Where to watch the Grey Cup in Portland

Update: 2010 Grey Cup Viewing in Portland

Grab your toque, the 96th Grey Cup takes place this Sunday, November 23rd.  The Grey Cup is the Canadian Football League’s championship game; think of it as the Canadian Super Bowl.

This year’s matchup, Calgary Stampeders versus Montreal Alouettes, takes place in Montreal. The game is being broadcast locally on Versus, Comcast Cable channel 32. The game is tape-delayed to 2:30pm.

Where to watch the 2008 Grey Cup in Portland, Oregon:

• The Canada America Society of Oregon is organizing a viewing at 2:30pm, Sunday November 23rd at Macadam’s Bar & Grill (5833 SW Macadam Ave)

Canadian Football and American Football share a pedigree, and mostly follow the same rules. Some of the difference:

• The field in Canadian football is 110 yards long and 65 yards wide, not the 100 yards by 53⅓ yards used in American football.
• Canadian football plays 3 downs, not 4.
• In Canadian football all offensive backfield players, except the quarterback, can be in motion when the ball is snapped.

There are other differences too, but these are some of the most obvious to American football fans.  As a casual observer (I grew up watching American football but have only watched maybe half a dozen Canadian football games in my entire life) my take is that the Canadian football game is faster paced and higher scoring and there are more throws.  Compared to the NFL, CFL football players are smaller and faster.  I don’t care much for gridiron football, but if I had to choose between NFL and CFL I’d go Canadian every time.

Last year I searched, nearly in vain, for a place to watch the game in Portland. We finally tracked down a cable channel broadcast, and several fellow Canadaphiles and I joined a group of Canadian ex-pats at the McMenamins on NE Broadway to watch the game.

If anyone else knows of other public showings of the game in Portland, please leave a comment and I will add it to the list!