Super Bowl Memories

So the Bears were in the Super Bowl this year, finally….my team made it back for the first time since I was a little boy. Take into account that the White Sox just won the World Series two years ago, plus my kids are at the age where they are playing sports and I get to coach them….my sporting world has been very kind over the last few years!

The last time the Bears were in the Super Bowl, they played New England, and absolutely crushed them, 46-10. I watched with my Dad, and I remember cheering when he did, yelling when he did, because I didn't fully understand it all like I do now. I remember him being upset that "The Fridge" got the touchdown instead of Walter Payton. He said, "Payton deserved that, Fridge hasn't earned anything yet". I didn't understand then, but I do now. See, Payton was the best RB of all time, and this was his first Super Bowl (and unfortunately, his last), so it would have been nice for him to get into the endzone at least once.

My Dad and I and my Grandfather were all Bear fans. My Grandfather was a Cubs fan, but we didn't hold that against him….the Cubs losing all the time was punishment enough for him! Of course, the Sox were always losing too. My Dad never saw a White Sox championship (He passed away when I was 15), but I knew he was smiling down two years ago when Harold Baines, (his favorite player, who was now the 1^st base coach of the Sox) was part of the first Sox World Series victory since 1918.

So leading up to the Super Bowl, I am all excited about it. Finally!! Even though my Dad isn't here to watch it with me, I know he is watching from above. I had a jersey on, I gave my Wife a Bears jersey to wear, and 3 of the four kids had on Bears jerseys (didn't have one for the littlest one!) We had some friends and some family over for the game, and the company was great, the food was great, but unfortunately, the Bears didn't win this time. During the Super Bowl I had a lot of flashbacks to the previous one, remembering the fun I had with my Dad. The loss was hard to watch, it's amazing how much a Sports team can make you feel pain or joy. But maybe it isn't the sports team, maybe it's the reason you root for them. See, I root for the Bears because my Dad did, he passed along all their history to me, and now they are "my" team.

My kids didn't really watch much of the Super Bowl, they are very young and don't really understand too much about it yet. I know they wanted the Bears to win (because I did!), which was nice to see and hear. They are all Bear fans and Sox fans….thanks to me. I just hope they get to see Championships and remember how good it feels to have "your" team win it all. But, it just makes me happy seeing them root for "their" team.