This superfan says he holds the key to a Riders victory: not watching the game

The Saskatchewan Roughriders may have a secret weapon. They just don't know about it.

"I am responsible for two of the Riders Grey Cup appearances and one championship," said Bryan Smith, a Roughriders superfan. "You're welcome."

While most super fans will be glued to the action when the Riders host the B.C. Lions in Saturday's playoffs action, Smith said he realized late this season that he can help the team another way — by not watching them play. 

"I just noticed every time I was watching they would lose," he said. "So I stopped for a few games to see what would happen and they've won basically every time."

Smith has cerebral palsy. He cannot walk and uses a wheelchair to get around. But he feels he doesn't need to be on the field to influence the performance of the Roughriders.

A connection since birth

Smith feels his presence has influenced the Riders throughout his lifetime.

He was born on Nov. 11, 1989. A day later, the Roughriders defeated the Calgary Stampeders in the West semi-final.

The following week, they toppled the heavily favoured Edmonton Eskimos in the West final.

As Dave Ridgway lined up for a play that would become known as "The Kick," Smith was napping peacefully in his crib.

The kick was good and the Roughriders won their second Grey Cup championship.

Like Harry Potter, Smith didn't understand what was happening to him initially. Then he made another connection.

In 1997, he met Riders' quarterback Reggie Slack. That season, the Riders managed to sneak into the playoffs with a 8-10 record. Once in the playoffs, Slack used his legs and the quarterback option play to power the Riders to a Grey Cup appearance.

"I inspired Reggie's greatness," Smith said.

Despite the miraculous play by Slack, they fell short in the 1997 Grey Cup.

Two years after Smith "helped" Reggie Slack pilot the Riders to a Grey Cup appearance, he and his family became season ticket holders. Like many families in Saskatchewan, the Roughriders became a family affair for the Smiths.

The Smith family sat in the upper deck on the west side, but they couldn't get a wheelchair into the area.

"We would park my chair underneath the stairs and my dad would carry me to my seat," Smith said.

Smith's Rider fandom peaked during the 2013 season, when the Riders won at home.

"It was like nothing else mattered and we could all just be happy," he said.

In the years since, like other superstitious fans, Smith has tried different techniques to help his team win, sporting different jerseys, haircuts and even changing addresses with the hopes that it would help the team win.

Stephen Safinuk, host of the Saskatchewan Roughriders-focused Piffles Podcast, said that superstitions are common among sports fans.

He said he has a friend who refuses to wear a certain hat on game days, as he feels it's connected to the Riders' losses. He himself has avoided getting a jersey with any player's name on it, as he feels they tend to get injured or cut from the team after he does.

"I have a jersey curse," he said, laughing.

These beliefs tie people closer to their team, he said.

"It's just another way for fans to feel like they're part of the games, that they have something to do with the outcome."

The power of keeping the TV off

Nothing seemed to work for Smith until this season, when he took a chance on not watching the team play. He decided not to watch the Sept. 20 game against Calgary. When the Riders won, ending a seven-week winless skid, it solidified his decision to avoid watching.

Smith checks the score when the Riders are playing, but otherwise goes about his life.

Everything was sunshine and rainbows until last week, when the Riders dropped the final game of the regular season to Calgary, but Smith can discount that result in his mind, as the starters were not playing.

The team's playoff game against the Lions on Saturday marks a big day for the city and all the Riders' fans, he said. After a few years of the team struggling, Smith senses there's a sense of nervous anticipation about what might happen.

"It's big to see them in the playoffs and give people that renewed optimism, including myself," he said.

There's no question that several of the team's loyal fans will be doing their own bit to keep the team's winning ways going by following their own superstitions.

For Smith, of course, that will mean doing anything other than tuning in to the game, while still keeping his hopes high for a win.

"Even though I'm not watching, I'm still cheering."