I get the above question a lot, actually. It’s been pointed out to me that I’ve never lived in Wisconsin, I don’t have family in Wisconsin or even from Wisconsin, etc. etc. etc. Considering I live in Texas, where football is king, it does seem weird that I wouldn’t be a diehard fan of the football teams here. Even stranger, I’ve lived in the Dallas area for nearly 18 years now, so why wouldn’t I be a fan of the Dallas Cowboys?
Believe it or not, I did not like football at all until my senior year of high school. I guess being forced to watch every high school game every Friday (marching band nerd right here) was bound to catch my attention sooner than later. It intensified when I went to Baylor, where I was once again in the marching band. The crowd really gets you excited, even if you don’t care about sports. It wasn’t long before I started to want to understand the sport more, and just a few years later, Sundays were for the NFL.
However, by the time I got into pro football, my hometown team, the Houston Oilers, were long gone. Since I was living in Waco, my attention naturally turned to the Dallas Cowboys. I really liked Troy Aikman and Emmett Smith, but when then head coach Jimmy Johnson and owner Jerry Jones got into a pissing match, my support left with Jimmy Johnson. The more I learned about Jerry Jones, the less I liked him. I could not, and still can’t, support anything that man is behind.
My attention next turned to the Green Bay Packers, which I fully admit was because I found Brett Favre to be hot. It didn’t hurt that at this point in the Packers’ history, they were really good. The first year I was a fan, they won the Super Bowl. I definitely came across as a bandwagoner, but I’ve stuck with them ever since. Many of those years with Favre at the helm were pretty bad. Even this year is nothing to write home about. Here I sit in one of my Packers’ jerseys, watching Fox NFL Sunday, gearing up to watch the Packers possibly lose another game.
(They say Aaron Rodgers could come back in week 15, but at this point, why risk him getting hurt again? Don’t let Rodgers become a Romo.)
So that’s really it. I didn’t like football, and when I did like it, I didn’t have a home team. I loathe my state’s other team. Brett Favre caught my eye, and the more I learned about the Packers organization the more I liked it. I think it’s awesome the town owns the team instead of one individual. Is the town itself a little weird and trapped in the 60s? Absolutely. But there’s something quaint about it. Plus, how many pro stadiums sit in a neighborhood?
Also, the Packers have this nasty habit of NOT hiring criminals and women beaters. It’s the little things like that.
GO PACK GO!
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