The CFL has a long, semi-prosperous, proud and perplexing history to say the least. I have no idea how this league has survived 96 yeas. It's the oldest running football league (1909) in North America. By contrast, the NFL has its roots in the 1920s. In any event, the bulk of the CFL talent comes from the States.
The Als have had a boom and bust type of life cycle in Montreal. It witnessed a Golden Age (I would argue 1950-1979) as well as the indignity of a folding franchise in 1986. Even when they returned in 1996 the chances of success were dicey. They played in front of sparse crowds at the Olympic Stadium until a stroke of luck befell them. U2 came to town and booted them out of the park. The Als scrambled and headed for McGill University's quaint stadium intimately nestled inside the city's great mountain: Mount-Royal. It was a run-away success and they never looked back.
The place is always sold out. Mind you, with a met. pop. of three million people one would hope that we Montrealers can fill up a 22 000 seat stadium.
The atmosphere is the number one reason people go to the games. Basically, it's the jazz festival crowd at a football game. It's a party. If you're an old-time football fanatic this is perhaps not the place for you.
As I sat with my buddy, a couple sat in front of us. The lady pulled out a Tupperware and opened it and began to chomp down on a salad with Asian nuts and rice crackers. Like I said, if you're the type of guy who supports the Oakland Raiders or Philadelphia Eagles this is not the place for you.
Montreal football has given way to a species of fans I term fuppies. Football yuppies.
On a side note, my goal in the near future is to visit soccer stadiums in Italy and England. Maybe even Spain. Closer to home, I'll be hitting a few ball and football parks and hockey arenas. So far, my list of places visited is modest: Fenway, Dodger Stadium, the old Silverdome (during World Cup '94), the old Maple Leaf Gardens, Air Canada Center (Raptors), Skydome, San Siro (Milan derby) and the Stade de Monaco (at least I think that's the name of the place where the French side play).
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