A billboard outside of the Edmonton Eskimo’s office poking fun at the Saskatchewan Roughriders has fans of both teams talking. Now, the Riders’ President and CEO Jim Hopson has joined the conversation.
“I thought it was pretty funny,” Hopson said. “It didn’t surprise me that they finally put a billboard up because we’ve been doing it for quite a while.”
For several years the Riders have placed billboards in markets from Toronto to Edmonton. Last year, a successful campaign was launched with a billboard that said Rider fans would save a section at Commonwealth for Eskimo fans. In the end, over 62,000 people attended the game.
The billboard says “They can’t count to 13 at Grey Cup. We have 13 Grey Cups and counting”, poking fun at the fact the team had 13 men on a last play field goal in the 2009 Grey Cup, which gave the Montreal Alouettes another chance to win the game. There is a picture of a shocked looking fan sitting in a chair while watching the game.
“I had a call from a friend who saw it and he said he’s sure that they used him as the model,” Hopson laughed.
Hopson knew the 13th man joke would be used frequently this year given how the team ended the 2009 season. He says the billboard helps build the CFL, Roughrider and Eskimo brands and gets people talking.
To show his appreciation of the billboard, Hopson contacted Eskimo President Rick LeLacheur and said they had a good laugh.
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.