Football Is More Than A Game
As I write this the Chicago Bears are losing to the Kansas City Chiefs 41-0, midway through the third quarter. Unless they stop trying, the Chiefs might hit 60.
Chicago is a Bears town, there is easily more sustained interest in the Bears, year in and year out, than in any of the other major sports teams we have here.
Now we have a team that may be the most inept in the NFL. Its so bad that the quarterback criticized the coaches, the defensive co-ordinator quit because of an unnamed personal scandal he is involved in , and burglars stole 100,000 dollars worth of field maintenance equipment out of Soldier Field.
What got to me more than the team, today, though was a story that was on local tv news this morning.
Sophie Nieves and her family are headed to Kansas City to cheer on her favorite team, the Chicago Bears. The all-expenses-paid trip was made possible through Advocate Healthcare, United Airlines and the Bears.
Sophie was diagnosed with leukemia at 10 years old after what her parents initially believed were COVID symptoms. She spent many days in the hospital but last month Sophie finished chemotherapy and is now cancer-free.
To add icing on the cake, earlier Saturday she got to meet her favorite player, Bears quarterback Justin Fields, at Halas Hall.
"He said ‘I’ll meet you at the game and I hope we win this season,'" Sophie said.
Sophie also got a tour of Halas Hall, an autographed hat and sneakers. On Sunday, she and her family will have pregame field passes, great seats and first-class accomodations.
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/13-year-old-cancer-survivor-gifted-all-expenses-paid-trip-to-see-bears-play-chiefs
There was video of the girl in her family all decked in Bears regalia, going through the airport on their way to Kansas City.
No doubt the result of this game will be a minor disappointment for a family so happy that their 12 year old beat cancer.
But the story is a reminder that pro football, and to a lesser extent all pro sports, is more than a game. The NFL is so popular that civic identity becomes wrapped up in these teams during football season. When you have a team at the bottom of the barrel winter comes earlier and the sun doesnt seem to shine as much. A good part of the 10 o clock news will be spent trying to explain how and why the disaster of the most recent game unfolded.
Tomorrow, the Bears, and other teams, will still stink. But their players will still sign autographs, visit childrens hospitals, and help out with food and clothing drives. Football is more than just a game.
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There is a local postgame radio show where two former Bears greats, Dan Hampton and Ed O'Bradovich rant and rave about todays game. Lately a lot of ranting directed at the coaches and players and ownership. This show is regularly more entertaining than the games have been. You have to worry about the blood pressure rise in O'Bradovich when he is literally screaming in anger about the days game. He is 80 years old.
Used to work for the Chiefs back when we were losing.
So glad Mahomes, Kelce and others are winning Superbowl's.
P.S. Kelce wasn't looking at the scoreboard or the playbacks on the big screen when he was filmed looking "up" today. He was looking at the beautiful, talented lady sitting next to his mom in the suite.
A friend of a friend called me and said that Travis needed to get his head back in the game and stop thinking about his dick!
I've never even met Kelce. The only person who could deal with any 'perceived' problem would be Mahomes.
Travis Kelce-- 7 receptions...69 yards... 1 TD.
Thanks to Kelce, Mahomes could find everybody else open.
How cool is it that Swift was sitting next to Kelce's mom?
Hope she doesn't break Trav's heart.
Trav has always been a one woman man.
So happy that Sophie beat cancer and she was able to see da Bears and meet her favorite player. The players do so much good, generally all you hear about is when one gets in trouble the vast majority donate time and money to many causes.
I've seen the same kind of sports players' good will happening in Toronto - a long while ago I posted a story about the Yankees' player Aaron Judge meeting and gifting a kid whose hero he was at the Skydome. I love these "good news" stories.
The Denver Broncos played what was probably the worst game in their history today, being totally whipped 70-20 by Miami.
Maybe time to replace Vance Joseph
Or perhaps they should become the Utah Broncos?...
What kind of pro football star would willingly live in Utah?!
Unless you drive a bad 4x4, Utah is where fun goes to die.
If you ski, park City is a good spot.
Always liked the narrow trails at Sundance.
Used to drive OTR. Been to Utah a time or two.
Weird Liquor laws.
Used to live on Colfax within walking distance of Mile High back in the Elway days when every stop-sign was painted orange. Sad to see them falling down so badly.