GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A local group of fans are taking a unique approach to an upcoming Grand Rapids Griffins game. Instead of cheering for the team, they'll be cheering for the guys in stripes.
It's the "Annual Referee Appreciation Game."
It's not an official event with the Griffins, but there's a lot of people planning on going this year. More than 80 people will don the stripes themselves while sitting in the stands, cheering only when the whistle is blown for calls like fouls, icing and offsides.
"Really any penalty of any kind — offsides, icing, penalties, even goals — any time the whistle is blown, that's when we go nuts," organizer Jason Schemmel said. "It's great because we get to yell, 'you can't do that.' We get a good chant going. We get nice and loud."
Watch the full interview below:
It's an annual event that's grown every year, having now more than doubled the amount of people attending.
The unofficial referee appreciation game is Friday, April 5 this year.
If you're interested, the deadline to get tickets and sit in the stands with the rest of the group is Friday, March 22.
You can find more information here.
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