A History of the Greatest Trophy in North America – The Grey Cup

If you haven’t heard of the Grey Cup, then that’s on you. The Grey Cup is the most prestigious trophy in the history of Canadian football. It is one of the biggest annual sporting events in Canada, drawing an average audience of 4 million in Canada only. It is televised and has numerous sponsors and partners looking to make the program available while also putting their products out there. While the trophy has been around for 114 years, the latest edition was the 110th edition. It was played on November 19, 2023, when the Montreal Alouettes overcame the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 28-24. 

The Grey Cup was inaugurated in 1909 by the erstwhile Canada’s governor’s general, Earl Grey – which is where the trophy got its name. The trophy was to be donated at first, but after another cup – the Allan Cup – served this purpose, Grey then decided to make the trophy the official trophy for the winner of the Canadian Dominion Football Championship, which is the national championship for football in Canada. The cup is contested by the winners of the West and East Divisional playoffs. 

The Major Trophies of the Grey Cup 

The Most Valuable Player and the Dick Suderman Trophy are the two trophies that can be won by all players who played in the match. The Most Valuable Player is for the most valuable player of the match, while the Dick Suderman Trophy is for the most valuable Canadian player. Only one player has ever picked both individual trophy awards in the same year – Andrew Harris – who played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2019. 

The original trophy was commissioned back in 1909 for just $48, and the cup was delivered weeks late. The first Grey Cup was won by the Toronto Varsity Blues from the University of Toronto. The beginning of the First World War would put a stop to the tournament for the next three years. The following year after the war, a rules dispute prolonged the break of the match, but was resolved and played the following year. The Grey Cup has been a trophy with many controversies and events, some of which are listed on the ZED online casino. It has been played in inclement weather and had a player almost drown in a puddle right during a match. In fact, as recent as 2017, snow fell heavily throughout the game. 

Important Teams that Have Won the Trophy 

The Edmonton Eskimos – now Edmonton Oilers – won the competition consecutively between 1978 and 1982 while also getting to nine finals between 1973 and 1982. While the trophy is Canadian, an American team won it back in 1995. The Baltimore Stallions are the only American team to have won the trophy as a result of the expansion of the cup into America. There are now over eight American teams in the CFL, and many more are set to get the chance to win the coveted North American trophy. 

How Has the Grey Cup Grown Over the Years? 

Even though university teams regularly competed in the Grey Cup, they began to exit as the competition became more professional. However, the CFL did not exist until 1958, not until there was a merger between the separate factions of league football. Some years after that, the final, which was usually played on Saturday, was moved to Sunday to cover travel costs and to ensure that fans could attend the match. 

Of all the incidents that have happened, none is as surprising as the match where a Winnipeg player, Buddy Tinsley, was found lying on his face in a puddle, apparently unconscious. Buddy would later claim that his leg, which was suffering from a preexisting injury, had gone numb from a tough hit by an opponent, and he could not get up as a result. 

At this time, during the 1950s, most team facilities were so poor that they were considered an eyesore, even though poor facilities and pitches were a feature just years previously. However, through the advent of the merger and many investments by John Candy and Wayne Gretzky into the league much later, it would become a top league and regain much of its attraction. 

In 1996, the leagues concerned with the Grey Cup fell into poor financial positions, with over half of the teams on the brink of bankruptcy. However, the popularity of the Grey Cup itself was on the rise, and coupled with some timely investments and good strategy, teams were able to float and maintain the players into 1997. 

Throughout the 2010s, the Alouettes were on a finals appearance streak, getting into the final eight times in this period. In 2017, Ottawa hosted the 105th Grey Cup as part of celebrations for 100 years of Confederations.  The pandemic in 2020 would later cause organizers to cancel the year’s edition, becoming the first year the game was not played after 1919. 

Conclusion 

The Grey Cup is more than just a final; it is a tradition dating back over 100 years. Also, it is not just for Canada but also for the United States and some parts of the world. It is a testament to the strength and power of sports in uniting and maintaining unity country-wide and worldwide.