Photo by: Sports editor
Despite having to fly during the Bears-Packers game yesterday, I still was able to watch the bout for Midwest supremacy—thousands of miles in the air I’d like to add.
While watching the game on some back-end internet website, viewing it from a German live-stream broadcast, I was asked by several men what the score was.
It was then I realized I was the only football lunatic on a plane with six people wearing Steelers jerseys and three more wearing Bears garb (note: I was flying out of Midway) that purchased the Wi-Fi connection the airline offered for the absurd rate of $6.
It was worth it. And before I continue, let me say this: my team hasn’t played a meaningful game since the first week in November.
I still care though, it is just who I am. I am a fan of the game and have been since I was five years old when I watched the Dallas Cowboys top the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XXX.
As my plane touched down at DIA, the third quarter was underway and my computer was closed down due to airline regulations. I zipped off the plane and went to find a sports bar as soon as possible.
The score was still the same—Packers 14, Bears 0, but something big had happened: Jay Cutler was out the rest of the game with a knee injury.
Green Bay went on to win 21-14. I had to listen to most of the second half on the radio, only catching the final moments live where Chicago third-stringer Caleb Hanie’s second-game clinching interception propelled the Packers to Super Bowl XLV.
In a cramped room, I watched the AFC Championship game and once again felt ostracized for being too dedicated to the sport that I have loved forever.
Instead of being the only person on an almost fully booked flight, I was watching the game with a pair of peers who didn’t even know who was playing in the game.
If you consider yourself to be a “sports fan” then you have to know who is playing on Championship Sunday. It’s a must, and honestly, it’s not hard to figure out. Turn on ESPN for five seconds and some SportsCenter anchor would have filled you in.
But I regress. The Steelers came out in dominant fashion jumping all over the Jets to take a 24-0 lead. Despite a Jets comeback (24-19 final for those of you who missed it), the Steelers went on to win their eighth AFC championship game in 15 attempts.
Now, two of the most storied franchises in NFL history will meet in Dallas in two weeks to decide who the best in the world is.
It’s been 15 years since my first Super Bowl, yet the game still means the same to me today as it did back when I was a kid.
That’s the beauty of the game and, more importantly the beauty of being a fan. You get to enjoy every moment, every second on the gridiron because they’re all precious whether your team is playing or not.
There is no Super Bowl XLV prediction this week, just one fan getting himself ready for what is to come—another priceless memory.
