Riders looking to squash 'Banjo Bowl' name for Labour Day rematch with Winnipeg

The Saskatchewan Roughriders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers will go head-to-head this weekend in a game that has been dubbed the “Banjo Bow”’ for 19 years. However, the Riders organization has now rebranded it as the “Labour Day Rematch” instead.

The “Banjo Bowl” got its name from Blue Bombers board member David Asper back in 2004. It came following infamous comments made by former Bomber Troy Westwood in the 2003 season ahead of a matchup between the two teams. Westwood was quoted saying that people from Regina were “A bunch of banjo-picking inbreeds.” Westwood later apologized for the comments even adding, “The vast majority of people in Saskatchewan have no idea how to play the banjo.”

That was a perfect opportunity for former Premier of Saskatchewan, Brad Wall, to get in on the humour years later. In 2013 he took to social media to share a humorous video of him playing the banjo.

“Oh hi, I was just playing the banjo. I practice a lot, turns out I’m just not very good at it. Kind of like the Bombers at football,” Wall joked in the video.

“I don’t know. I’m kind of lukewarm on it. I know there’s a story behind it. I like the Labour Day Rematch personally better. But whatever, if it sells tickets that’s fine,” Riders head coach, Craig Dickenson said when asked about the name.

“I always knew it as the Banjo Bowl,” laughed Riders receiver and local Regina product, Mitch Picton. “Troy Westwood I think made those comments about Saskatchewan but I don’t know it’s almost throwing stones from a glass coming from Winnipeg.”

Picton admitted he still calls it the Banjo Bowl. Fellow Regina product Jaxon Ford was a little more nonchalant about referring to it as the Banjo Bowl before he played in the league.

“Sure, I guess so?” he said when asked. “It’s the Banjo Bowl.” he then stated when asked what he calls it now.

Melfort, Sask.’s Logan Ferland found humour in being asked about the name on Thursday.

“I don’t really know what to say,” he laughed. “It is what it is, I’m just out there to play football. I mean I get that [why they don’t want to call it the Banjo Bowl]. I don’t really have a name for it, it’s a football game,” Ferland said.

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However, the comments from 2003 have struck something with the Riders organization as they now refuse to refer to the game as the “Banjo Bowl” in any capacity, despite media and almost everyone else still using the name.

For special teams member Mario Alford, who did not grow up around the rivalry he had no idea about the name.

“I don’t even know the history of it. Nobody ever really told me ‘The Banjo Bowl’ or the history behind it,” said Alford.

“I say it’s the rematch but a lot of people are going to say it’s the ‘Banjo Bowl’. Can you tell me what it is?” asked Alford. “You can call it the Banjo Bowl then” he concluded.

This is the 19th time these two teams will meet in the rematch but the Bombers hold the series with 11 wins.

Last year the team failed to even come close to the top team in the west in a 54-20 loss. However, the team had a debilitating stomach flu that made its way through the team just hours before kickoff and throughout the game.

On seven occasions the Riders have swept the home-and-home series, the most recent came in 2018. The year that now current Bombers quarterback, Zach Collaros was at the helm for the Riders.

Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m. on Saturday.