Bear vs. Packers

I was a sentient being, aged 10, capable of forming long term memories when Brett Favre debuted against the Bears in 1992. Since then, the Bears are 15-50 against the Packers. My Dad and I went to the NFC Championship Game in Soldier Field on January 23^rd, 2011 and watched in frozen horror as Caleb Hanie spelled an injured Jay Cutler and the season slipped away. Aaron Rodgers with his championship belt celebration after another 4^th quarter touchdown screaming “I fucking own you” on repeat. The last time the Monsters of the Midway beat the Cheeseheads was Week 15 of the 2018 season when the Bears inexplicably went 12-4 only to famously double doink out of the playoffs a few weeks later. In one hour I will drive over to my parents house in my Caleb Williams jersey to participate in this learned ritual of self-flagellation which I inherited. It mirrors my Virginia/Virginia Tech annual humiliation and, over the years, has inured me to the constant drumbeat of all-encompassing sporting disappointment.

Perhaps this “rivalry” is supposed to be character building. Conversely, I find garnering unsolicited pity from strangers based on my team allegiance to be a diminishing experience. Sometimes I believe this is some cosmic penance for taking the Michael Jordan years for granted in the 1990’s. Whatever the reason, I’m walking into this game today with “clear eyes, full hearts, and as a 5.5 point underdog at home with the expectation to lose”.