Football Hangover Part Two

Lightning does strike the same place twice.

When the Bears lost to the Packers on Sunday, it was like suffering a football hangover for the second consecutive week (luckily it was a figurative hangover and nothing like my punishment last Monday). The city showed the team tough love all season but after they beat the Seahawks in the opening round of the playoffs, Chicago was on a football high. All of last week, there was so much excitement and build-up for the Bears-Packers game (the oldest rivalry in sports I was told), that I actually started to despise the Bears by game time (well, kind of).

This over-hype was as annoying as it was interesting to watch. Everywhere I looked I saw orange and blue. Even Chicago's buildings boasted their color coordination (pictured, the Trump Tower and the Willis Tower as seen from the Hancock Signature Lounge).

On Friday, I got off the L and walked toward work, clutching my RedEye plastered with photos and packed with stories about the city's football team. As I approached my building, I noticed "Da Bus" was parked out front. Upon entering the building, I was greeted by a lobby decked out in bouquets of blue and orange balloons. At lunch time, the building was swarming with with workers decked out in Bears gear.

As I waited in line to get a sandwich, I ran into one brave soul donning an Aaron Rodgers shirt. After expressing my admiration for his gall, he revealed he was just doing it for fun. He wasn't a Packers fan, but he was a fan of pissing people off. His friend looked mortified to be standing next to him.

Come Sunday, I decided to watch the game with my Packer pal Ally and we enjoyed some wings, beer and a side of homework (and I can't get a boyfriend why??). I'm an Aaron Rodgers fan (well a fan of his backside more than anything), so I was pulling for the Cheeseheads. However, when the Bears' spirited comeback fell short, I could feel the air immediately sucked out of the entire city.

Monday morning's papers reminded me of the sting I felt when the Patriots lost the week before. The city is bear (pun intended). Those blue and orange decorations I once found so annoying are now gone, and the papers are back to boring black and white. The excitement is gone, the city is silent (well, except for an incessant infiltration of opinions regarding Cutlergate).

While I'm happy for Rodgers and the Packers, I thought it would have been fun to see Chicago in the Super Bowl, as it was exciting to witness the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup. Now both my football cities have gone into hibernation. Looks like I might have to hitch a ride to Wisconsin to find that football feeling just in time for the Super Bowl.