Well, we are now just days away from another NFL season’s kick-off.
In Wisconsin that means one thing: Green Bay Packer fever. I don’t think I have to elaborate too much on the passion (which some might call obsession) of the people of Wisconsin. Packer season tickets have been sold out since 1960. The waiting list for tickets is over 50,000 strong and somewhat decreased thanks to the recent renovation of Lambeau Field.
Green Bay is about the only place in America where people have to seriously consider whether to fly the American flag above that of a football team. It’s even an accepted custom to wear Packers jerseys to church on game day.
Last week, it took severe weather to drive the faithful away from a Packer game, and you know if it had been a regular-season game those people would have sat in the rain for a week to see the conclusion.
So given Wisconsin’s undying support for the Packers, logic dictates that support for the remainder of the state’s professional sports teams must be equally high, right? Wrong. For whatever reason, the Milwaukee Bucks and Brewers receive little to no interest from the same fans.
The Brewers have long been a running joke among Wisconsin’s sports fans. Attendance has declined every year since Miller Park opened, and 75 percent of the fan base probably cannot name a third of the team’s roster, or know that the first “d” in Podsednik is silent.
The only players that can even be remotely considered household names are Richie Sexson and Ben Sheets. Sadly enough, the biggest reason that Geoff Jenkins is popular is that he is a dead ringer for Brett Favre. I think it is safe to say that the Brewer fever of 1982 has long since fallen by the wayside.
A small pool of devoted Brewer fans take to the Internet message boards and wait for the days when J.J. Hardy, Prince Fielder, Dave Krynzel, Mike Jones and others will lead their Brewers into the playoffs, and cringe at names like Sean Berry, Franklin Stubbs and Jeffery Hammonds.
Even though recent Brewer wins have once again made them a topic of discussion, the average Wisconsinite is still not rushing out to the mall to buy a Brewers hat.
While the Brewers might be a laughing matter, the Bucks have never been more than a passing fad. Sure, everyone got behind them when they made their playoff run in 2001, but once an elderly, fat Anthony Mason arrived, the hoopla quickly plummeted, along with the Bucks’ record. To paraphrase the great Bob Uecker as Harry Doyle, the Bucks have made a few roster changes, if you haven’t noticed, and judging by the attendance, you have not.
The biggest question is, “Why?” How could a state be so devoted to one team, yet neglect two others? The most obvious answer is that the two Milwaukee squads don’t win. Granted, the Bucks are no dynasty and the Brewers have been flat out awful for a decade, but losing has not stopped Wisconsin fans from supporting their football team in the past.
Packer fans had a solid case of dementia when Randy Wright was airing it out to Phillip Epps, and the self proclaimed “heat-seeking missile” Ken Stills was patrolling the secondary.
The Green Bay Packers were mediocre at their best in the ’70s and ’80s, yet fans still came to chilly Lambeau in droves to cheer on the green and gold.
It is not just a Green Bay phenomenon either. From 1957-1994, the Packers played home games in Milwaukee County stadium. Packer fans are crazy all over the state, from Rhinelander to Madison, as well as in Florida and Arizona.
I would hate to think Wisconsin a football state at heart and nothing more, but it may just be that simple. It could also be that the Brewers and Bucks are just too new — that both will always be second to the Pack. Either way, here’s hoping that it doesn’t take a World Series or NBA Championship for Wisconsin fans to support all of their teams, not just one.
