My Own Private NFL
By Mike Lummis
A few months back, I read something in the Globe that made me question whether I was hallucinating. My beloved Pittsburgh Steelers were coming to town to play the Buffalo Bills at Rogers Centre. The date set for the game was August 14th, exactly two weeks before my birthday.
After confirming that what I was seeing in print was in fact reality, my mind started racing. What a perfect birthday gift! Surely someone will make the connection and buy me tickets.
Well, the months rolled by, and I began to realize that I probably wasn’t going to the game. The tickets were extremely expensive, ranging for $105 up to $550. On top of that, Toronto Argos ticket holders got first dibs at tickets, followed by Buffalo Bills ticket holders. Apparently, the day the tickets were made available, upwards of 80,000 people responded.
And so, I stoically accepted that I wasn’t going to live my dream of seeing my team live and in person. I’ve loved the Steelers since I was a kid. My dad, a former Canadian College Quarterback ( U of T and McMaster, respectively ), got me into the Steelers back in the 70’s when I was a kid.
Going to Pittsburgh to see my team seemed impossible, as the games are regularly sold-out with a long waiting list. But, just a week before the game, my wife decided that for me to not be at the game was a crime against humanity. Okay, maybe not that extreme, but certainly wrong. She bought me two $105 tickets and I thought I was going to pass out from excitement.
I don’t have many fellow NFL fans as friends, therefore finding someone to accompany me was tricky. My wife suggested I take my dad. I rarely see him, as he lives is Grand Bend, and so I called him. He said he’d love to go.
The thing is, over the last 10 years my dad has developed a short-term memory problem. He constantly asks the same questions over and over. It’s not Alzheimer’s, thank God, but it’s difficult for him and those around him. He’s become depressed from it at times and he isn’t the same fun-loving guy he used to be.
Nevertheless, I took him to the game. The entire time I was taking care of him. I guided him to our seats and constantly checked in with him to see that he was OK.
When we arrived at the stadium, we were padded down like we were entering Alcatraz. I’ve been to tons of Raptors, Jays and Leafs games and have never experienced anything like that. They were padding down everyone. This upset my dad and I chalked it up to a sign of the times and an example of American sports coming to TO.
Our seats were up quite high and we had to navigate a long, steep stair-climb to reach them. My dad struggled with the climb and I noticed that even young people were huffing and puffing.
Seeing my team come running onto the field sent a rush of excitement through me. It was only a pre-season game, but I loved every minute of it. We almost won the game on the final play, when the Steelers third-string quarterback threw a perfect bomb to the end-zone that was held on momentarily and then dropped.
Overall, it was a great experience. We only bought one beer each, as they were priced at a criminal $9.25 each! On the way out, there was a huge police presence, again a sign of the American experience. My dad and I hailed a cab in the rain and headed back to my place. It was a night I’ll never forget. I had my own NFL experience, without crossing the border. And I got to bring my dad. Priceless.