Sense of community draws Canadian fans to Grey Cup

Their teams may not be vying for this year's Grey Cup, but that hasn't stopped some dedicated Canadian football fans from descending on the centre of the country to witness the championship game.

WINNIPEG – Their teams may not be vying for this year’s Grey Cup, but that hasn’t stopped some dedicated Canadian football fans from descending on the centre of the country to witness the championship game.

The 112th Grey Cup will see the Saskatchewan Roughriders take on the Montreal Alouettes at Winnipeg’s Princess Auto Stadium on Sunday.

Longtime Hamilton Tiger-Cats fan and season-ticket holder Sheree Bashak donned a head-to-toe ensemble she handcrafted herself that included a large foil hat with handles to represent the coveted trophy, while her husband, Steve, wore a blow-up football costume as they took part in Friday’s street festival.

Bashak has been has been travelling to take in Grey Cup games since 2014, and it’s the sixth year she has dressed up as the cup. This year’s costume required a new hat after her old paper mache one took a beating from making five prior trips.

“It’s community and fun and love, and we need more of that in the world,” the Brampton, Ont., resident said when asked what brings her back each year.

Bashak completed her outfit with a pair of personalized earrings. On one ear, a football player outfitted in green dangles above her shoulder to represent Rider nation. The other ear has a player in blue with a white ‘M’ emblazoned on the jersey to pay homage to the Alouettes.

But when asked who she’s cheering for on Sunday, she had to go with the Prairie team.

“I think I’m going Saskatchewan, because I’m still crying over our Ticat loss against Montreal last week. So I don’t know if my heart can bring me to cheer for them.”