There I was, minding my own business just after halftime in
a section 129 aisle seat at the Rogers Centre as the Toronto Argonauts and
Hamilton Tigercats clashed on Sunday in the CFL’s Eastern Division final, when
I ended up with a ringside seat for the circus that has enveloped the City of
Toronto. Yes, I came face to face with Rob Ford.
He was right beside me as I recognized the cause of the
commotion, his hand thrust out at me. I shook it out of instinct and my
deeply-bred Canadian politeness, still somewhat in shock and not thinking
clearly. As he moved on, an aide put a gold-embossed business card and an infamous
“Ford for Mayor” fridge magnet into my hand and the circus continued down the
aisle. He was mobbed as he moved to his seats about 5 rows in front of me, around the 10 yard
line. My first thought? You’d think he’d have better seats.
The circus show quickly overshadowed the game, as people
crowded down to touch Ford’s cape (actually he wore the infamous Mayor Ford
Argos jersey), offer high-fives and pose for photos. Our section was quickly
invaded with everyone standing watching Ford, making watching the game near
impossible. A Hamilton touchdown shortly after his arrival passed with scant
notice from our section. In fact, the Argos would go scoreless after Ford’s
arrival, losing their half time lead, as the Ticats punched their ticket to the
Grey Cup.
Media also descended on our aisle from the press box to
document the madness, and security moved in to try to move people back to their
seats and ticketed sections as fans, particularly Hamilton fans, grew
increasingly irate at their inability to watch a pretty good football game.
Toronto Police removed a few fans who got abusive with a security guard, but
otherwise they managed to settle things down. Ford would leave with under two
minutes left, and the Argos still making an ultimately fruitless last-chance
drive.
To answer the obvious questions: I did not see him consume
any beverages or eat anything (make your own joke on the last one) and I didn’t
witness any booing or negative comments. Everyone either wanted a picture or a
high five, or just wanted to watch the damned football game.
I bet Ford, other than being disappointed with the Argos
loss, left the game feeling pretty good about himself, and like he had a lot of
support. And that would be a mistake. While there were undoubtedly some Ford
Nation diehards present, I’m pretty sure that wasn’t the case for most.
For most, it was a carnival, a circus freakshow with Ford as
the main attraction. Like many pseudo celebrities, he’s become famous not for
his accomplishments, but for his misdeeds. He’s an ongoing train wreck we see
nightly on our televisions. It’s our own reality show, and it has gone global.
Saturday Night Live, The Daily Show, Anderson Cooper 360 – it’s that crack guy
they’re mocking on TV, let’s get a photo with him and Facebook it, will be
hilarious.
I tweeted the other day that I never knew the Alateen
meetings my parents made me attend as a teen would later give me such insight
into municipal politics. I wrote about Mayor Ford a few months ago. We didn’t
know the crack allegations were true then, but we knew enough. At the very
least, we know the man is an alcoholic. He’s an addict, and he needs help. He
needs to come to that realization on his own and he clearly hasn’t yet. The
apologies offered are far from genuine – they have all the hallmarks of
political calculation. And he seems to be surrounded by enablers unwilling to
be truthful with him – anyone who would has been chased away.
Mayor Ford needs to hit rock bottom, before he can acknowledge
his problems and truly begin to work them. He’s not there yet, and I worry,
with all that has happened already, what rock bottom for him will look like.
But I hope he gets there soon; for his own sake, and for the city’s.
Until it does, the circus will continue. And to the degree
it ever was funny, it’s becoming less so every day. Now, it’s just sad.
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| What football game? All eyes on Rob Ford. |
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| The media, including this CP reporter, invade the aisle to document the madness. |
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| This fan did not make friends with Rogers Centre security trying to keep the section free of lookey-loos. |
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| Toronto Police escort fans from the game. |
4 comments:
Jeff, never knew you were an Alateen, but then again the old saying in Al-Anon is "You don't have to shake your family tree very hard to find the alcoholics in it"
as for Rob ford's Rock bottom, there is always a rick bottom, it will either be a jail cell or a coffin.
Yet his supporters in #FordNation still firmly believe that he has no substance abuse issues (alcohol and/or drug) or that his issues have absolutely no impact on his ability to do his job.
The media in the end might be th ones that actually save his life by exposing this demons.
Well said, Jeff. So glad you were able to capture this snippet for us. It's a window into the thinking of a man who seems to have lost the ability to think rationally, and I do hope he gets the help that he so desperately needs.
The only reason I was glad the ticats won is that Saskatchewan won't have to deal with Rob Ford at the Grey Cup. I hope!
I find it interesting that the Commissioner of the CFL asked Rob Ford not to come to the game so that the media would focus their attention on the game instead of Ford. However, obviously Ford did not follow through with this request.It seems to me he is loving the attention a little too much.
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