January 22nd, 1989 was my first sports memory ever. I was about 5 1/2. That year, I got a soccer ball for Christmas. And on 1/22/89, I ran around my house with the soccer ball, pretending that I was playing football, while Joe Montana laid the smack down on the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl XXIII. All I remember from that day is:
a) I was jumping over our house's couches pretending that I was Jerry Rice, and
b) I was totally and completely happy
From 1989 to 1992, the most distinct memory I have is of Joe Montana and the 49ers again beating down someone in another Super Bowl. This time, it was the hapless Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXIV. But during 1989 to 1992, something else was brewing aside from the 49ers kicking ass and taking names. That something was Don "MAGIC" Majkowski (pic below) making a name for himself in Green Bay. After having a stellar year in 1989 where he lead the Packers to a 10-6 record, the "Majik man" was plagued by injuries, and gradually began to fade out from 1990 onward...
And then came Brett Fave (see: Majkowski's Misfortune for how this transition happened). After a shaky two starting years in 1992 and 1993, Brett Favre started taking names and kicking ass in the 1994 season. And it was at this point, that my football obsession started taking full force.
In 1994, I was 11 and a sixth grader. I remember sleeping over at my friend Jeff's place begging him to let me trade him for a Brett Favre Rookie Card. I also remember the top receiver for the Packers, Sterling Sharpe, being diagnosed with a career ending neck injury. I was devastated.
But with Brett Favre playing at the highest level in what would eventually be a career of infinite length, I got past it. At this point in my life, my football obsession was probably just "cute." I had a Packers scrapbook that I started. Every time we were in Wisconsin (which was frequently for holidays, long weekends, etc), I made it a point to cut out every single article about the Packers.
In 1995, I vividly remember Brett Favre winning the MVP award, and leading the Packers to a great season that was eventually ended by the Cowboys in the playoffs. This early life memory would carve a deep hatred of the Dallas Cowboys into me that I still carry to this day.
1996 was a phenomenal year since it was the last time the Packers won the Super Bowl! I remember being completely overjoyed when this happened! Later in life, I would appreciate that Desmond Howard, a University of Michigan Heisman Trophy winner, was the Super Bowl MVP.
Now... when your favorite team wins a championship, a funny thing happens. You become even more addicted to their success. You want to experience the happiness it brought you again, you want to feel the excitement of it, and you EXPECT it. Unfortunately, the odds of constant championships forever were stacked against me as I would realize from 1997 to the present.
In 1997, the Packers got to the Super Bowl again but lost... to the DENVER BRONCOS.
Homer Simpson get the Denver Broncos from Todd Primer on Vimeo.
THIS loss was CRUSHING. And now that i think about it, I think that it is responsible for allowing sports to emotionally affect me. I know exactly where I was. I was at my friend Jessica's house. My entire family was over there, and the minute the clock ran down, I wanted to get away from EVERYTHING. I threatened to burn my cheesehead hat. Friends and family tried to console me but I was inconsolable. Not only was I at the age where kids are moodiest, but my favorite team had just lost. I was fairly certain that this moment was the end of the world.
In 1998, another crushing loss came about. Again, cut to the playoffs. We were playing the 49ers and Steve Young decided to toss a TD pass to a little known guy named T.O. In spite of dropping passes left and right over the ENTIRE COURSE OF THE GAME (and his career, zing!), he decided to catch one in the dying minutes, eliminating the Packers from the playoffs. The image of his catch is burned into my memory... For days after the game, I wondered how the hell T.O. caught the damn ball:
Majik Man
And then came Brett Fave (see: Majkowski's Misfortune for how this transition happened). After a shaky two starting years in 1992 and 1993, Brett Favre started taking names and kicking ass in the 1994 season. And it was at this point, that my football obsession started taking full force.
Favre Before the Interceptions Silvered Him
In 1994, I was 11 and a sixth grader. I remember sleeping over at my friend Jeff's place begging him to let me trade him for a Brett Favre Rookie Card. I also remember the top receiver for the Packers, Sterling Sharpe, being diagnosed with a career ending neck injury. I was devastated.
STERLING. THE MAN.
But with Brett Favre playing at the highest level in what would eventually be a career of infinite length, I got past it. At this point in my life, my football obsession was probably just "cute." I had a Packers scrapbook that I started. Every time we were in Wisconsin (which was frequently for holidays, long weekends, etc), I made it a point to cut out every single article about the Packers.
In 1995, I vividly remember Brett Favre winning the MVP award, and leading the Packers to a great season that was eventually ended by the Cowboys in the playoffs. This early life memory would carve a deep hatred of the Dallas Cowboys into me that I still carry to this day.
1996 was a phenomenal year since it was the last time the Packers won the Super Bowl! I remember being completely overjoyed when this happened! Later in life, I would appreciate that Desmond Howard, a University of Michigan Heisman Trophy winner, was the Super Bowl MVP.
Now... when your favorite team wins a championship, a funny thing happens. You become even more addicted to their success. You want to experience the happiness it brought you again, you want to feel the excitement of it, and you EXPECT it. Unfortunately, the odds of constant championships forever were stacked against me as I would realize from 1997 to the present.
In 1997, the Packers got to the Super Bowl again but lost... to the DENVER BRONCOS.
Homer Simpson get the Denver Broncos from Todd Primer on Vimeo.
THIS loss was CRUSHING. And now that i think about it, I think that it is responsible for allowing sports to emotionally affect me. I know exactly where I was. I was at my friend Jessica's house. My entire family was over there, and the minute the clock ran down, I wanted to get away from EVERYTHING. I threatened to burn my cheesehead hat. Friends and family tried to console me but I was inconsolable. Not only was I at the age where kids are moodiest, but my favorite team had just lost. I was fairly certain that this moment was the end of the world.
In 1998, another crushing loss came about. Again, cut to the playoffs. We were playing the 49ers and Steve Young decided to toss a TD pass to a little known guy named T.O. In spite of dropping passes left and right over the ENTIRE COURSE OF THE GAME (and his career, zing!), he decided to catch one in the dying minutes, eliminating the Packers from the playoffs. The image of his catch is burned into my memory... For days after the game, I wondered how the hell T.O. caught the damn ball:
HOW?!
1999 and 2000 were throw-away years. The Packers had two coaching changes, and missed out on the playoffs both years. Living in Michigan, quite a few of the games would be broadcast and so I would watch them whenever they were on, regardless of record. Frustration was the word to describe these seasons. Countless hours were spent watching my team, EXPECTING them to turn it around, but they didn't.
2001-2006 were filled with teasing, pain, and heartbreak.
In 2001, the Packers had a solid season, and made the playoffs, only to have Brett Favre completely SHIT THE BED, throwing six interceptions to the St. Louis Rams. I remember spending the majority of that game with my head in my hands. It. was. abysmal. During the game, I think I thought to myself at one point: "This motherfucker is going to throw more passes to the other team than to ours!" Below is one of his intelligent passes from this game.
In 2002, the Pack AGAIN had a solid season and made the playoffs. This time though, they ran into Michael Vick (who hadn't yet started his dog-killing) and the Falcons who destroyed them at home 27-7.
In 2003, the Divisional Playoffs was the setting of a loss that hurt as much as taking a sword to the heart. The Packers were winning the game with 1:00 and change left in the 4th Quarter. To advance to the NFC Championship, all they had to do was stop the Eagles from converting a 4th down and 26. For non-football speakers, the odds of this happening are about the same of you winning the Mega Millions Jackpot. And convert they did... The game would go on into overtime, and Brett Favre would throw a horrendous interception, and in turn throw away the game...
Following this loss, I started losing faith in Brett Favre. While he still put up decent enough numbers, he had performed miserably in the playoffs for three consecutive seasons.
2004-2006 were dark years in my life as a diehard Packers fan, as they represented some of the worst Packers seasons of the decade, including one gem of a year where Brett Favre through 20 TDs and 29 INTs. Luckily, COLLEGE, and its ever-present boatloads of fun had taken over my life to take my mind of matters.
In January 2006, I moved to the East Coast from the Midwest to start the "CAREER PHASE" in my life. While having a job generally sucks, I have to say that I love having absolutely free Sundays to follow my team. AND, there is something about watching a game in a bar with like-minded fans that is fantastic.
My first football season of "real life" was the 2007 season. AND, thankfully, the Packers started to actually kick ass again that particular year. After coming off of 5+ years of bad endings and bad seasons, the Packers ground out a 13-3 season that was capped by one of the most amazing games I have ever watched, and then one of the most painstaking.
First, the Packers crushed the Seahawks in a snowy mess of a game...
... which set them up for an NFC Championship showdown with the New York Giants. Now at the time, I thought the Giants were garbage, and so I was positive that my team would finally make their triumphant return back to the Super Bowl... and then this happened... in overtime:
I was in a bar in Annapolis when this happened. And as the Giants lined up to kick the game winning field goal, I felt absolutely sick to my stomach. It was a loss I could not get over for days! After 10 years, my Packers were within a step of the Super Bowl, and they lost it on yet another Favre interception. Painful. I was piss-drunk that night. I stumbled back from the bar almost in tears, and then I realized I left my credit card there. I didn't care.
The offseason after that loss saw Favre end his legendary run in Green Bay as he signed with the New York Jets. And then, Aaron Rodgers took over! And the dude has played lights-out since.
And then there was the Packers-Arizona game last year. If you never watched this game... you need to watch this. After going down 17, my friend tried his best to console me as I was borderline suicidal in an Arlington sports bar. After threatening to walk out numerous times, he convinced me to stay.
The thing that killed me about this game was the way it ended. It was the clearest of clear penalties.
Yet... nothing was called.
And so here we are in 2011. The last 13-14 years of my life have been absolutely awesome. And life as a diehard Packer fan has been filled with enormous ups and downs. While I recapped the lowest of lows in this post, there have been countless highs as well. As the saying goes, "the sweet ain't as sweet without the sour." So I've experienced plenty of sweet and plenty of sour in my time as a Packer fan, and I can handle a few more tough losses before undergoing a complete psychiatric breakdown... But man... this season, it is seemingly in the stars.
After a rough season where they lose 6 games by a combined 20 points, they had to win their last two games to make the playoffs.
They did, and were the lowest seeded playoff team.
In the first round of the playoffs, in an away game, they knock Michael Vick (arguably the runner-up to the MVP award this season) and the Eagles out.
In the second round of the playoffs, in an away game, they OBLITERATE the #1 seeded Atlanta Falcons.
And now, here we are with the NFC Championship. Yet another away game, and against the most familiar of familiar opponents: The Chicago Bears.
I will be somewhere in the DC area watching this game, eating my fingernails as I hope to GOD that my Packers get back to the Super Bowl.
Some of my friends and family don't understand my obsession with football- or sports, in general for that matter. To be perfectly honest, I don't either, and I don't really care.
Notice that in all the losses I detail above, they are described as "crushing" and "devastating"? When you are a fan of a team, no matter how pessimistic you are about what you are watching, the beautiful thing is that you always have hope for the next season. And yeah, when you are flying too high on optimism, reality checks can be painful/crushing/devastating. BUT, that sense of knowing that the next season is always a definable number of days away from what you are currently experiencing is a great feeling.
Didn't win a game this year? Don't worry, there's next season!
Got eliminated in the playoffs? Don't worry! Next year you'll take the next step!
Won the Super Bowl?! You're going to repeat next year!
Hope springs eternal, and while watching sports is ultimately a mix of entertainment and escapism from our own lives, I think that it instills a sense of optimism in countless people across the world.
1 comment:
Bearssssss
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