Bombers receive their fans’ message

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 01/10/2010 (5521 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Gotta admit, my first reaction to Bombers fans ponying up to help cover fines levied the other day against head coach Paul LaPolice and a few of his overzealous players for referee bashing ran along the lines of, “Good grief, the Apocalypse is upon us.”

You know, all that goodwill wasted on Bombers blaming officials for their latest defeat. Such misguided philanthropy. Couldn’t there be more noble causes needing that hard-earned coin?

That was before I was informed that $1,700 (and counting) has already been donated. And, um, it was the Free Press leading the charge.

My humble opinion hasn’t changed. Even a visually challenged individual — or a CFL referee — can plainly see the nerves being hit out there have as much or more to do with making a point than helping cover Paul LaPolice’s $1,000 talking ticket.

“Not the best ten bucks I ever spent,” wrote Marc Chateau, on the Freep’s Fine Fund board, “but if it helps get the point across that we are fed up as CFL fans….I’ll be satisfied.”

Another added: “Even if the donations are sent to a charity I hope this fund is an embarrassment to the CFL and it’s officiating crews.”

Good point, because according to the Bombers no fan donations are actually going to pay the fines. So I’m not exactly sure what the club will do when they get handed the cheque, although Free Press deputy online editor John White noted the Bombers could “hand it off” to the charity of their choice.

And if the faithful wanted to send a message with their credit card, it was received by Bombers rush end Philip Hunt, who was also fined by the CFL along with teammates Jovon Johnson and Obby Khan.

“That’s pretty deep, man,” Hunt said. “Here in Winnipeg I see where everybody likes to stick together. If you mess with one person in the Winnipeg family I guess you’re messing with everybody. That just goes to show we have a great group of fans and followers that back us well. I appreciate that 100 per cent.”

Now it goes without saying that referees have a thankless job. I know this because I gripe about them constantly and only acknowledge their contributions to the game when the giant screen close-up repeated in slow motion eight times from five different angles clearly shows the receiver’s foot was inbounds by two centimetres. I mean, duh.

Then there’s also the little matter of this whole donation business undermining what every parent should tell their 12-year-old son or daughter: Respect the officials. They make mistakes, just like all of us. The minute you focus on their job is the minute you lose focus on yours.

That’s certainly why the Bombers brass would be publicly distancing themselves from any grassroots fundraising effort.

It’s awkward. They don’t need the money and don’t want to dwell on excuses. The game’s over. They lost.

But I get the sentiment clearly being expressed by fans who sincerely believe their Bombers got hosed and are simply showing their support with modest donations to the cause. Besides, it’s not like money donated to the fine fund is money not going to Haiti relief. You can do both.

So let’s all agree that no conspiracy was involved, the fans have every right to complain, the Bombers who were fined spoke out of turn in the heat of the moment and anybody who wants to donate their own money to the kitty can pawn the cat if they want. It’s a free country.

Here’s a suggestion, though. Last week, Bombers veteran centre Obby Khan — one of the very offenders fined this week — unveiled a plan called Project Echo, a non-profit organization committed to raising $75,000 over the next three years to build a children’s village in northern Namibia.

Maybe you didn’t hear about it because it got lost in the news-cycle crowd. Hey, there’s no end to the number of do-good charity efforts established each week by well-meaning folks out there and we can’t cover them all, right? Some causes are just sexier, have better timing or hit the proper chord with the public.

Anyway, Khan and University of Manitoba Bisons player Thomas Hall have joined forces under the umbrella of Project Winnipeg to raise money for home supplies, food, shelter and medical care for up to 10 orphaned children in a village called Ondangwa. Khan is trying to expand the goal to have eight separate villages sponsored by all eight CFL teams.

“We sponsor a girl for a dollar a day and we get these letters back that make you cry and it makes you realize how much you could do with such a little contribution,” Khan told Free Press football scribe Ed Tait. “So to give back to 10 kids in Africa would be huge. But if we could give back to 80 kids and get the whole entire CFL involved… in my opinion that’s what the CFL is all about.

“Imagine having a village in Africa sponsored by the CFL? That would just be so cool.”

You see, Khan isn’t such a bad guy. Neither are the referees he criticized last week. Can’t we all just get along?

Just so you know, Project Winnipeg is holding its first major event, a banquet dinner, on Oct. 24 at Bailey’s Restaurant. For more information, you can contact Hall via email at director@project-echo.com or by phone at 979-0791.

CFL officials are free to donate, too.

We’re just sayin’.

randy.turner@freepress.mb.ca

Randy Turner
Reporter

Randy Turner spent much of his journalistic career on the road. A lot of roads. Dirt roads, snow-packed roads, U.S. interstates and foreign highways. In other words, he got a lot of kilometres on the odometer, if you know what we mean.

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