Two of the CFL’s best quarterbacks are competing for bragging rights on and off the field this week.
Ahead of their second meeting of the season on Saturday, former teammates Nathan Rourke and Vernon Adams Jr. have partnered with KidSport Canada to help fund youth sport participation in their respective areas. Fans of the Calgary Stampeders and B.C. Lions (or anyone else) are able to donate in the name of their favourite QB, as they go head-to-head to see who can raise the most money.
“KidSport is a really cool organization that helps get kids off the sidelines and onto the field in a variety of different ways,” Rourke told the media this week. “I’m happy to be able to partner with an organization like that.”
Rourke and Adams were already KidSport ambassadors before this week, but the organization reached out to set up the friendly competition as a play on their perceived rivalry. The two QBs were teammates with the Lions for the latter half of the 2024 CFL season, when Rourke made a sudden return from the NFL. While the timing was originally seen as a positive with Adams sidelined due to a knee injury, the then-M.O.P. frontrunner was not given his job back when healthy, dividing the locker room as Rourke struggled to re-adjust to the Canadian game.
The two players remain on good terms and keep in regular contact, but both have acknowledged that the situation was challenging. Adams was finally handed back the keys for the playoffs, but was traded to Calgary immediately following the season. As a result, the narratives around the quarterbacks are inexorably linked to each other, never more so than when they meet on the field.
This charity drive is an attempt to spin that dynamic into a positive for their respective communities. KidSport provides grants for kids from low-income families in order to cover the costs of sports registration and equipment, helping ensure that no child is denied the chance to participate. For Rourke, that’s a cause that speaks to him deeply.
“I know, for me, sport is what gave me an identity as a kid, helped me make some friends,” the Oakville, Ont. native said. “I think it’s important that kids are involved in sport, they’re active, and they have opportunities to learn some valuable skills that only sport teaches. It’s been cool to work with (KidSport), and hopefully we can do a lot for the communities in both B.C. and Calgary.”
As of the publishing of this article on Thursday morning, Rourke leads the QB battle in both of its phases. When the Lions met the Stampeders two weeks ago, he threw for 331 yards and scored five total touchdowns, while Adams finished with 125 yards passing and two interceptions before exiting with an injury early in the third quarter. Now, he holds a sizeable lead in cash donations, though nothing would make him happier than a surge in support for either side.
The B.C. Lions (8-7) and Calgary Stampeders (8-6) will meet at BC Place Stadium on Saturday, October 4, with kickoff slated for 7:00 p.m. EDT. Fans can donate to the fundraiser link for Nathan Rourke or Vernon Adams Jr. by clicking their names. All donations of $20 or more will receive a charitable tax receipt.
