Today's topic is NFL football fandom. After watching a thoroughly satisfying stomp of the Indianapolis Colts my Green Bay Packers, I have been inspired to write this. I should probably say 'our' Green Bay Packers, because, as is widely known, the team is owned, essentially by its fans. Now, I'm not a shareholder, as I reside in Indianapolis and not in Green Bay, but I am from Sheboygan, WI, and the Packers really belong to everyone in Wisconsin, sentimentally anyway.
The Green Bay Packers have the best fans in the NFL. I know, I know, various polls are taken every year that suggest that another team has the best fans and there are fans in every market who claim to be the best in the league, but come on...the Packers haven't had a football game blacked out in decades. I am over 30,000 down on the season ticket waiting list, and will most likely have to bequest my spot to an heir. This means that there is no chance that anyone in the Packers market should ever not be able to see their team on broadcast television. This has been and will be for a very long time. Sure, other teams have waiting lists, but how many teams have years go by where only two season ticket holders drop off...? How many other markets virtually shut down in public on Sunday because of the draw for football viewing? Ok, let's say you have those. How many markets have so many diehard fans that are willing to come hours early, tailgate in the lots, the streets, the neighbor's yards, and then go into a stadium that is comprised of extremely uncomfortable bleacher seating, forcing you to stand, if not only to keep warm because the wind chill lowers the perceived temperature to 20 below zero...? The Green Bay Packers have these things, plus one of the most storied histories in the NFL, which is also due in part to the fans of the Wisconsin northwoods and southern glacial crop. How many other markets can have a team have ten or so consecutive losing seasons and not have half of their fans jump off the bandwagon...? I could go on...but I'd like to go on to something else.
I live in Indianapolis, home to the Colts. I learned while eavesdropping at work this week that there are fans who have complaints over the brand new beautiful facility that is Lucas Oil Stadium. I haven't been in it yet, but accounts are that the seats are small and uncomfortable and there are some partially obstructed views. I can live with people making these complaints, but you also have to look at it this way. You pay for what you get, as in obstructed seating is most likely in less demand and therefore on average cheaper. More importantly, this is your team. You should be standing and raucously cheering on your team anyway. If you don't like the seats because they are too small for a 250+ lb person, get up and stand. It'll be healthier for you anyway. Stand up, stop being lazy, and take advantage of being in attendance at a professional sporting event and cheer for your team. Yell, clap, do something, but don't bitch about how you wanted a chaise lounge for your 80 buck ticket.
Even worse, I heard two new complaints this week that are absolutely idiotic. I have been told that one, when the roof is open, it gets too hot in the sun, and two, the building casts too many shadows on the field. When I heard these things, I had to restrain myself from making a fool of myself in what was a semi-professional setting. WHAT THE FUCK?!?! Football is made to be played outside, not in the comfort of a fucking dome. Now that you don't have a dome anymore, you get a bit of the elements when watching the Colts. Open air stadiums all create shadows eventually, but anything is better than a dome. I lived in Minneapolis, MN for four years and believe me, after attending dozens of sporting events in the Metrodome, there is little to nothing that is better in a dome than outside for the TRUE FAN. If you are going to bitch about creature comforts, shell out for the fucking box seats and give me your Miller High Life, because I would happily take your seats off of your hands for you and then drink your beer too, because you don't deserve either. AND YOU DEFINITELY DO NOT REPRESENT THE BEST FANS IN THE NFL!!
The Packers beat the Colts today and I am thrilled. I am more thrilled because I have a week to rub it in the face of people that don't know what being the 'best' fan takes. I am part of the best fans in the NFL in that I am a Green Bay Packers fan. I however, am not the best fan. I have sat in my seat plenty at sporting events across the company, including the recently attended ALCS game 1 in Tampa, the most disappointing MLB game that I have ever been at. I swear at my favorite teams' players when they screw up and/or act like idiots. I do not however jump on and off of bandwagons, or take opportunities to see my favorite teams for granted. These are two things that I am seeing plenty of Colts fans doing, have seen plenty of Vikings fans do, and will probably see plenty more fans across the country do in the future. So next time, you think that you are among the best fans of any particular sport...I invite you to take a look at the Green Bay Packers, grill a brat, grab a beer, wear ridiculously weighted pieces of colored foam on your head, and think about how lucky you are to be able to root for a team at all.
GO PACK GO!!
GO GOPHERS!!
GO RAYS!!
GO CUBS...
GO TWINS...
GO ALL OF COLLEGE BASKETBALL!!
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
Everything has to start somewhere...
This is the beginning of what I intend to use to publish honest comments for all to see. I don't intend to be politically correct. I don't intend to limit myself to any one kind of format, topic, or expectation. What I do hope is that anyone who finds themselves reading what I write, will think about, respect, and discuss such thoughts with me and others. I hope that such communication expands the knowledge of every reader, whether they agree with me or not. This being said, not everything that I write will have substance (this paragraph), and not everything I write will be consistent with what I have written previously. I reserve the right to change my mind from time to time and not lock myself into any particular viewpoint or opinion. When I express an opinion, consider it to be thought out, current, but also subject to debate. Right, so let's get on with some substance, or not.
Q's Continuum is something that I would like to explain. I have used it for many years as the name of my micro-business ventures, my fantasy sports teams, and other items such as this blog. I feel that the name reflects a vastness that so much can fall into. For those who are familiar with Star Trek, you may realize where the name comes from. I will provide a brief explanation. Q is a character in Star Trek. While not a deity, Q does appear to be omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. He is one and also many, who come(s) from a space called The Continuum. He is an intriguing character and I felt that a play on the names would provide an excellent name in itself for a variety of uses.
I have really grown to like using the ellipsis (...). Please don't hate on it's use, as I feel that it goes a long way to not locking me into statements that I make. It kind of lends a trailing off to thoughts that leaves me feeling comfortable. One might ask, "Doesn't comfortability with not locking yourself into a position make you just like a politician?" I would answer, YES. This however does not mean that I have any aspirations to be a politician. If I did, I probably wouldn't be writing this in the first place. I do however feel that it is important for me and for everyone else to keep open minds about most everything. Locking yourself into judgements of this and that stifles diversity and fosters segregation. I challenge everybody to always ask themselves what more they can find and consider about topics that they find themselves forming a solid opinion. I'm not saying that solid opinions shouldn't be formed about anything, but I'm saying that the concept of not wavering from an opinion is not something that furthers progress in society. In this blog, I will probably express many of my own opinions, some of them controversial, but I try to remind myself that they are subject to change, given the right stimulus. Can you find the solid opinion that I have expressed in this paragraph...?
Twitter is something that a friend turned me on to recently and I've found it to be intriguing. While some may see Twitter as not very different from any other form of social networking that has been around for a while, I see it as a novel concept that allows friends and strangers to get brief glimpses into the lives of people that sound interesting to them. By reading others' brief posts, often expressing opinions different between the reader and the writer, a type of social discourse is occurring that I believe to be good for the furtherence of society. This opinion may eventually change. At some point, I may think that Twitter, this blog, and the internet itself are silly and a waste of time to explore...as my opinion of Facebook has slowly become. For now, Twitter remains intriguing.
Now, for my controversial topic of the day, jaywalking. I lose absolutely no sleep at night due to often crossing a street against a traffic light when no traffic would interfere, or because of sometimes just crossing a street where there is no crosswalk and no potentially interfering traffic. I do this a lot, especially when running, so as to keep my pace. My only reservation is when law enforcment is present. Some localities such as Minneapolis and St. Paul have implemented large fines for jaywalking that I don't care to pay. My problem is not with the people that do what I just described. My problem is with those who decide to wander across the road, obviously not caring about traffic or anybody else. My guess is that most people know what I am describing. While my admitted actions may show a disrespect for a statute, these other people show a disrespect for everyone except themselves. I am convinced that people who blatantly jaywalk and cause traffic to slow down (two different hazards there) are themselves convinced that 99% of drivers will not hit them because it's not at all worth the hassle and trouble that would follow. I don't intend to hit anybody like that, but I am coming increasingly closer to such street crossers, trying to put some kind of fear into them, showing them that I won't just back down from this behavior. To those who don't care about anyone else but themselves, please refrain from crossing the street if there is a chance that traffic will be wanting to occupy the same space as you. Please respect those that are around you and maybe you will find more people respecting you. If you don't refrain from this behavior and someone does eventually hit you because they have an attention lapse while driving, I will not feel sorry for you and I may very well have sympathy for the driver. I'm not one to give sympathy for those that I feel engage in obviously idiotic behavior. It does nothing to improve society. I'm not saying that I need you to give a fuck about anybody else, but that doesn't mean that you don't need to respect anybody else. Stop being lazy, find a crosswalk and look for traffic. Rant over...
Q's Continuum is something that I would like to explain. I have used it for many years as the name of my micro-business ventures, my fantasy sports teams, and other items such as this blog. I feel that the name reflects a vastness that so much can fall into. For those who are familiar with Star Trek, you may realize where the name comes from. I will provide a brief explanation. Q is a character in Star Trek. While not a deity, Q does appear to be omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. He is one and also many, who come(s) from a space called The Continuum. He is an intriguing character and I felt that a play on the names would provide an excellent name in itself for a variety of uses.
I have really grown to like using the ellipsis (...). Please don't hate on it's use, as I feel that it goes a long way to not locking me into statements that I make. It kind of lends a trailing off to thoughts that leaves me feeling comfortable. One might ask, "Doesn't comfortability with not locking yourself into a position make you just like a politician?" I would answer, YES. This however does not mean that I have any aspirations to be a politician. If I did, I probably wouldn't be writing this in the first place. I do however feel that it is important for me and for everyone else to keep open minds about most everything. Locking yourself into judgements of this and that stifles diversity and fosters segregation. I challenge everybody to always ask themselves what more they can find and consider about topics that they find themselves forming a solid opinion. I'm not saying that solid opinions shouldn't be formed about anything, but I'm saying that the concept of not wavering from an opinion is not something that furthers progress in society. In this blog, I will probably express many of my own opinions, some of them controversial, but I try to remind myself that they are subject to change, given the right stimulus. Can you find the solid opinion that I have expressed in this paragraph...?
Twitter is something that a friend turned me on to recently and I've found it to be intriguing. While some may see Twitter as not very different from any other form of social networking that has been around for a while, I see it as a novel concept that allows friends and strangers to get brief glimpses into the lives of people that sound interesting to them. By reading others' brief posts, often expressing opinions different between the reader and the writer, a type of social discourse is occurring that I believe to be good for the furtherence of society. This opinion may eventually change. At some point, I may think that Twitter, this blog, and the internet itself are silly and a waste of time to explore...as my opinion of Facebook has slowly become. For now, Twitter remains intriguing.
Now, for my controversial topic of the day, jaywalking. I lose absolutely no sleep at night due to often crossing a street against a traffic light when no traffic would interfere, or because of sometimes just crossing a street where there is no crosswalk and no potentially interfering traffic. I do this a lot, especially when running, so as to keep my pace. My only reservation is when law enforcment is present. Some localities such as Minneapolis and St. Paul have implemented large fines for jaywalking that I don't care to pay. My problem is not with the people that do what I just described. My problem is with those who decide to wander across the road, obviously not caring about traffic or anybody else. My guess is that most people know what I am describing. While my admitted actions may show a disrespect for a statute, these other people show a disrespect for everyone except themselves. I am convinced that people who blatantly jaywalk and cause traffic to slow down (two different hazards there) are themselves convinced that 99% of drivers will not hit them because it's not at all worth the hassle and trouble that would follow. I don't intend to hit anybody like that, but I am coming increasingly closer to such street crossers, trying to put some kind of fear into them, showing them that I won't just back down from this behavior. To those who don't care about anyone else but themselves, please refrain from crossing the street if there is a chance that traffic will be wanting to occupy the same space as you. Please respect those that are around you and maybe you will find more people respecting you. If you don't refrain from this behavior and someone does eventually hit you because they have an attention lapse while driving, I will not feel sorry for you and I may very well have sympathy for the driver. I'm not one to give sympathy for those that I feel engage in obviously idiotic behavior. It does nothing to improve society. I'm not saying that I need you to give a fuck about anybody else, but that doesn't mean that you don't need to respect anybody else. Stop being lazy, find a crosswalk and look for traffic. Rant over...
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