Driving down Lambeau Avenue is quite the sight. Up ahead and quickly coming into my view was the glory that is Lambeau Field. To my left were rows of houses several of which several were heavily decked out in Packers gear, from inflatable lineman to huge banners and flags. I knew I had arrived in Titletown. So called (as I recently found out in my interview with the Green bay Gazette) because the Green Bay Packers have won the most amount of Titles which includes the championships before the SuperBowl was created.
Initially I thought, that's a little self indulgent and they haven't won the super Bowl for a few years, but as I drove past the stadium looking to park I realised that here was the Vince Lombarid Museum as well as a huge Vince Lombardi replica of the trophy, and the history here certifies this as Titletown.
I parked up in the car park of a gas stage, for $25, a good spot near the stadium and near the gas station for later, perfecto. It was about 10 after 5pm and the game was kicking off soon. The place was packed but I had to run through the crowd in order to get to the hotel to get my Stubhub ticket that I paid $115 for. When Brett Favre just retiredI I was mad because the year I do this trip is they year retires. So the his reiremtent ceremony was supposed tonight. 8 weeks ago and this would have been a $400 ticket, so thanks Mr. Favre you saved me a bit of money there, and I still see you play in a couple of weeks.
I was suppossed to meet an English Packer fan named Dan who had got in touch via site and he told me he was at Fuzzy Thurstons. I know a quite a bit about football, or so I thought, but I did not know who or what Fuzzy Thurstons was other than a kickass name...surely a bar right? I ran to the hotel with my banner and card and camera around my neck, finally I got my ticket and with 20 minutes to spare I went looking for Dan. He had texted me he was outside the Resch centre, so I went around the building and found a sweet tailgate party, with music and beer and food. It was 20 dollars to get in and I would have done that but with 15 minutes to go what was the point. Then someone told me who Fuzzy Thurstons was, and that he had won several championships with the Packers way back in the day. The people running the party allowed me to have my picture taken with this legend of the game. So I didn't meet Dan and I rushed to the stadium wanting to try and get myself a cheesehead. Which is a foam yellow wedge made to look like a piece of cheese.
As I was getting closer to the stadium I noticed what looked like to be an old school ambulance, but it was painted up and decked out in Packers gear. It even had a beer try you pull out and storage cupboards on the outside. I introduced myself and it turns out the owners let me have my picture taken on this ambulance.I had noticed that many of the crowd were from the older generation and it was great to see so many fans who must have been nearly 90 all dressed up in green and yellow. Once I told them about my trip they could not have been happier,. The Packers fans were actually tailgating with the Vikings fans and after a little while I had quite the crowd around me taking pictures and so on. Some even recorgnised me from the Green Bay Gazette interview/article that had been printed today. The tailgaters offered me beer and really respected my idea for this trip. I told them I was a bears fan and expected some mocking even a little hostility especially as the Bears and Packers are such arch rivals, but they diid not let that information faze their passion for making me feel special. They told me that I was Packers fan that day and that they were really pleased to see me there. Everyone at this pre-party was so friendly and nice and wanted to have their picture taken with me, which was really cool. I felt like a movie star!
I then continued to the stadium as it was now 5:55pm, slightly concerned that no one else seemed to be heading to the stadium. Then suddenly I was stopped by another group of Packers fans who also had a similar style vehicle this time decked out slightly differently. Instead of the leather plush insides this was a van with a huge sound system and speakers pumping out all sorts of tunes.
The group were a fair bit younger I would say around late twenties and predominantly Packers fans but with a sprinkling of Vikings in the mingle. They too recognised me from the article and starting to ask questions, but they could tell I was in a rush. I asked them why they were not going into the stadium and they told me it was 5pm, not 6pm. I had driven over the time zone so I just won myself an hour. SWEEEEEET This band of merry gals and guys took some pics and they wanted to buy my t-shirt which I have had several printed up. So after them giving me more beers which I declined as I was driving I rushed to my car to get some T-Shirts for them. Again whilst running through the car park, this time I was stopped by mainly Vikings fans with just one or two Packers fans in heir huddle. The main gentleman would not let me leave without eating one of their brats. And it wasn't like he just gave me a hot fdog on a bun, oh no sir, he took care placing on chopped onions, mustard, relish, then some chips and the world famous Green Bay cheese...simply wonderful, the best hot dog I have ever had. So I got these guys some t-shirts and then attempted to rush to the 2nd group of tailgaters who I had promised T-shirts to When I noticed a network TV camera,
"Oh hello, a camera crew" I thought to myself. Now although I do not want to come across like an ego maniac, it's just that getting media coverage has been really difficult and any time I might be able to get a lead then I may as well give it a shot. I saw 2 men being filmed and interviewed, but the producer would not let me on camera, fair enough I thought, they have a plan and an agenda and this media hungry Brit is not going to spoil that. Until one of the presenters asked me if he could borrow my ticket "Can I get on camera" was my quick response. He nodded and showed my ticket to the world, I was so proud that it was my ticket being used a prop, whilst i was somewhere in the background, bobbing around trying to be filmed. The 2 other camera crews both told me that knew of the trip from the article, which is great, and I thought perfect they know of the trip, surely that might want to film me? Unitl both of them told me they had no film and were just set up for "live". Seriously who doesn't bring tapes with them? Fianlly I got back to the guys and they loved the T-shirts and it was time to head into the stadium, not before I had my picture taken with the Vince Lombardi statue.
The vibe around the stadium was electric and everyone was so friendly. Last night a few Indy fans had a couple of obnoxious comments to me when they saw my sign, and even more dissapointing was a couple of bears fans taking the piss too, which hurts more because I am a Bears fan! As I entered the amazing atrium, which is simlar to that of the Colt's new stadium witha I was givena white towel with "G -Force" written on it and a mini programme. The atrium was stunning atrium, done up to look like an actual town inside, Titletown perhaps.
I bought myself a cheesehead and had the workers take some pictures of me, it felt funny at first but I got used to it. Then I made my way around the stadium to my seat. As soon as I saw daylight through the tunnelI was hit by a wall of green and yellow. Not just jeresys and hats, but glittering bead necklaces everywhere. I found my seat, which isn't actually a seat but a number on a bench. The whole stadium does not have seats it is all bleachers and I realised now why they were selling so many Packer cushions. although this was suyppossed to be Brett Favre's retiring night, the atmosphere felt exciting because it was Aaron Rodgers first start, and in the last hour it had been non stop talk of the Favre situation. I had seen some fans with Favre Jets jerseys on and a few fans near by me thought that some fans out in Green Bay have become bigger Favre fans than the team itself.
The game started rather sloppy under the beautiful Green Bay skyline. The Packers made a few errors and the game was not flowing, but unlike the Giants fans just a few days ago, this did not allow the Packers fans to stay quiet. They cheered and whopped waved their G-Force towels. I was sandwiched between a vikings fan and Packers fan, and plenty of people had sign that they were allowed to make up actually at the stadium, with one of their team sponsors handing out cards and pens, what a great idea. At several opportunities I tried to get my sign seen, nbut it wasn't happening. Come the second half the Packers were winning but the crowd were not sure how, as Adrian Peterson had shown he was a powerful running back and the Vikings D was suppossed to be the best in the divsion. Rodgers grew in confidence and the crowd really helped him by cheering every move he did, especially a rather gutsy run he did up the middle. He sprayed the ball round well and made good decisions, which is not what I can say about the Vikings QB; Tarvis Jackson who looked shaky and nervous and really was the weak link in the team. The highlight was the Packers kick retun for a TD which brought the house down.
The Stadium is much like what I have seen of a College bowl type, shallow and 1 complete bowl, depsite the lack lack of steepness the loud was immense at times and the fans around me were really having a good time, even the Viking fans. If anyone is ever down or depressed and not sure what the best pick up cure might, then it is quite simplay a game at Green Bay,the people were the friendliest I have met in my life, and the fans here love their football. But equally love meeting new people from any team. There was no bad mouthing between the fans and come the 4th quarter, once night had fallen the Packers had won the game. It was a better atmosphere than the actual sporting achievements on show, but that is what is so great about the live event that is football.
The crowd were fantastic and unlike the Colts fans did not move around much getting snacks. They watched, they cheered they high fived, they chatted , but did not move as much which was good because it can be distracting with your whole row coming and going. As I left the great Lambeau field I went and caught up with Dan from the U.K and his friend John who is also from the U.K, both live not far from Manchester. This is John's second time out here and Dan has been coming for years. This year in fact he is taking in 5 Packers games, and he commutes from Stoke City in the U.K, now that is hardcore! He sees more Packers games than many local Green Bay fans. In fact he only has 2 more years on the waiting list to get his season ticket
But he will still live in England but yet fly 6 times to Green Bay. Wait 6 times? Apparently, the guys were telling me that there is two sets of season tickets. One is where you get 6 home games and the other, which is mainly for Miluwakee residents, who get the other two. The reason being is that the Packers started out in Miluwakee and then moved to where they are now, but unlike opther teams who just get up and move and do not care about their old fans, this team allows the old communtiy to have a quarter of the games, which I think it really shows what an excellent team they are with working with their fans and making sure they keep their old fans from before the move. The guys were telling me that there is an atmosphere difference when it one type of season ticket game to the other, not that either were bad, but that they were simply different, but still great. The bars around the stadium were packed and we were ina bar called Stadium View that was a lot of fun, though it started to get cold. In fact during the last quarter of the game it began to rain, and it was really cool seeing around 50,000 people are simultaneously get their rain proofs out, I was the only idiot still in a t-shirt! The three of us Brits hung for a couple of hours after the game and the places started to thin down and I wanted to get some mileage done tonight on my quest to Seattle in the morning. I really was on a high after this game. .T
The surreal thing here is that you have grown men walking around the town with their skulls painted wearing foam pieces of cheese and although it may look surreal and possibly ridiculous, the fact that they are so passionate yet still so friendly really makes this one of the best sporting and community places I have been to in my life...now that is cheesey!
Pre-game
The third game this week will take me up to Lambeau Field, where the Green Bay Packers are hosting the 1st Monday Football game of the season, playing against the Minnesota Vikings. The Raiders are also hosting a Monday Night Football game tonight. The NFL has been having two Monday Night football games in the 1st week of the season, and I think it is a great idea. Monday Night Football is always exciting and the atmosphere always electric.
This Green bay game caught my attention more as it will be the night that Green Bay will retire Brett Favre's famous Jersey.
Some say I should really go to Lambeau in the snow, for a true Lambeau experience, but this is the only Monday Night slot the Packers have this year and I feel the MNF game out weighs the snow games. This is also a divisional rival game and that will add to the importance of the game.
It is a shame my favourite player: Mr.Favre, will not be playing. It is a shame the year I do this trip is the year he has retired, but I have just heard that Mr. Favre will be present as the Packers will be retiring his jersey on this night.
"It will make for an electric atmosphere at Lambeau Field,as well as a great opportunity for our fans around the country to share in it while watching the game on the national broadcast,"Packers President Mark Murphy said.
On the field however can the pack stop the running sensation, Adrian Peterson, and how many Lambeau leaps am I going to see?
