Super Bowl XLV – Packer Style

Go PACK Go!

If it can’t be my beloved Detroit Lions going to the Super Bowl (and I have a feeling that might be a while), then all of my cheers go to the Green Bay Packers, who will meet the Pittsburg Steelers on February 6.  I consider myself an honorary Packers fan as my dear friend, Sara Otto Shunkwiler (a Wisconsin native), allows me to cheer them on with her.

The Packers have arguably the best fans in the NFL.  They sport green and gold year-round and don “Cheeseheads” to support their Pack.  On game day it is nearly impossible to get anywhere near the stadium and during away games the area is a ghost town as fans are either at home or filling Packer bars to watch the game. 

Every home game has been sold out since 1960, with more than 80,000 names on the season-ticket waiting list.  When someone dies, they often will their tickets to a family member.

Sara tells me that Super Bowl Sunday will be like a national holiday in Wisconsin – every store will be closed and streets will be deserted as people are glued to their TV’s.  

 

I think that Green Bay’s “super fandom” is due in no small part to the fact that the team is owned by the public – their fans.  They are the only NFL team that doesn’t have an owner.  All money earned goes back into the club.  

They have a vested interested in their team and it shows. 

 

Founded in 1919 by Earl Lambeau  and George Whitney Calhoun, the Green Bay Packers are deeply rooted in the Wisconsin city where they began.  They were named after a local meat processing plant, the Indian Packing Company, which paid for the first uniforms.  Starting in the 1920s, the Green Bay Football Corp. made a series of public stock offerings.  In 1950, 1,900 local residents each put up $25 a share to buy the team.

Green Bay is the second-oldest franchise in the NFL and they have a rich history of championships, including winning the first Super Bowl in 1966. 

They’ve won twelve championships (more than any other team in the NFL) and are looking to secure their fourth Super Bowl victory next week. 

 

The team has historic rivalries with the Chicago Bears, whom they beat to get to this years “dance”; and the Detroit Lions, whom they have played since the 1930s.  The Packers also share a fierce rivalry with the Minnesota Vikings, ironically now the home of former quarterback, Brett Favre. 

 

 

They all belong to the NFC North, a.k.a. the "Black and Blue Division" due to the intensity of the rivalry between the four teams.

 

 

 

The Packers have no shortage of players to root for - Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has the tough job of leading his team to victory with a strong and accurate arm and also being the “boyfriend” of every lady in Green Bay. 

The guy must be exhausted by the end of the day!

 

Other Packers that are always fun to watch - Veteran Wide Receiver Donald Driver, Wide Receiver Greg Jennings (Western Michigan), Running Backs Brandon Jackson & John Kuhn and of course Clay Matthews and B.J. Raji. 

Rooting on the Packers and players begs the question – what to wear?  This post is filled with great fan gear from NFL Shop, Packers Pro Shop and Etsy (click on any photo for “where to buy”).   

But what I really want to know is how can I look like this guy?  I’m pretty sure there isn’t a single Packer fan that doesn’t own and proudly wear a Cheesehead hat.  Teasing them only increases their spirit as they cheer on their boys in green and gold. 

You don’t have to look far in Wisconsin or on the web for Cheesehead gear, but I found

Foamation to have a nice well-edited selection, including the fun earrings above.

It’s really too bad that Super Bowl’s can’t be held on a teams home turf because I can’t think of anything that would make Super Bowl XLV more exciting than watching it take place at the famed Lambeau Field.  I’ve never been there, but I love watching touchdowns in that stadium.  I will never forget watching Sunday Night Football on December 11, 2005 -  Packers vs. Lions. 

I knew that our friends, Ben and Sara and Craig, were at the game and sitting near the end zone, so I was looking out for them.  Watching, watching….and there it was - Lions wide receiver Roy Williams catches an incredible TD pass and jumps up for the infamous Lambeau Leap right into the arms of Ben and Craig (captured in the above photo – Craig is on the left and you can’t see Ben because he’s behind Roy Williams holding him up.  Craig snagged the ball).  I literally could not believe my eyes!  We lost the game that night, but Ben, Sara and Craig got the moment of a lifetime.

Hopefully, the Packers will continue their magic on Feb. 6 and capture another Super Bowl title for their beloved fans.  Go Pack Go!