Sports Illustrated.

The ups and downs of being a fan.

Observant readers will have noticed that  I enjoy American sport. Well, when you are over there you can’t ignore it. It’s everywhere. On TV, in the newspapers and on big screens in the bars. Everybody seems to have opinions about their team whether they follow NBA, NHL, MLB or NFL.

I have become a fan of the National Hockey League, i.e. ice hockey. It is a very fast moving sport with lots of skills and plenty of collisions. It attracts families who are keen to spend an evening out together.

During my trip I enjoyed 2 contests. At the Little Caesars Arena I saw Detroit Redwings host Vancouver Canucks. The Redwings held a 2-0 advantage going into the third and final period but their Canadian foes were not finished and hit the net 5 times without reply. Quite remarkable!

Back in Chicago I saw the Blackhawks thrash the LA Kings by 5 goals to 1.

Meanwhile my favourite NFL team the Chicago Bears have gone into hibernation for the winter. They were demolished by the New Orleans Saints. A score of Bears 25 Saints 36 did not reflect how easily the Saints won. A week later it was Bears 16 LA Chargers 17. The Bears missed a field goal with only 3 seconds left on the clock.

Drat and double drat!

Attending games in America is expensive. Sometimes very expensive. Tickets may cost several hundred dollars and it is difficult for families to see games together. Unlike the UK most fans do not attend every game. Many fans just see a couple of games each season so when they do go to a game they make the most of their day out

At the Bears v Saints game I enjoyed the company of Dave and Shelly. Dave gave me lots of advice and encouragement about when”to make some noise”. Thank you both.

In Chicago I  met Elliot. He attended the Bears v Chargers game. Elliot lives in De Pere, a small town in Wisconsin. To see the game Elliot drove around 100 miles  from his home to the Amtrack station in Milwaukee where he parked his pick up truck. From there he took the train to Chicago and stayed overnight. When you make such an effort and your team loses on the last play of the game it is a very frustrating, especially when you are a Bears fan living close to Green Bay, home of the Packers. I hope that you arrived home safely Elliot.

I also hope that Jake sees this blog. I met him on the brown line train to Irving Park. We had a good natter about all sorts of sports, including college football, a great passion of Jake’s.

American sports fans are great company. It does not matter which team you support you are made to feel very welcome and to enjoy the sport whatever the result.