Simply put: Packer fans MAKE ME hate the Packers. I didn’t always feel this way; I was pretty neutral about Wisconsin teams when I moved here. I even considered the Packers briefly due to their colors being so similar to my high school’s colors (Go Lane!!!). I was completely oblivious to any rivalry and didn’t follow football that closely.
That was 2001.
By 2003, I was staunchly anti-Pack. Why? Well, when I told people in Wisco where I was from, automatically their faces screwed up and they said, “Oh, so you’re a Bears fan, huh?” When I said yes, I got the stank-eye-suck-teeth combo platter. And as if I were an errant dog who had just shat on the floor, EVERY TIME the Bears lost, the GB fans would rub my face in it. Nope, I would not retaliate (I don’t even do that now). I just wondered what the fuss was about.
Back then, I chalked it up to crazy and kept it moving.
Working at Copps Food Store solidified my disgust. Employees were allowed to wear jerseys to work this particular football Sunday. Since it was Pack VS. Bears, I was excited. I borrowed my then SO’s jersey and went to work, happy that my job was so awesome that I could support my team.
Wrong.
When I walked into the door, my supervisor told me to take the jersey off. I thought she was joking, so I told her that I couldn’t do that, clocked in, and got busy stocking shelves. Well, I got called into the office shortly after that, and the HAIC told me to either take the jersey off or go home. WTF? When I asked why, all they could say was some crap about this being Packer country… e’cu me? Two things came to mind:
1. Since when was Wisconsin deemed a “country”?
2. Why could I not show love for MY team?
Except for a small percentage of folks here (and they are mainly transplants), Packer fans take things WAY outta hand. There’s no listening to reason; they think they’re the dog’s poo poo when they’re on top. There’s a such thing as winning with class VS. winning and being an ass. Thanks, Dale and China: you’ve demonstrated winning with class.
Mind you, I’m no punk. I give as well as I get. Harmless ribbing pre-game? I’m all for it. Post-game digs? Fine! I do that too. But don’t be a dumb ass with it. You know who you are, too! What am I referring to?
1. Questioning my loyalty to my team- Clearly, I’m anti-Packer. Yes, the Bears lost. So YES, I’m going to root for whomever in the Superbowl is anti-Packer as well. Duh!!! In truth, I don’t really care, but since my brother-in-law was cheering for the Steelers AND the Bears, I cheered for the Bears and am cheering for the Steelers. It’s called SUPPORT. Had I said, “Fuck the Bears… blah, blah, blah…” yeah, I would be disloyal. But NEVER have I said that. I can’t WAIT for next season. Bear DOWN!!! I don’t question your loyalty; I’d expect the same courtesy.
2. Expecting me to “flip” just because GB is the NFC team- This should just be a “duh” moment. I don’t care where I live, where I move to, who I marry… I will remain a Bears fan til I die! That’s the definition of a diehard fan, baby… tried and true. I have NEVER seen so many GB supporters come out of the cracks like roaches; conversely, I have never seen so many turncoats DIS the Bears, either, after riding their jock all season. So the Bears lost… oh well! Next season we’ll meet again. Bring it. For now, I can’t wait for the Cubs to play in the spring (yup… love them too. Yes, they lose A LOT! Diehard, baby…).
3. Saying I can’t accept a loss- No one enjoys losing. So YES, I’m going to look back at the game and see what went wrong, why it happened, and what could be done to change it in the future. Call it what you want… but isn’t that what the players do when they review the previous game’s tapes? Don’t students look back and figure out how to improve their test scores? It’s a sensible, smart thing to do, I thought. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result.
So NO, this is not a rant against the Packer team, as many of you probably expected. It’s more of a rant against some choice fans… and you know who you are… that don’t know when to say enough. Losing gracefully is one thing, but how many of us can WIN gracefully?
I’ve already congratulated GB players and SOME fans on a good game. Now back to my regularly scheduled program… GO STEELERS!!!
