In the course of football season, Pastor usually mentions the Packers at one point or another during the Sunday service. He’s originally from Ireland and the Sunday after the devastating Packers loss at Seattle he said, “We have a saying in Ireland whenever somebody has undergone a disappointment: “Build a bridge and get over it!”
I took that to heart, because a full week after the Packers had let the championship slip from their fingers, my bridge had not been built. It was under construction, sure, but it was slow going.
Football, and especially the playoffs, gives me something to look forward to during the tedious monotony of winter farm chores. We had a lovely little Sunday night ritual of popcorn and pop as we settled in to watch our Packers play. I looked forward to that more than I realized, for now that our season was cut short with what felt like a rusty chainsaw, it had put me in a funk.
That being said, I realize that when one looks at it from a different perspective, it is, after all, just a game. The news of Mike McCarthy’s brother’s unexpected passing brought that sharply into focus, and I’m sure Coach McCarthy realized that more than anyone.
I’ve mentioned it before, that over the years I’ve morphed into a sports fan and specifically Wisconsin sports, which includes the Badgers, Brewers and, especially, the Packers. This year’s team was destined for greatness, I believed. They had relatively no injuries; that is until Aaron had issues with his calf. After the first two defeats of the season when Aaron announced over the radio airwaves to Packer nation: “R-E-L-A-X,” the Pack did just that and took off. It was so fun!
We always watch the first half and DVR the second during Sunday afternoon Packers games. We take care of chores and milking and when we are ready, grab our snacks and settle down in front of the TV without knowing the outcome. I turned to my husband before watching the second half of the NFC Championship game, “Well, if we listen real hard, can we hear Packer nation crying or cheering?” After the fact, I was astounded that I seriously did not hear a unified wail coming up from the very heart of the Green Bay fans.
We got down to five minutes left in the game, the Pack was ahead; we had this! I was looking forward to the next game, probably going up against New England. I was envisioning two more glorious weeks of football-related prep leading up to the Super Bowl. The minutes trickled down, things started to get worrisome. Just before the two-minute mark I could not stand it. When my husband refused to fast-forward I jumped up and ran into the back room to turn on Sports Center. I simply had to know.
I stood stupidly in the middle of the room, blinked, unable to comprehend. The analysts were discussing the game, “Come from behind … phenomenal win … never gave up … Seahawks 28, Packers 22.” What? We lost? My jaw dropped and I felt the blood drain from my face. If someone had kicked me in the gut it would not have hurt like this. How could it be? We were ahead by 14 points with mere minutes left in the game! My husband, at that point, had indeed fast-forwarded it and realized with a sinking heart we had lost.
Watching the recap, many people blamed Bostick for going up for the onside kick instead of following his assignment and blocking. Jordy was in position to grab the pigskin, fall on it and laugh the rest of the game away. Seahawks were out of timeouts, it would have been ours. Ughhhhhh. That one play did not the whole game make or break.
It was a combination of so many things: To permit a first down on a third-and-19, to allow a two-point conversion as Wilson floated one up and over. (Could no one have batted that ball down?) Why did Burnett fall to the ground after he snatched one away from Wilson? Why didn’t we aggressively try to score in the fourth quarter? Sheer bad luck when we didn’t win the toss at OT. It never should have even gotten to overtime in the first place.
Tuesday morning after the devastating loss I texted our middle son: “I can’t get over it!” He’s a diehard Packer fan who loves the game and loves the Packers. He texted me back: “Can’t let the Packers affect your mood, Mom. You had a day. … That’s all you get to sulk, now move on to the next thing.” (Build a bridge?) He also reminded me, “It’s the taste of defeat that drives the passion to win.” This is his mantra.
I don’t even want to watch the Super Bowl, but I will. I will watch it in a detached, uninterested way and realize it is just a game, in the whole scheme of life. I think I’ll root for deflate-gate Patriots. OK, OK, I’ve vented. I’ve built my bridge. I’m over it.
Go Brewers!
(“Summing is all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious, the best, not the worst, the beautiful, not the ugly, things to praise, not things to curse.” Philippians 4:8, The Message Bible)
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