It's been 3 days since the sports world watched in disbelief as the Chicago Bears lost the Wild Card playoff game to the Philadelphia Eagles on a missed (now revealed to have been "blocked") final field goal attempt.
As a life-long Bears fan, for me, everything dropped: I dropped to the floor, my jaw dropped, my heart dropped, my food dropped and our surprising Superbowl run dropped into history.
All of that hard work, the fun in celebrating after each game, the shutting up of the naysayers that thought we wouldn't even have a winning season. The Chicago Bears surprised the entire NFL community by not only having a winning season, but winning their division with a 12-4 record. This resulted in their first time entering the playoffs since 2010.
If you've been watching any sports news channel this year, at some point you will have seen the Bears celebrating in their locker room after a win. No big deal, everyone does that. But this wasn't just any celebration. Until the lights came on you would swear they were out at a local party, hence the name, "Club Dub" (Club "W", for "Win"). The dancing, chants and club lighting was a first in sports history. The coaches went all out!
After each celebration, rookie coach Matt Nagy gave a post-game hype session with each phrase ending with a resounding "BOOOOOM" from the team. He congratulated them on an awesome win, awarded the game ball and expressed his love for their continuing excellence. Yes, the Bears were on fire and the world was learning with each week that "these boys ain't no joke".
Unfortunately, it all came to screeching halt when they lost their first playoff game in post-season. Cody Parkey's game-winning field goal kick was blocked with 4 seconds left, leaving the coach, the team, the stadium, the fans and football enthusiasts world-wide in silence and disbelief.
Social media went wild for the next 48 hours, mainly with posts directed at kicker Cody Parkey, who had already missed 10 FGs during the regular season, including the infamous 4-Doink performance (where he struck the upright of the goal post 4 different times in a combination of FG and extra point attempts in a 34-22 win over the Detroit Lions, earlier in the season). When he entered the field for that final play, the world stood in silence and trepidation, hoping his sketchy FG-kicking abilities would not come back to haunt the team during its most critical moment. The kick went up...
Doink. Correction. DOUBLE Doink. To add emphasis to the drama, this 'shot heard round the world' bounced off of the upright AND crossbar.
Clean your lockers and get ready for the off-season.
Fans ranted on social media, many cried for hours, some took the following day off of work, some wallowed in self-pity in seclusion, turning off all electronics and refusing to communicate with ANYONE. I crawled up in a ball under the bed covers and silently scrolled through all of the Facebook posts (directed at me), inbox messages and texts from people either sharing salt-in-wound memes, expressions of shock or thoughts of love and support. It's amazing to know so many people think of me, when you mention the Chicago Bears.
Still, I know that despite my anger and sadness, my team is one of many that have to leave the dance floor contest and take a seat as the remaining competitors continued. We got more than we anticipated, but not what we wanted. But that's the name of the game.
But life goes on. It HAS to!
Just last July, a distraught fan hung himself after the Albicelestes lost 4-3 to France in the Round of 16 during the World Cup in Russia. And he was definitely not the first. People have committed suicide countless times after sports losses, over the years. There have been acts of public violence, vandalism, spousal/child abuse, dear God...
The following is a Facebook reposting from January 28, 2018:
There can only be one champion in each sport, every year. If every team took turns winning the championship, one at a time, it would be over 30 years before you saw a second ring (in just about every sport). Someone will win, which means EVERYone else will fall.
It took a LIFETIME for my Chicago Cubs to win it all and sadly, my father and grandfather missed it. My Bears finally did it in 85 and I haven't seen it since. Thankfully, I've seen my Blackhawks (NFL) and Bulls (NBA) do their thing as well, but it won't happen every year.
But people, seriously. It's SPORTS! None of these teams or athletes pay your bills or keep a roof over your head. I swear, some of y'all (who talked the most trash during the season) lost your doggone minds when your team got knocked out of contention. Yeah, I was miserable when the Bears lost the Superbowl to the Colts and livid when we lost the NFC Championship to the Packers and now we're fighting to have something as simple as a winning season. But guess what? When you wake up in the morning, life's responsibilities are still waiting on you. Hell, there will be some people, celebrating a Super Bowl victory in 2 weeks who are also facing eviction from their apartments. Call and see if the team owner will help you out!
This is not meant to say, "Get over it" or not care, but I know some people who are darn-near suicidal right now.
Dude, please. I love y'all and want you to enjoy life. It's too short to go postal over something like sports. Professional, college, high school or whatever.
Let it sting. Clown each other about it. Watch the draft, then move on and hope for a better season next time around.
In the end, it's all entertainment. Nothing more...
Don't lose sight of what's really important.
My final words:
When/if your team wins, party up! Celebrate and have an awesome time. Talk trash, but be respectful. Hug your fellow fans, but refrain from starting fires and tipping cars over in the street.
But if you lose, take it in stride. It's ok to feel the hurt because we wanted a different outcome. But don't let it ruin your world because, guess what? Next season is less than a year away, but tomorrow (and its responsibilities) is in a few hours and it's waiting for you. Drive home carefully or turn the television off. Get your last minute social media exchanges in. Answer the phone or make that call if you like. But after all is said and done, get some sleep and prepare yourself for the next day. Gonna be plenty of people waiting to play "armchair quarterback" (criticizing a team or athlete's performance) with you.
And before you accuse me of not being a real fan, check yourself. I'm hurting, bad and it's going to burn for awhile! I'm pissed about losing the way we did! I'm disappointed because we could and should have gone deeper into the playoffs. But through it all, I'm proud of my team. The Bears became a household name in a great way and I expect even better results next year because this is a young, talented and hungry team.
"Bear Down, Chicago Bears" and may our rivals, the Green Bay Packers, lose every game...
Like what you read? Leave a comment!
As a life-long Bears fan, for me, everything dropped: I dropped to the floor, my jaw dropped, my heart dropped, my food dropped and our surprising Superbowl run dropped into history.
All of that hard work, the fun in celebrating after each game, the shutting up of the naysayers that thought we wouldn't even have a winning season. The Chicago Bears surprised the entire NFL community by not only having a winning season, but winning their division with a 12-4 record. This resulted in their first time entering the playoffs since 2010.
If you've been watching any sports news channel this year, at some point you will have seen the Bears celebrating in their locker room after a win. No big deal, everyone does that. But this wasn't just any celebration. Until the lights came on you would swear they were out at a local party, hence the name, "Club Dub" (Club "W", for "Win"). The dancing, chants and club lighting was a first in sports history. The coaches went all out!After each celebration, rookie coach Matt Nagy gave a post-game hype session with each phrase ending with a resounding "BOOOOOM" from the team. He congratulated them on an awesome win, awarded the game ball and expressed his love for their continuing excellence. Yes, the Bears were on fire and the world was learning with each week that "these boys ain't no joke".
Unfortunately, it all came to screeching halt when they lost their first playoff game in post-season. Cody Parkey's game-winning field goal kick was blocked with 4 seconds left, leaving the coach, the team, the stadium, the fans and football enthusiasts world-wide in silence and disbelief.
Social media went wild for the next 48 hours, mainly with posts directed at kicker Cody Parkey, who had already missed 10 FGs during the regular season, including the infamous 4-Doink performance (where he struck the upright of the goal post 4 different times in a combination of FG and extra point attempts in a 34-22 win over the Detroit Lions, earlier in the season). When he entered the field for that final play, the world stood in silence and trepidation, hoping his sketchy FG-kicking abilities would not come back to haunt the team during its most critical moment. The kick went up...
Doink. Correction. DOUBLE Doink. To add emphasis to the drama, this 'shot heard round the world' bounced off of the upright AND crossbar.
Clean your lockers and get ready for the off-season.
Fans ranted on social media, many cried for hours, some took the following day off of work, some wallowed in self-pity in seclusion, turning off all electronics and refusing to communicate with ANYONE. I crawled up in a ball under the bed covers and silently scrolled through all of the Facebook posts (directed at me), inbox messages and texts from people either sharing salt-in-wound memes, expressions of shock or thoughts of love and support. It's amazing to know so many people think of me, when you mention the Chicago Bears.
Still, I know that despite my anger and sadness, my team is one of many that have to leave the dance floor contest and take a seat as the remaining competitors continued. We got more than we anticipated, but not what we wanted. But that's the name of the game.
But life goes on. It HAS to!
Just last July, a distraught fan hung himself after the Albicelestes lost 4-3 to France in the Round of 16 during the World Cup in Russia. And he was definitely not the first. People have committed suicide countless times after sports losses, over the years. There have been acts of public violence, vandalism, spousal/child abuse, dear God...
The following is a Facebook reposting from January 28, 2018:
There can only be one champion in each sport, every year. If every team took turns winning the championship, one at a time, it would be over 30 years before you saw a second ring (in just about every sport). Someone will win, which means EVERYone else will fall.
It took a LIFETIME for my Chicago Cubs to win it all and sadly, my father and grandfather missed it. My Bears finally did it in 85 and I haven't seen it since. Thankfully, I've seen my Blackhawks (NFL) and Bulls (NBA) do their thing as well, but it won't happen every year.
But people, seriously. It's SPORTS! None of these teams or athletes pay your bills or keep a roof over your head. I swear, some of y'all (who talked the most trash during the season) lost your doggone minds when your team got knocked out of contention. Yeah, I was miserable when the Bears lost the Superbowl to the Colts and livid when we lost the NFC Championship to the Packers and now we're fighting to have something as simple as a winning season. But guess what? When you wake up in the morning, life's responsibilities are still waiting on you. Hell, there will be some people, celebrating a Super Bowl victory in 2 weeks who are also facing eviction from their apartments. Call and see if the team owner will help you out!
This is not meant to say, "Get over it" or not care, but I know some people who are darn-near suicidal right now.
Dude, please. I love y'all and want you to enjoy life. It's too short to go postal over something like sports. Professional, college, high school or whatever.
Let it sting. Clown each other about it. Watch the draft, then move on and hope for a better season next time around.
In the end, it's all entertainment. Nothing more...
Don't lose sight of what's really important.
My final words:
When/if your team wins, party up! Celebrate and have an awesome time. Talk trash, but be respectful. Hug your fellow fans, but refrain from starting fires and tipping cars over in the street.
But if you lose, take it in stride. It's ok to feel the hurt because we wanted a different outcome. But don't let it ruin your world because, guess what? Next season is less than a year away, but tomorrow (and its responsibilities) is in a few hours and it's waiting for you. Drive home carefully or turn the television off. Get your last minute social media exchanges in. Answer the phone or make that call if you like. But after all is said and done, get some sleep and prepare yourself for the next day. Gonna be plenty of people waiting to play "armchair quarterback" (criticizing a team or athlete's performance) with you.
And before you accuse me of not being a real fan, check yourself. I'm hurting, bad and it's going to burn for awhile! I'm pissed about losing the way we did! I'm disappointed because we could and should have gone deeper into the playoffs. But through it all, I'm proud of my team. The Bears became a household name in a great way and I expect even better results next year because this is a young, talented and hungry team.
"Bear Down, Chicago Bears" and may our rivals, the Green Bay Packers, lose every game...
...BADLY.
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Great read! Bears fan here! It hit me hard that night and the next day! I have "before the loss" and "after the loss" pics of my face that I sent to my family! LOL! I was way bummed but life does go on!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for the compliment and thank you for stopping by to read my thoughts. I'd be lying if I said I as cool at this point. It still burns and will for quite awhile. I just have to remember that it's sports and there will only be one winner out of 32 teams. I won't be the only disappointed fan, come Superbowl time!
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