Bears Football
11/04/01
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    Yes, I am still alive. I may not have written a column for a long time, but I am in fact live and kicking. I have been writing in private, but have had a tough time getting the articles up. I apologize and once again hope that this article begins the regular writings once more.
    If are a regular reader of these columns, you will recall that in the Summer of 1998, I wrote of the Chicago Cubs and the tremendous experience I had viewing one of their games at Wrigley field. It was a truly transformative experience for me as it exposed me to the depression of being a Cubs fan but also made me realize the way the moods and attitude of an entire town can be controlled by a sports team. I am writing this article when the Chicago Bears are perched atop the NFC central and lead Green Bay by a half game.
    As any person that has visited Chicago during the football season before knows, this is a football town. When the Bears are playing well, there is nothing that can go terribly wrong in Chicago. This is the first time since I have been in Chicago that I have had the pleasure to witness the Bears have a winning season. Although I am not a fanatic, I would like to call myself a fan, no small distinction in Chicago. Being a fan in this town is not merely to root for the team, it is to stick it out with the team through thick and thin. It is to live through the pangs of depression that set in on the Monday after a loss and the euphoria that never seems to last till the following Sunday.
     I am writing this column when it looks almost certain the Bears are on their way to a loss. Barring any last minute heroics tomorrow will be a great test for the city. This will loss will snap a five game winning streak for these indomitable Bears who have exhibited a tremendous amount of tenacity this year.
     It is a day when the doubters will appear. Chicago is a battered city. It has experienced very little success in professional sports since the departure of Michael Jordan. We have seen only two playoff series in this town, once for the Cubs and once for the White Sox. As a cit we are wary of placing our trust behind any team at this moment. We wish to live apart from the sporting world; rooting for Chicago, but not getting emotionally involved.
    As the Bears barrel into another loss questions will most certainly be raised. People are all to anxious to jump of the bandwagon. Anyone that gets on does so without losing sight of the exit sign. As we saw with the Cubs this season, what looks good often sours towards the end. The Bears have been touted as having one of the best defenses in the NFL, yet our first instinct is to doubt. It is a defense mechanism now. A long unbroken string of disappointments has led Chicagoans feeling like the most lonely sport fans in the world.
     Walking down the streets of Chicago, you are more likely to see someone dressed in a Titans hat, or a Rams t-shirt than a Bears shirt or a Cubs hat. So deprived are we that we have embraced Michael Jordan as a Chicago team. We will root for him before we cheer for the Bulls. We know he will provide us with a source of dependable excellence.
     As the Chicago Bears barrel head-on into their second loss of the season, we shall see if the resurgence of believers continues or if a town sighs and watches the Wizards game to get a peek at the only Greatness that has graced the streets of Chicago for the last decade.
And as I put the final period on this article I hear a distant cry from the down stairs TV, Bears Win!!! Bears Win!!!! The world goes on. Bring on the work week.