GO BEARS

I lived in Mt. Zion Ill ( just 5 minutes outside of Decatur ) for the first 10 years of my life, before my Dad found a job a better job in Virginia and moved the whole family to the East coast. Even then I knew we were Bears fans, even though my dad wasn't what you would call a diehard football fan. If a game was on, he'd watch it. If not, it wasn't a big loss.

I on the other hand kept watching any and every Bears game I could find. I watched the Bears beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl out here in Virginia, and I really think that made it official for me. I was going to bleed orange and blue forever.

At that age it's easy for kids to sway to another, more popular team. I could have easily been a Redskins fan since they are considered the home team out this way. Or I could have picked the Colts, Eagles, Ravens or a number of other teams that are closer than my beloved Bears. But- I stood the course and remained a Bears fan..... even thru some really ugly times.

I am now 34 years old and I still bleed orange and blue. I'm married now and have a 6 year old daughter and 3 year old son. My wife's family is all Steelers fans, and told me that my kids were going to be Steelers fans as well. Oh- they had no idea how badly I could bleed orange and blue.

My son's first word that he could spell and read? Easy.......B-E-A-R-S. I taught him that when he was two. I bought him a Bears football, and all I have to do is get it out and he'll line up behind me to get the hand off. I've since decked out his room in Bears stuff. He even has the original Bears helmet lamp that I had as a kid. As for my daughter, she'll sit there and watch a Bears game with Daddy, because she knows she'll get a big high five on any decent return or TD. I think they will both bleed orange and blue when they grow up.

My Father and I never talked much growing up. We just had some sort of invisible wedge that always seemed to be there. When his Father died, I saw him cry for the very first ( and only ) time in my life, but I decided it was easier to walk away from him rather than to give him comfort. When my children were born he had no problem stepping into the Grandpa role, and while we finally started to talk, our conversations were always strained and weak. We have since opened up up quite a bit to each other. I guess, I finally see my Dad as a friend as opposed to a parent. While our conversations remain forced at times, I love watching him take the same role in my childrens lives as his Father took in mine. We can now sit back and talk about the Bears as well as the kids. Last year I slapped a Bears sticker on his truck and even watched a game with him.....just the two of us.

I guess what I am saying is that the Bears are more than just a football team to me. They are a part of my life. They have brought my family together in a way that I couldn't have dreamed of. They have given me a connection to my children, and have helped me bridge a relationship to my own Father.

I don't care if we are 0-16 next year. I will always bleed orange and blue.

When I was younger I never really liked football. I was more of a baseball person. My dad used to sit around on Sundays and I never understood how he could watch football since I found it boring. I usually would be playing Atari or doing something else instead. My dad got transferred to New Jersey for a promotion when I was 8, and so we moved out there in 1985. It was there that I saw my first Bears game in person. That was the super bowl season obviously, and we saw the Bears game at the Jets in the Meadowlands. I remember that it was maybe 10 or 15 degrees that day, and we were stuck in a ton of traffic on the NJ Turnpike. When we arrived at the parking lot, we found out that they were parking cars by the Brendon Byrne Arena (where the Devils and Nets play), and it was about a 3 mile walk to the stadium. By the time we made it to our seats it was already halftime. I don't remember that day too well, but I do remember a lot of "upset" Jets fans spewing profanity about their losing effort. We were in the upper deck there so that is usually where you find some of the more unsavory fans. Ever since then I really got into football. After that I watched the Bears with the super bowl and I was hooked. We didn't really care for it in NJ, so my dad ended up requesting to be transferred back to Chicago. He ended up keeping his promotion, but was transferred back here. Then the Giants won the superbowl the next year lol. Ever since then I've watched every game, every losing season, every good season. I ended up playing football in HS (was an nose tackle on defense). I didn't play in college, mostly because I was tired of injuring my knee. It's fine at this point in time, I have more problems with my ankles from basketball injuries more than anything. I feel fine now, and if I had played in college I probably wouldn't have any cartilidge left in my knees.

nolovie4smith Reputation: 99 Level: Superstar Since: Aug 2, 2007	Posted on: February 6, 2008 5:46 pm Score: 94 I STILL BLEED ORANGE AND BLUE Dad was a Bears fan so thats what i became. He pushed me into football and even though i was good sized i didnt get into it. Then i got huge and my coaches begged me to play. I didnt and regret it. I am the same size as Olin Kreutz (and just as mean depending on who you ask) He threw me out when i was 17 for messing up in school. There was a huge seperation thee up untill then. Once he threw me out we wound becoming closer. It was around that time that my grandfather died and that was only the second time in my life i saw him cry. Thats when we really started to talk. My dad is a huge Bears fan. I started REALLY foloowing the team around three years ago. Befor ethat i was a casual fan. I would watch the game if it was on, but didnt care if i missed it. I started to follow really closely in order to have a common ground between my father and i. If we cant talk about anything else i bring up football. If hes making me mad i bring up that he wanted the Bears to draft Mike Williams and said that Bobby Carpenter would be a better LB than AJ Hawk. Those were stupid predictions. He usually calls them right and i can say all of the ones that he calls. However the dumb ones really stand out. Since then i have followed the Bears really close. That lead to the NFL. I wanted to know about other players that are out there and what they have. Now i am starting to follow College closely to know whos coming out. You can call me a "bandwagon" fan if you want. But if you remember three years ago we were 5-11. Thats not exactly the ideal time to jump on a band wagon. As far as only following the game for the past few years i think that i am pretty intelligent for only following the game for a short time. My daughter is only two right now and when she was around a year and a half old if you yelled out TOUCHDOWN BEARS, she would put her arms up signaling touchdown. Football has just been an escape for me. For three hours a week i am not daddy. I am not stressed out about bills or the relationship. I am roaming the sidelines from my sectional. LOL I work hard now and so does my old lady. We want to be able to send our kids to whatever camps they want to go to. We didnt have anything as kids, and thats what motivates me. For Christmas i gave her an iphone and she got me a PS3 with Madde 08 ( a week late LOL ) We just dropped 1300 dollars on a 55" Sony Wega DLP TV. We are doing good now. We are on our way to giving our kids everything. BY THE WAY.....I understand your point of always following the Bears, but can you honestly say that you dont care if we go 0-16 next year? LOL I guess we would be in the Tim Tebow talks next year then. Sorry ONE4, i just turned this into a Tim Tebow is overrated discussion. LOL [ Reply to Comment ]
chitownfan312 Reputation: 97 Level: Superstar Since: Oct 1, 2007	Posted on: February 6, 2008 11:46 pm Score: 92 I STILL BLEED ORANGE AND BLUE When I was younger I never really liked football. I was more of a baseball person. My dad used to sit around on Sundays and I never understood how he could watch football since I found it boring. I usually would be playing Atari or doing something else instead. My dad got transferred to New Jersey for a promotion when I was 8, and so we moved out there in 1985. It was there that I saw my first Bears game in person. That was the super bowl season obviously, and we saw the Bears game at the Jets in the Meadowlands. I remember that it was maybe 10 or 15 degrees that day, and we were stuck in a ton of traffic on the NJ Turnpike. When we arrived at the parking lot, we found out that they were parking cars by the Brendon Byrne Arena (where the Devils and Nets play), and it was about a 3 mile walk to the stadium. By the time we made it to our seats it was already halftime. I don't remember that day too well, but I do remember a lot of "upset" Jets fans spewing profanity about their losing effort. We were in the upper deck there so that is usually where you find some of the more unsavory fans. Ever since then I really got into football. After that I watched the Bears with the super bowl and I was hooked. We didn't really care for it in NJ, so my dad ended up requesting to be transferred back to Chicago. He ended up keeping his promotion, but was transferred back here. Then the Giants won the superbowl the next year lol. Ever since then I've watched every game, every losing season, every good season. I ended up playing football in HS (was an nose tackle on defense). I didn't play in college, mostly because I was tired of injuring my knee. It's fine at this point in time, I have more problems with my ankles from basketball injuries more than anything. I feel fine now, and if I had played in college I probably wouldn't have any cartilidge left in my knees. [ Reply to Comment ]
ONE-4DABEARS Reputation: 95 Level: Superstar Since: Jul 22, 2007	Pos

ONE-4DABEARS

I STILL BLEED ORANGE AND BLUE

I STILL BLEED ORANGE AND BLUE

I STILL BLEED ORANGE AND BLUE