On January 26, 1986, wee little me watched the super bowl with my family where the Chicago Bears went on to defeat the New England Patriots 46-10. This was the heyday for the team with the likes of Jim McMahon and William “The Refrigerator” Payton and Mike Singletary – not to mention Walter “Sweetness” Payton. My sister and I wore Bears sweatshirts and shared a set of pompoms – one pom was silver, the other gold. It was a glorious day and a glorious defeat.
Followed by a somewhat embarrassing rendition of the “Super Bowl Shuffle,” which my family did end up owning on VHS. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
And then we spent forty years uttering the phrase, “Welp, maybe next year.”
Last year, though, it felt different. The Bears had a killer season. It felt more reminiscent of those heyday years – where the Bears were great and the Packers less so (we used to lovingly torture our Packer-loving uncle…we didn’t anticipate how quickly that torture would turn…or how long it would remain).
If you had asked me which football stadium I would visit first, I would have, without a doubt, said Soldier Field (current home of the Bears*). Turns out, that wasn’t the case.
The first time I stepped foot inside Lambeau, it was in June of 2017 to see Billy Joel. I figured a concert would be the only way I’d ever step foot in there. But then a few months later, I attended a football game in the role of supportive girlfriend. (How supportive? My team wasn’t even playing. And yes, I did wear a Bears sweatshirt, and yes, I will take credit for the fact that the Packers didn’t score one single point suring that game against the Ravens.)
The following August, I did finally see a Bears game at Soldier Field (a pre-season game because wow are football tickets expensive!). We played the Buffalo Bills. In typical Bears fashion, we excelled in the first half, then fell apart and lost it in the second half.
You’re probably wondering why on Earth I’m writing about an American football team on writerly blog. Well, because I’m more than simply a writer. I’m also a fan of the Bears (and Cubs) (yes, it’s difficult to live in Packer/Brewer land). And we’re about to start up our new season – with a renewed hope that hits a bit different than past years.
Maybe this year.
*And yes, I am living in complete denial that my bears might be moving to Indiana… -_-
Ami Maxine 