It is now 10:30pm and I just walked in from feeding the horses late. I got home about a half hour ago. Today was a long day since I opened the American Legion for a Super Bowl Party at a little after 12 Noon.
I posted my prediction on here earlier so that no one would be able to say later that I only picked the Packers after they won. And OK, so I was wrong that it wasn't done by 14 points. But I was right about them winning.
And friends, I picked The Packers because of my Dad.
So now you ask, why would a family from Hawaii root for the Green Bay Packers? Well believe it or not, back in the 1960's in Hawaii it seemed as though everyone was a Green Bay Packers fan.
The Green Bay Packers had won nine NFL Championships prior to the start of the NFL having anything called a Super Bowl. Then when the Super Bowls started, "The Packers" won the very first two Super Bowls back to back. They won in 1967 in Super Bowl I and in 1968 in Super Bowl II. Did I say that that was back to back!
Their popularity was widespread, but it was not only due to their winning record. Vince Lombardi had a lot to do with it. His commitment to the game was absolutely inspirational. And granted that today the "Green Bay Packers" is the oldest team-name still in use in the NFL, both by its nickname and by virtue of remaining in its original city the whole time, but what's more is the fact that The Packers are the only non-profit community-owned major league professional sports team in the United States. It was that way back then just as they still are today.
And as most fans know, their reputation for being a fan supported team with legions of committed fans waiting for a chance for a Season Ticket to come available is legendary. The Packers are the last of those small town teams that were once common in America, especially during the 1930s when my Dad was a kid.
So maybe that's why my Dad loved "The Packers"? Maybe it wasn't only because they were the first to win two Super Bowls back to back? Maybe it was the Packer's small town attitude that reminded him of an era when the big corporation owned teams didn't only look at the bottom line, and instead really did look at what the community wanted and needed? Maybe it reminded him of a time when sports teams didn't scalp fans by pricing a game completely out of reach?
Have you tried to take your family to a game lately? If you're a middle-class American than you'll need to take out a second mortgage to afford it.
Maybe that's why today's Super Bowl XLV was attended by so many wealthy Hollywood Celebrities? It seems you have to be wealthy to afford to go to a game, nevertheless a Super Bowl. According to reports Celebs were everywhere there today, from Alex Rodriguez with actress Cameron Diaz, to John Travolta, Harrison Ford, Calista Flockhart, Mark Harmon, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas. Heck, even Reverend Jesse Jackson was there along with Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher.
Maybe it was all of those reasons and more? I can't tell you for sure. What I can tell you for certainty is that my Dad was a Packers fan. And what's more is that even though my Dad passed away five and a half years ago, he's happy tonight!
Headline:
Green Bay Packers Defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25 to Win Super Bowl XLV
Yup, he's probably happy tonight!
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