THE FIGHT FOR PEDRO THE PANDA IS ON! OVER 20,000 SPECTATORS ARE READY TO FILL UP TD PLACE STADIUM AND WITNESS THE GREATEST, LOUDEST, AND BIGGEST RIVALRY IN U SPORTS FOOTBALL
The 56th anniversary of the beloved Panda Game kicks off at 12:00 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 5 at TD Place Stadium. The University of Ottawa Gee-Gees are the favourites to win against the Carleton Ravens heading into this year’s battle for Pedro. The Gees have entered top ten status in U SPORTS football, currently playing at a level of football not seen in years!
U of O sits at fifth place in the OUA with a record of three wins and two losses— with a total of 137 points against and 149 points for the team is in great shape. The Ravens, on the other hand, although only one win away in record, have a point differential of -66, allowing the second most points against in the OUA.
What the records don’t show is that the Gee-Gees’ only losses come against Laurier Golden Hawks and Western Mustangs, the top two teams in U SPORTS. In comparison, the Ravens’ wins were against Waterloo and York, two of the worst teams in the OUA.
A fun fact about the Panda Game is that if you enrolled at Carleton University in 2018, you have yet to experience joy from the game, having lost every year since then. That puts a ton of pressure on the Gees, of course, looking to extend their six-game Panda winning streak.
Many students may wonder why the game is held on a Sunday, and not a Saturday like most homecoming games. This is due to the “pandamonium” that occurred in 2021. That year, many students had experienced little to no social interaction throughout the lockdowns of 2020. In the evening following the Panda Game, thousands of overzealous students flooded Sandy Hill, and Russell Avenue was overrun with rowdy fans who thought it would be an awesome idea to flip a parked car. As expected of drunk decisions, the flipped car and other incidents injured seven, who were then hospitalized. The unacceptable behaviour resulted in many new precautions being established to ensure such an incident never occurs again.
There is an art to excitedly flooding the streets as a drunk and happy student. One must take precautions to not face fines, or unwanted altercations with the losing side, cough, cough, Carleton. This year, police presence has already been warranted, with many students residing in Sandy Hill and Old Ottawa South receiving pamphlets regarding police presence.
Luckily, the big day just got bigger for U of O students— this year the campus will host an exciting Post-Panda Party from 7-11 p.m. at the 90U Parking Lot. Hosting the critically acclaimed producers and DJs MurdaBeatz, Nostalgic Music — Ottawa’s very own Evander Abbott.
Unfortunately, seated tickets for the Panda Game are sold out, and the only remaining tickets are general admission in the standing section.
Let the battle begin, and make sure to get your beauty sleep on Panda eve to be active and ready by 8:00 a.m. sharp! Do you think the Gees have it in them to extend the winning streak to seven?
