January 21, 2011

This Sunday, Jan. 23rd, 2011, at 2 p.m. CT, the world as we know it will end.

I don’t say this to scare you, and if there were any possibility of avoiding this grim reality I’d just keep it to myself. But with the Chicago Bears meeting the Green Bay Packers in the playoffs for the right to go to the Super Bowl, what other outcome seems likely?

I was raised in a suburb of Chicago, and as a native of that area we all were taught a few simple rules to live by. They were basic, logical, and vital to your survival. These rules were as follows: you can’t eat dessert until you’ve first tolerated fruits and vegetables, always finish your homework before going outside to play, and most importantly, the Green Bay Packers are the reason for everything that is wrong with the universe, and should be treated as such. As naïve, easily influenced children, we didn’t question these things. We weren’t sure how Brett Favre was responsible for us getting chicken pox at the worst possible moment, but we knew he must’ve somehow been involved. And so, a small army of Bears fans in the Chicagoland area were systematically raised to sneer and gaffe at all things green and yellow. In Green Bay, meanwhile, a loyal and devoted group of Lombardi disciples were instilling opposite beliefs in their own families. And so, a vicious, hateful rivalry has grown and thrived throughout the Midwest. And for the first time since 1941, all that attrition will culminate in playoff football.

For those in the Mizzou community, it’s as if the Tigers and Jayhawks met in a football game for the chance to go to the National Championship (insert BCS gripe here). It’s not purely an emotional rivalry though; the two teams have met 182 times, more than any other two NFL teams. It’s a rivalry steeped in tradition and history. Both franchises have touted great players and iconic coaches. Fittingly enough, Sunday’s winner will be awarded the George Halas Trophy, named after prominent Bears coach and NFL founding father George “Papa Bear” Halas. The Packers, comparatively, were built around the values and aura of the great Vince Lombardi, a coach whose legend has transcended football. The fact of the matter is that on Sunday when these two teams meet at Soldier Field, they’re playing not only for themselves, but also for the pride and mental stability of their entire region. In either case, a loss to this bitter of a rival is something a die-hard fan could never truly live down.

Of course, I’ve yet to actually talk about the game itself. It’s going to come down to a number of factors, including who will win the turnover battle, how well the Bears offensive line protects Jay Cutler and the Packers ability to establish a running game with relative newcomer James Starks. But you already knew that. ESPN will analyze the game, analyze it again, and then after showing a quick Lebron highlight, analyze it some more. There’s nothing I can tell you about the game strategy that hasn’t already been yelled at you by Tom Jackson and Herm Edwards.

But really, analyzing this specific game wasn’t the purpose of this column. What I really wanted to do was communicate just how personal and emotional the rivalry as a whole is to so many people. That, and warn you about the impending apocalypse. So consider yourself warned.

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