A Cheesehead's Tale
The first time I remember paying any attention to football was the 1996 Super Bowl.
I had made the somewhat arbitrary decision to cheer for the Packers during the playoffs; we were hosting a Super Bowl party that year and, being the person I am, I wanted to actually know what was going on. After what amounted to a turn-around season for the Pack, they defeated the Patriots fairly handily to win their first Bowl since #2 in 1967.
After that, I was a fan. Albeit a quiet one -- some years I really paid attention, some years I didn't. My dad is a Bears fan and sometimes I was quiet just to keep the peace. A big part of me didn't much care about football in general; I was (and am) a soccer player and American football just didn't have the same appeal. I was more at home watching Chelsea or Manchester United over an NFL game ... By all means, I still understand it more.
Then, I moved to Wisconsin.
Packermania is just a part of life in Wisconsin. Despite being based in a city of just over 100,000, the Packers are the only publicly-owned professional sports team in the country. (Actually, there are rules against such things now, but as one of the original NFL teams their system has been grandfathered in.) Every home game since the sixties has been sold out. The waiting list for season tickets is decades long.
Living in Wisconsin means that you will be exposed to this. Throughout football season, Packermania is evident in stores, at most workplaces, at just about every neighborhood bar, and in the decorations outside houses. Most major towns have a Packer Drive or a Packer Street somewhere. Just about every bar (and a large percentage of restaurants) have food specials and happy hours that only happen during games, and Packer parties are just another thing to do on Sunday afternoons.
As an outsider (particularly one from a state with no professional sports teams whatsoever) I wasn't necessarily expected to partake. For awhile, I only watched, quietly cheering them on when I thought no one was looking.
In 2007, the Pack had a good season again. In January of 2008 I was at a bar playing pool with a couple of the guys, watching as Brett Favre made his last play as a Packer -- a pass that was intercepted in overtime, the win (and NFC Championship) going to the Giants with a field goal in overtime. It wasn't until after his retirement ... the, um, first one ... that I was willing to show any particular allegiance.
The ensuing arguments as Favre announced his un-retirement and went to the Jets were ... well, kind of funny, to be honest. When he headed next for Minnesota the lines were much more clearly drawn, with Packers fans on one side and Favre fans on the other.
This year, Packers fans are finally feeling a bit more triumphant.
Also this year, I'm finally vocally supporting the team. It has something to do with not being in Wisconsin anymore -- now I'm one fan in a hodge-podge mix of fans. The advantage of living in SoDak is that just about every team has some kind of support ... The disadvantage is that unless you're a Vikings fan, odds are good that you won't find a large group to cheer with. (Even then it's only a proximity thing -- the further you are from Minnesota, the fewer fans you encounter.)
After all this time, after finally admitting to supporting the team, what does all this mean?
It means that I know that Aaron Rodgers has yet to win a playoff game despite being a high-ranked quarterback. It means I know that the Pack is headed into the game this afternoon with a dismal away record despite making the wild card bid. It means that in half an hour I'll be sitting in the living room (in a jersey, no less), eyes glued to the screen, blood pressure up. And in three and a half hours ... well, we'll see.
Go Pack go!
I had made the somewhat arbitrary decision to cheer for the Packers during the playoffs; we were hosting a Super Bowl party that year and, being the person I am, I wanted to actually know what was going on. After what amounted to a turn-around season for the Pack, they defeated the Patriots fairly handily to win their first Bowl since #2 in 1967.
After that, I was a fan. Albeit a quiet one -- some years I really paid attention, some years I didn't. My dad is a Bears fan and sometimes I was quiet just to keep the peace. A big part of me didn't much care about football in general; I was (and am) a soccer player and American football just didn't have the same appeal. I was more at home watching Chelsea or Manchester United over an NFL game ... By all means, I still understand it more.
Then, I moved to Wisconsin.
Packermania is just a part of life in Wisconsin. Despite being based in a city of just over 100,000, the Packers are the only publicly-owned professional sports team in the country. (Actually, there are rules against such things now, but as one of the original NFL teams their system has been grandfathered in.) Every home game since the sixties has been sold out. The waiting list for season tickets is decades long.
Living in Wisconsin means that you will be exposed to this. Throughout football season, Packermania is evident in stores, at most workplaces, at just about every neighborhood bar, and in the decorations outside houses. Most major towns have a Packer Drive or a Packer Street somewhere. Just about every bar (and a large percentage of restaurants) have food specials and happy hours that only happen during games, and Packer parties are just another thing to do on Sunday afternoons.
As an outsider (particularly one from a state with no professional sports teams whatsoever) I wasn't necessarily expected to partake. For awhile, I only watched, quietly cheering them on when I thought no one was looking.
In 2007, the Pack had a good season again. In January of 2008 I was at a bar playing pool with a couple of the guys, watching as Brett Favre made his last play as a Packer -- a pass that was intercepted in overtime, the win (and NFC Championship) going to the Giants with a field goal in overtime. It wasn't until after his retirement ... the, um, first one ... that I was willing to show any particular allegiance.
The ensuing arguments as Favre announced his un-retirement and went to the Jets were ... well, kind of funny, to be honest. When he headed next for Minnesota the lines were much more clearly drawn, with Packers fans on one side and Favre fans on the other.
This year, Packers fans are finally feeling a bit more triumphant.
Also this year, I'm finally vocally supporting the team. It has something to do with not being in Wisconsin anymore -- now I'm one fan in a hodge-podge mix of fans. The advantage of living in SoDak is that just about every team has some kind of support ... The disadvantage is that unless you're a Vikings fan, odds are good that you won't find a large group to cheer with. (Even then it's only a proximity thing -- the further you are from Minnesota, the fewer fans you encounter.)
After all this time, after finally admitting to supporting the team, what does all this mean?
It means that I know that Aaron Rodgers has yet to win a playoff game despite being a high-ranked quarterback. It means I know that the Pack is headed into the game this afternoon with a dismal away record despite making the wild card bid. It means that in half an hour I'll be sitting in the living room (in a jersey, no less), eyes glued to the screen, blood pressure up. And in three and a half hours ... well, we'll see.
Go Pack go!
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