Marc Majeau was more passive than active as a massive sports fan growing up in the Edmonton area.
“I never really played a bunch,” he said. “I played basketball, but I was always more interested in watching sports than actually going out and playing them.”
Now 30 years old, Majeau still likes to watch sports, but his involvement is definitely more active than passive these days.
“I’ve been in sports media in town for about eight or nine years now,” he said, having worked in sports radio at The Team 1260/TSN 1260 for seven years, starting with an internship in 2011. “I was in Red Deer for the (recent) Canada Winter Games with Team Alberta, and I’ll be working the Western Canada Games (in Swift Current, Sask., in August), I’ve worked WHL broadcasts, AJHL broadcasts and done play-by-play for the U of A basketball teams.
“Really, if there’s a sport on, I will try to consume it and, if they let me, I’ll even try to broadcast it.”
The Eskimos have always been near and dear to Majeau’s heart. He has been going to Eskimos games for as long as he can remember.
“Some of the best memories I’ve had with my dad were going to Eskimos games during the summer,” he said. “There’s something (special) about going to the stadium in the summer.”
Majeau will once again combine his passions to learn what’s special about various members of the Eskimos team and then give fans a peek into the players’ lives off the field in the Eskimos’ weekly podcasts.
He will also host the Coors Light Watch Party during each Eskimos road game this season.
“I had a ton of fun doing the podcasts (last year),” Majeau said. “When I’d be watching the games or doing post-game interviews, it was a way to put a story behind the face or a personality behind the tackle or the touchdown catch; just learning what life is like after football or what some of the guys do away (from the field). We just see them on the field and doing interviews, but you forget that they still go home and have to go grocery shopping and walk their dogs. Some of the single guys play video games all night long.
“Sometimes you have to dig a little bit, but usually guys are open to sharing some fun stories,” he continued. “(Learning interesting things about the players) was my favourite part of the podcast in Season 1. … So it’s really just trying to get as much of the personality out as we can.”
Majeau said Eskimos fullback Calvin McCarty, 34, the team’s longest-serving player who is entering his 13th season, “has some really good stories.”
“He has seen pretty much everything with the Eskimos, and he’s grown not only as a football player but just grown as a man during his time with the Eskimos,” Majeau said. “Calvin shared stories about his daughter and how they goof around.
“I’m a big wrestling fan, so Calvin told the story about Roman Reigns – the WWE superstar – in Eskimos camp. … Roman (who was known as Joe Anoa’i when he played for the Eskimos in 2008) said, ‘My cousin does this, so if this football thing doesn’t work out, I think I’m going to try wrestling’ and, now, he’s one of the biggest wrestlers going right now.”
Reigns’ distant cousin is Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson, a former linebacker who spent two months on the Calgary Stampeders’ practice roster in 1995 before becoming a star on the WWF circuit and then a movie actor.
“Coach (Demetrious) Maxie’s stories from his time in Baltimore stood out,” said Majeau.
The Baltimore Stallions is the only American franchise to win the Grey Cup, finishing the 1995 season on a 16-game winning streak.
“Coach Maxie also talked about how he actually sacked Jason Maas, his current head coach, at one point,” Majeau said. “That was pretty cool.”
Majeau usually does one or two podcasts a week and likes to include players from all of the different areas of the team.
“The only person we couldn’t get last year – and we’re going to try so hard to get him for Season 2 – is (Eskimos’ longtime equipment manager) Dwayne Mandrusiak. Obviously, there’s a boatload of new players and a fresh roster, so I’ll have lots of research and stories to uncover. As soon as the players start trickling in (for training camp), I’ll be shoving a microphone in their face to try to get the first podcast.”
Majeau always tries to prepare for his interviews by doing “a deep dive” into a player’s background in advance.
“Someone told me a long time ago, in a one-on-one interview, you’re only as good as the research you put in,” he said.
However, he admitted that “sometimes, the best interviews are the ones where the guy takes you on a ride completely elsewhere.”
Majeau has hosted watch parties for the NFL, Super Bowl, etc., in the past, but this will be his first season serving as host of the Eskimos’ Coors Light Watch Party.
“If anyone doesn’t know what a Watch Party is, it’s just like it sounds,” he said. “You’re surrounded by a bunch of Green-and-Gold fanatics. We go to a bunch of bars across the city. They make sure the sound is cranked up. The only thing better than being at the game is watching it with Eskimos fans.
“We try to have some fun, and we have lots of prizes and giveaways at the end of quarters and halftime. It’s a good place just to come up, say, ‘Hello,’ and be surrounded by your fellow Eskimos fans. They’re on the road for half the season, so there’s no reason we can’t get together and celebrate.”
Majeau hopes to have some trivia contests or maybe an occasional Hot Stove-type interview with a guest.
“But I always say no one is there to see me,” he said. “They’re just there to watch the game, so I try my best to get out of the way and only talk during commercials when there isn’t action on.”
Edmonton Eskimos take on the BC Lions this Sunday, May 26 in pre-season action. Get your tickets here!