Singling out Saskatchewan Roughriders fans as a mob of unruly fanatics is way offside, insists their hometown mayor.
A few high-profile McMahon Stadium skirmishes involving those wearing green and white and the raucous passion of Rider fans in their home ballpark that some fear is ready to boil over has earned the contingent a notorious reputation.
But Regina Mayor Pat Fiacco challenged that call, saying there's no need for an increased police presence at any festival venues in Calgary this week due to the Roughriders' Grey Cup berth.
"When it comes to sports, you're always going to get a small turnout of fans who'll be disorderly," he said.
"There's a few fans who think the best way to be a fan is to say something nasty about the other team or the other team's fans and I'm not saying our team's without them."
Fiacco, who's attending Sunday's game, described the vast majority of Rider fans as "proactive and respectful."
The crowd following his team's win last Sunday against Calgary in Regina was subject to no arrests, he said.
And he said there would have been no trouble on his city's streets if the Roughriders had lost.
Fiacco said he expects nothing less than the usual noisy, spirited contingent of Riders fans at McMahon Stadium on Sunday.
"It's going to be a Rider home game," he said.
