000-plus crowd mean to Edmonton Elks players?
Let’s look at something much more important. What does it mean to this team and to these players? Every athlete wants to play in front of a crowd. That goes without saying. I’ve talked to the players about it. Following the Saskatchewan and Calgary games last year and having the chance to talk to Coach Mark Kilam, quarterback Cody Fajardo, and running back Justin Rankin, they all talked about how much they thrive in it. They want to put on a show, they want to show out for the people who love the game the way they do. Sometimes we may be conditioned to think that “Hey, these are just professionals, and they’re doing a job,” but there exists a very real human element to these things. Most of us will never be able to experience seven or 12 or 30 thousand fans cheering us on, but I think there’s no question we can relate to that human side of things. Would you rather make seven people laugh or 30? If you had a 300-seat venue for your wedding and 70 people showed up, you might feel a little slighted, right? This is a much grander scale, and we can only ever watch from the outside looking in, but I think inherently we can all relate. It’s no different for these players. They thrive with a crowd of 30,000-plus. They live for it. If we’re fans, the way we think and say we are, the least we can do is our part to show up and show out.
How does consistent attendance impact the Edmonton Elks organization?
So what about the organization? I think this is probably the most obvious one. It’s no secret that attendance has been down, fan interest has waned, and there’s a portion of the fanbase who still feels alienated from the name change. There is no question that 30,000 consistently gets this organization in the right direction. In 1983, they averaged 57,901 fans per game. Granted, that was 40 years ago, and life was a lot different back then, but that, along with the relevancy and the stature of being the premier franchise in this league, is what the Elks are aiming for. 30,000 consistently in the stadium remind everyone who the EE are. What they’re about. Why the “City of Champions” moniker was anointed. It wasn’t just because of all the winning the Oilers and the Eskimos did.
It was because the fanbase had Commonwealth Stadium feeling like every game was the Grey Cup. The moniker was as much about the way these fanbases rallied around their team as it was about them winning championships. So that’s what it means to the organization. It means a return to form. To who they should be. Who they are. So with the upper bowl being opened this Saturday for the first time since 2023 (officially) is an unbelievable step for the organization. It proves that the interest is there. That the fans care. That they want this team to succeed.
It’s a return to form, and it’s been a long time coming.
