Green and Gold Since Eight
NFL Films made me a Packers fan at eight. On Packers-Bears Sunday, the Guy in the Hat is wearing green and gold and celebrating the team, the history and the community that made Wisconsin home.
Today is one of my favorite days on the football calendar.
Packers. Bears. Noon Central.
Or, as I prefer to think of it, the day we beat the Bears.
Yes, I'm confident. I've been practicing this level of confidence since I was eight years old.
NFL Films got me. I watched those old films of the frozen tundra at Lambeau Field, and that was it. The cold. The history. That team in green and gold. I was hooked.
I was a Packers fan long before I called Wisconsin home. Eventually, I even moved here. I may have taken the whole fan thing a little seriously.
Being a Packers fan has given me a lot of good football over the years. It has also given me plenty of opinions about what the coaches should be doing.
This season is off to a rougher start than I'd like. I believe in Jordan Love. I'm excited about Matthew Golden. I think we've got a team with real talent, and I want to see the coaching staff get more out of it.
We've been through frustrating starts before. The 2010 Packers started 3-3 and finished with a Super Bowl title. That's a memory I'm happy to keep handy when things get messy.
Most days, Hat in the Loop is where I talk about technology, work and whatever has me asking questions. Today, you get another part of the Guy in the Hat.
Because if you're going to know me, you're going to hear about the Packers.
There's something pretty amazing about the way this team brings people together across Wisconsin. People with completely different lives, opinions and jobs can find common ground in a Sunday game.
Even if that common ground is complaining about the same play call.
I love seeing Wisconsin get excited about the Brewers, too. The Packers just occupy a different place in my life. They've been with me since I was a kid.
And the ownership is a big part of what makes this team special. The Packers are a publicly owned nonprofit corporation, with fans holding shares. That community connection is built into the organization.
When people here say “our team,” that means something.
I hope we always keep that.
Today, the flat cap is green and gold. The confidence is high.
Go Pack Go.
And yes, I still expect us to beat the Bears.
