How To Win Friends and Influence Bear Fans

Here's a draft of my first blog post for PocketDoppler.com which I hope will publish tomorrow.


Many thanks to Wally for asking me to participate in these shenanigans. Hopefully you'll find the view of a (somewhat) Violent Femme worthwhile reading.

As a bit of an introduction, I've been a Packer fan for most of my life, thanks to my Dad - a huge fan of the Lombardi-era Packers, especially Jerry Kramer (as most of my family has attended University of Idaho). The story I like to tell is that I was sitting on his lap at a few months old watching Super Bowl I. If not, I must have been in the next room listening to him cheer, because I imprinted. I read his well-thumbed copy of Instant Replay when I was about 7 or 8 and it was all over with. I was hooked.

Over the past 20 years, my interest has become more intense. Now, thanks to the power of blogs such as CheeseheadTV and Twitter, I've come to feel a part of a community of fans. I think those of us who don't live anywhere near Wisconsin find this connection maybe more important than your local Packer fan realizes, because we don't often run into someone on the street who has a similar passion for our team. In fact, around here, you're more likely to meet a Denver Bronco or San Francisco 49er fan. Shudder.

I've seen a fair amount of bickering on the Packer fan blogs, sometimes to the point of name calling after a big loss, or especially during the whole Favregate fiasco. In general, however, except for the occasional presence of a troll, people at least repect the main premise of why we're all there - we love and support the Green Bay Packers, come what may.

I realized during the Super Bowl vs. Denver that I had a little problem with confrontation. We were at a friend's house for a Super Bowl party who really didn't know anything about football, which is fine, but who made the mistake (to me) of inviting a rabid Broncos fan, male, who found out I loved the Packers and went after me with the intensity of a diamond tipped drill bit. Once he knew he was bothering me, he wouldn't shut up. Usually I'm pretty quick with a quip or pointed comment, but I just sat there, and after that last, awful play got up quietly, walked out the door and went home. And cried, I must confess. (Of course, that wasn't the last time Favre made me cry.)

Last week I was reminded as to my utter inability to trash talk. A new tweep, from my town, found out my loyalties were (I can't believe he could figure it out....) and revealed himself as a Bears fan. Not just a Bears fan, but a trash talking, Packer hating, McMahon worshiping Bears fan. In an awful case of deja vu, with laser like focus he set about annoying me. I tried to play it off for a while, I tried to respond and be funny but it got worse and finally I had just had enough. So I did what any girl should(n't) do, I ran to my band of Packer fan brothers in the Twitter world and one of them was kind enough to take said Bear fanboy on.

During the Bear game on Sunday the insults flew thick and fast between them while I watched from the Twitter sidelines. If I was a betting woman (and I am) I would have bet that one, or both, was totally beside himself with rage. Then, suddenly, all was totally laid back and smiley faces. Peace and joy reigned. Each had worn himself out, I guess, and felt better, perhaps taking comfort in the united knowledge that the Vikings, too, suck.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I somehow, someway, take all of it too seriously to trash talk well. That seems odd to me, because I've seen men who I know bleed green and gold even more than I do (and therefore one would assume might care more) engage in exchanges that would make a truck driver blush. I have a cousin I'm very close to who is a Bears fan, but our "discussion" of the rivalry comes down to a twice a year my posting on my personal blog "The Bears Still Suck" video and his verbal flailing once they (usually) lose. No harm, no foul, no name calling. That's the extent of my trash talking experience.

Is this a female trait, or am I merely an example of a timid Packer fan that just needs to get some thicker skin and jump in the fray with the trash talkers? I don't know. I consulted with Jayme Joers from BrentFavre.com and she said she thought maybe we female sports fans are a little more emotional about our support. Understandable? Maybe, but when you don't know how to respond to someone it's just annoying. I'd love to have a better reaction than stony silence.

Two things I know for sure is The Bears Still Suck, and I still suck at trash talk.