Surrounded by Manitoba sports history, Winnipeggers took in Superbowl XLIX on Sunday.
The Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame hosted a Superbowl party, inviting retired and current Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Retired Bomber Doug Brown said the party was a good way to boost the profile of the Hall of Fame.
“There are gold medals from Canada Olympic hockey fame. There’s Stanley Cup rings here. There’s Blue Bomber historic lore. It’s just tremendous,” said Brown.
The Superbowl may be an American game, but Manitoba has a long history with football.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers were founded in 1930, almost 40 years before the first Superbowl.
“The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have been around a lot longer than any American NFL championship game that we’re watching so you have a ton of avid football fans here in Manitoba,” said Brown.
Football fan Kathy Chartrand agrees.
“As much as Winnipeg is a hockey community, it’s a football community and a lot of amateur football is played in the province so it just starts, like hockey, from an early age,” she said.
This year two former Blue Bombers played in the Superbowl.
Wide receiver Chris Matthews spent the 2012-2013 season playing for the Bombers. Punter Jon Ryan from Regina also played for Winnipeg for the 2004-2005 season. Both now play for the Seattle Seahawks.
