Saturday’s CFL match up between Montreal and Toronto almost became the game no one could see. As part of the pre game festivities the Argos launched off a pyrotechnic display that while loud and bright, seemed to leave the assembled 30,000 plus blanketed in a smoky haze for the better part of two quarters.
The interesting irony over the smoky lounge like feel to the Rogers Centre on Saturday, is that the management there is on a holy crusade to stamp out smoking in the stadium.
It’s a situation that has become a bit of a controversy in Politically correct Toronto, which is like other cities on a stamp out smoking crusade wherever it may be.
In fact the rule is if you wish to smoke you need to leave the stadium, but if you do, you can't come back in. It’s an interesting way of approaching the concept of return visits from those fans not wishing to buy season’s tickets.
Rather than set off an area outside of the stadium but still accessible securely to the Centre, it’s no smoking for the masses. A situation that has sent The Fan’s Bob McCown off on a tangent more than a few times, pointing out the goofy nature of the Rogers Centre edict.
McCown makes some valid point with his argument though, while he and probably most smokers can understand the concept of not smoking in the stands, or even in the stadium, having a smokers Siberia close by would at least allow them to duck out of the place for a quick puff or two before returning to their seats for the rest of the game.
It does seem like a positively sensible compromise, which is probably why it will never happen. When it comes to officialdom, compromise and sensibilities somehow never seem on the same page.
Mind you all the plans of banning the evil weed, seem to go up in smoke when you fill an indoor stadium full of a pyrotechnical haze, allowing smoker and non smoker alike to gag their way through a half of football.
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