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2008 has gotten off to a very auspicious start in terms of my life as a sport fanatic. I’m the type of fan who tends to wear my heart on my sleeve, something that I am very proud of, but at the same time can bite me in the butt. These are my five worst days as a sports fan.
1. March 4, 2008
Without a doubt, this date will go down as the worst sports day in my life. Nothing will even remotely come close to touching it. From the rude awakening I received informing me of Brett Favre’s decision to retire to the sinking feeling I felt all day, and -let’s be honest- am still suffering. People who aren’t Packer fans just don’t understand and I don’t expect them to. Perhaps no player has meant more to a franchise than Favre has to the Green Bay Packers. With number four under center, there was always a fighting chance for the Pack. Imagining life as a Packer fan without Favre is rather scary. I’m done talking about it.
2. January 20, 2008
I’m not going to lie; I was mentally preparing a list of chores I needed to do to get ready for a trip to Arizona to cover the Packers in the Super Bowl. NFC Championship, Lambeau Field, frigid conditions, dream season; how were the Packers not heading to the Super Bowl. As much as Lawrence Tynes tried to kick the Giants out of the post-season, the Packers managed to lose, putting a sudden end to their season and spoiling my dreams of covering Brett Favre and the Pack in a Super Bowl. I feel sorry for my boss because he had to deal with my sulking for two-and-a-half hours on the car ride back from Lambeau. Instead of spending a week in Arizona on my company’s bill, I was stuck in freezing Wisconsin, putting together end of the season stories.
3. February 24, 1994
Dominique Wilkins was my favorite basketball player when I was a kid. When my dad informed me that he was going to take my brother and me to Atlanta to visit some cousins, I made him get tickets to a Hawks game. Before we flew out on the afternoon of the 24th, there were rumors that Wilkins might be traded. I figured there was absolutely no way this could happen since Wilkins was the face of the franchise and had led the Hawks to a 36-16 record, the best in the Eastern Conference. When we landed in Atlanta, I asked the cab driver who took us to our hotel if Wilkins had been traded. He had no idea. Immediately as we walked into our hotel room, I flipped the TV on to see if the Human Highlight Film was still Hawk. Sure enough, Atlanta shipped ‘Nique to the Clippers for Danny Manning in hopes of adding a younger, more versatile player (Yeah, that worked out real well.)Â
I sobbed uncontrollably as my brother laughed and my dad groaned, knowing I would be a pain in the ass for the remainder of the trip. We still ended up going to the game and I proudly wore my Wilkins USA jersey, booing Manning mercilessly as he was introduced. My brother on the other hand, took home the “Welcome Danny†signs that were handed out at the game and hung them in his room to further add to my misery.
4. January 25, 1998
Super Bowl 32. I pulled out all my Packer gear; my Favre jersey, cheesehead, and even draped a Green Bay flag around my shoulders like I was a superhero. Only problem, I grew up in Chicago and was the lone Packer backer in a crowd of Bears fans. Don’t forget, the Packers were gunning for their second straight Lombardi Trophy and were an 11 and a 1/2 point favorite. When Favre’s pass to Mark Chmura fell incomplete, sealing the upset victory for the Broncos, I was devastated. Adding salt to my wound, my friend decided to beat me up with my cheesehead and then drape my flag over me like I was a soldier killed in battle. I’m pretty sure I cried. Â
5. October 12, 2003
This day began with the Packers blowing a seventeen point halftime lead and losing to the Chiefs on the first play of overtime. I honestly don’t think I ever cursed so much during a single sporting event. What made this day even worse was at night, Josh Beckett throws a complete game shut-out in game five of the NLCS, helping to lead the charge as the Marlins come back from down three-games to one, once again dashing the Cubs hopes of getting to the World Series. Let’s just say that I threw back a few drinks that day to help ease the pain.
Honorable Mentions: January 10, 2004 (NFC Divisional Playoffs, Packers lose to the Eagles in the “4th and 26†game), January 20, 2002 (NFC Divisional Playoffs, Brett Favre throws 6 interceptions in loss to Rams), April 5, 2003 (Final Four, Marquette gets crushed by Kansas)
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