Riders, Lions ready to clash in CFL West semifinal
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The Riders are hosting a playoff game for the first time since 2021.
The start of the Chris Jones era has been a hard one for the Riders.
The team is 1-7 for the season and suffered their worst loss of the season in Hamilton Saturday.
While many fans may be suffering in the pride department, there are some who are feeling the pinch in their wallets.
Jim Rogers, general manager of The Lancaster Taphouse in Regina, said Rider losses also count against the bottom line.
“It’s definitely a loss of business, it’s a notable loss of business. Home games or away games, you know, probably a loss costs $2,000 in sales,” he said.
Rogers said they will also feel it if the Riders don’t make the playoffs.
“Not having a playoff game, not having that excitement down the stretch, it hurts business,” he said.
Rogers added at the Capitol, a bar he also co-owns, people were more interested in watching the Tragically Hip concert than the Riders Saturday.
“Our plan was we were going to show the Roughrider game on the TV and have the concert on the big projector on the stage; but, polling some of our customers, no one was too interested in the game.”
Patrons at The Capitol were not alone in their lack of interest in the Rider game. In at least one other bar in the city, the majority of TVs were switched over from the Riders to the concert before the end of the game.