I was one of the 72,000+ who stood outside Sunday night and had their heart broken.
Yes, it was very cold, but no it wasn’t horrible. (The weather, not the game.) Being a mom forces me to hyper-prepare. The extra coats, long underwear, hats, hand-warmers and tights that seemed like overkill pre-game, were blessedly welcome mid-game.
Besides the final score, my primary disappointment was in my battery-powered socks from Gander Mountain. A colossally bad purchase. Thank goodness for the feet heater/liners installed at halftime.
It was exactly the kind of game I hate. I’m always mystified when people say that they love a close game – a real nail-biter. Not me. I’ll take a blow-out any day.
Fans and booze. What a bad pairing. Stuck in my mind forever will be the sound of two drunk fans screaming at each other post-game. One was angry (an understatement) because the other kept standing throughout the game. Dude, it’s a football stadium. Did you really expect that we’d all stand and sit in unison? Standing Man was taunting and promising to do things that I wished my daughter didn’t have to hear. It was such an ugly end to a cold, bleak evening.
Looking on the positive side, we’ll regain some normalcy in our local media. We’ll get our front page back and no more Mike Jacobs and Carole Meekins giggling like 5-year-olds in the Lambeau Field Atrium. Amen to that. I love the Packers, but even I was so done with that.
To those of you who read this and say: "Karen, it's just a game," I say, I know. In the universal scheme of things, this was just four really bad hours. But fanhood is a fickle mistress. There is nothing so addictive as a universal belief in the same goal. Nothing to match the roar of a giant crowd when things go well. And nothing more stunningly silent than a full stadium that has just been handed defeat.
So on the day after the Packers and Marquette let me down, I need to change perspective and move on. And so I say….
Go Brewers!!!
