Bombers give would-be boo birds their marching orders

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are being criticized by some fans online for booking the University of North Dakota’s marching band for Friday’s game against Montreal.

With the current state of Canada-U.S. relations, and Friday being designated as Canadian Armed Forces Appreciation Night, many view the club’s decision to invite a band from a pro-Trump state as a puzzling one.

“I’m a very proud Canadian,” said Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea after Tuesday’s practice.

“But I don’t think politics enter into this entertainment realm when you’re dealing with university kids that are coming up here to put on a show.”

There has been discussion about booing the visitors from North Dakota or simply ignoring them altogether during their halftime performance.

O’Shea isn’t in favour of either approach.

“I’ll tell you what I think. I think like the 2021 West Final, we should be out of our seats, singing along, cheering and rocking the stadium. I mean, these are young men and women that are longing to be a part of something and entertain a crowd and they get a thrill out of entertaining and being a part of a team — and they are part of a team,” said O’Shea.

“And some of them might not even be old enough to vote. But I know as a parent, I understand how tough society can be on young men and women these days and I think we should damn well support them. They’re kids, they’re here to entertain us, and I think we should get out of our seats and if we know the song, we should all sing along with them.”

Bombers halfback Evan Holm hails from Edina, Minn., and played university football at North Dakota.

“I’ve lived in Minnesota, North Dakota and Winnipeg now. To me, it’s all the same. It’s pretty similar topography and stuff, too, so it’s all the same. I don’t know, we’re all human. (There’s) not that much of a difference as we’d like to think,” said Holm.

“We’re getting entertainment, and they’re trying to do a good job, so why would you boo them? That’s my thought.”

Holm said political tension between Canada and the U.S. doesn’t come up much in the locker room.

“I guess being an American, a lot of Canadians seem to be more in tune with our politics than their own it seems like,” he said. “We’re right below you, so it has some weight to it. But I never understood as much as people who get super into politics (unless) obviously when it starts affecting you.”

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