The Packers lost tonight, and I’m quite certain there are very few families outside of Wisconsin who are as greatly affected as this family. Before kickoff we were lamenting the fact that win or lose we were proud of how far the Pack had come and the hurdles they had conquered this season. Pride might not seem to most as the ‘right’ emotion when discussing a professional team, but, you see, being a fan in my family is more than just getting excited for a game or owning a jersey or hat. Fandom for us is a loyalty that perseveres 4-12 seasons to find ourselves in 13-3 dreamlands. It goes beyond knowing the quarterback’s name but means that at least one family member (Zac) can name the college each player on the roster attended as if they were reciting their ABC’s. My dad raised us to be cheeseheads, and I still remember being 7 years-old and jokingly cheering for Randall Cunningham and the Minnesota Vikings… it broke my dad’s heart. From then on, I knew that my heart would forever bleed Packer Gold and Green.

I’m sure to some people who know us, work with us, or are even related to us our allegiance borders on obsession so let me explain. We aren’t fairweather fans. We’ve survived the days of Don Majikowski and watched the first Lambeau Leap. We cheered when we signed #92 and cried when Reggie died. We’ve seen more playoff games than most fans and have the championships to prove it. But our love doesn’t stem from our number of wins. It comes from a place that finds goodness in a hometown team owned by its fans who show up Sunday after Sunday in freezing weather to watch their team… A team that’s led by a modern-day Huckleberry Finn who reminds us that there are still athletes who do it for the love of the game and not a paycheck or fame. A man who at 38 years-old has faced more tragedies in the public eye than we would wish on our greatest enemy and yet still plays with the joy and enthusiasm of the boy who left Kiln, Mississippi so many years ago.

Tonight was a hard loss to watch. There’s nothing as painful as losing in overtime and knowing with one less flag on the field, one pass that flew just one more yard, or one ball that you didn’t try to pick up but instead fell on you might be headed to Arizona and not home doesn’t make it easier. I remember the feelings of despair in 1998 when we lost to the Broncos in the Superbowl and how crushed my family was. However, tonight’s NFC Championship loss seems to be hitting a bit harder for one simple reason… with every game we play and every win and every loss… we take one step closer to a time with no Brett. Eventually, the hero of our story will have to retire, and we’ll no longer have our standing date on Sunday afternoons. As much as that thought makes us feel like we might never recover from such a blow, being a true fan means that we’ll continue to cheer on the next Green Bay hero while never lessening our love for the man in our favorite football fairytale. Tomorrow morning our tears will have dried and watching ESPN will not be as painful, and despite the uncertainty of what lies in store for #4′s future, each of hearts will always beat to Go Pack, Go!