It's NFL early Christmas today, with the floundering Green Bay Packers coming to Soldier Field to take on the FIRST-PLACE Chicago Bears.
It's a marquee, albeit noon, game - it's a rematch of Week 1, where the Bears owned the first half and then collapsed under an epic Aaron Rodgers comeback. During the final few minutes of that game, shane and i were texting that the Bears were only going to get better, and this week nearer the end of the season would be a damn tough game for the Packers. Now, Shane is a full-throated Packer fan who was in part being kind to a friend during an embarrassing defeat, but i think he had a glimmer of what might be in front of him as a Packer fan.
3+ months later and the landscape has changed quite a lot. The Bears enter 6-point favorites, and even with that, the strangest thing about this game is that Bears fans, myself included, feel fairly confident that we are the much better team playing this game today. It doesn't mean we can't lose, but it does mean we will probably win, and should all things being equal win convincingly.
The question then arises, how best to watch such an epic match-up. There are a plethora of mostly Packer-slanted events across Milwaukee. You could go to:
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| Source: sportsmockery.com |
3+ months later and the landscape has changed quite a lot. The Bears enter 6-point favorites, and even with that, the strangest thing about this game is that Bears fans, myself included, feel fairly confident that we are the much better team playing this game today. It doesn't mean we can't lose, but it does mean we will probably win, and should all things being equal win convincingly.
The question then arises, how best to watch such an epic match-up. There are a plethora of mostly Packer-slanted events across Milwaukee. You could go to:
- The Cactus Club and see the cover band Green Day Packers
- You can happily watch the game at every bar in Milwaukee, to be sure, but here are some of the best spots...
- The exception might be the local best soccer bar, which on Sundays becomes the High-Bear-y Pub
But no, for me, and a game this big, i need to be in my home, on my couch - i may text the outside world on occasion, but the emotion of this game day is my own and my highs or lows that may be to come over the next few hours need to be my own. I don't want to gloat (or be gloated upon). Although i appreciate the collective fandom experience, and think it's an important part of modern life that we mostly miss out on and it makes us all the worse (so says one of my favorite books!).
Enjoy the game everyone... for once, i feel pretty good about it and i'll see you all in late January for discussion of any snark and commentary!
