Title/Author:
“100 Grey
Cups: This Is Our Game” by Stephen Brunt
Tags:
Football
(Canadian), professional, championship, history
Publish date:
October 2,
2012
Length:
224 pages
Rating:
4 ½ of 5
stars (excellent)
Review:
The Grey
Cup is the championship game of the Canadian Football League and like its
American counterpart, the Super Bowl, Grey Cup Sunday is a day in which the
entire nation will celebrate the game of football and people will attend
parties for the game whether or not they are fans. However, the Grey Cup had an
inauspicious debut and some interesting games and history during its infancy in
the early 20th century.
During the 2012 CFL season, which would culminate with the 100th
Grey Cup game, sportswriter Stephen Brunt published a book that looks at the history
of not only the game, but also of the trophy and some of the teams that have
made the history of this championship game very interesting.
Hockey
fans know of the history of the Stanley Cup trophy and its humble
beginnings. The Grey Cup has a similar history
of its own as it too was passed from various players and teams that didn’t
exactly treat it with reverence. The chapters on the early history of the game
alone were worth reading but the remaining chapters about the teams that have
won the Grey Cup were interesting as well.
This book did not simply list each game’s winner and give a brief description of the games, although there is an index listing the winning team, losing team and MVPs for each year up to 2011. Chapters were in chronological order, but chosen for significant moments in Grey Cup history. For example, the 1948 season was highlighted as the year that not only a team from the western portion of the country won the game, but it was when the Grey Cup became a national party. Other seasons highlighted included 1978 when the Edmonton Eskimos began a long run as the champions, 1995 when the Baltimore Stallions became the first and only team based in an American city to win the Grey Cup and 1935 when Winnipeg became the first team to win with American players on the roster.
This book did not simply list each game’s winner and give a brief description of the games, although there is an index listing the winning team, losing team and MVPs for each year up to 2011. Chapters were in chronological order, but chosen for significant moments in Grey Cup history. For example, the 1948 season was highlighted as the year that not only a team from the western portion of the country won the game, but it was when the Grey Cup became a national party. Other seasons highlighted included 1978 when the Edmonton Eskimos began a long run as the champions, 1995 when the Baltimore Stallions became the first and only team based in an American city to win the Grey Cup and 1935 when Winnipeg became the first team to win with American players on the roster.
The chapters would not only highlight the Grey Cup game and season, but would also narrate an interesting history on the franchise highlighted in the chapter. For example, the chapter on the 1935 game talked about the entire history of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers team, including the 1950’s teams coached by NFL Hall of Fame coach Bud Grant and the later struggles for the franchise. The most interesting chapter was the one on the 1995 champs, as the team was created by an experiment to expand the CFL into American cities. Baltimore was eager for football as this was the time between the Colts leaving and the Ravens arriving. They put together a great team on the field and were the only franchise to stay intact when the American experiment ended, moving to Montreal to become the new Montreal Alouettes.
The book
was well written, well researched and fun to read. The only quibble I had was in a couple spots
the scores given while writing about the progress of the game did not make
sense. For example, in the 1978 chapter
about the Edmonton Eskimos, when describing the start of the third quarter, it
was stated that the “Esks led 14-4 at the half, and stretched it to 17-3 not
long after the break.” There is no
subtraction of points in the CFL, so this was confusing, most likely a typo
that was missed. It didn’t detract from
my enjoyment of the book – but it was enough to keep me from giving this a
perfect 5 star rating.
This was a fun book to read and learn more about the history of the Grey Cup. The author writes proudly about its uniquely Canadian flavor and that made me enjoy the book even more, as it was apparent the author enjoyed writing it. Anyone who enjoys the Canadian version of football or wants to learn more will enjoy reading this.
This was a fun book to read and learn more about the history of the Grey Cup. The author writes proudly about its uniquely Canadian flavor and that made me enjoy the book even more, as it was apparent the author enjoyed writing it. Anyone who enjoys the Canadian version of football or wants to learn more will enjoy reading this.
Did I skim?
No, as I
was eager to learn about the history of the trophy and the game. Therefore, I carefully read each chapter and
took a little longer reading this book than usual.
Pace of the book:
It took awhile
to get through the book. Not only because the aforementioned desire to learn
more about the game, but also because the chapters did not seem to flow freely
while reading. The main topic or team
covered in the chapter would not necessarily be the subject throughout the
chapter. While very interesting and
informative, it made me read the book a little more carefully.
Do I recommend?
Anyone who
wants to learn more about the history of the Canadian Football League, its signature
game or the rich history of the trophy itself will want to pick this book
up. As a fan that has started watching
and learning the Canadian game, this was an interesting look at the Grey Cup
trophy and game.
Book Format Read:
E-book
(Nook)
Buying links:
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