Packer Fan Tours In the News
Fans keep their eyes on the ball in Green Bay
By Dan Galvis / The Dallas Morning News
Posted October 28, 2005
GREEN BAY, Wis.—Snow, rain, sunshine. Contenders, pretenders, also-rans. It doesn't matter in Green Bay.
Major sports franchises are usually based in big cities. However, among the most successful is one in a place with little more than 100,000 residents, less than half the population of Garland, Texas. The community owns the team, which certainly is Green Bay's pride and joy.
Welcome to Titletown USA. The mecca of the National Football League. This is Lambeau Field. The frozen tundra.
Its stadium holds 72,601 fans, nearly three-quarters of the city's population. And games have been sold out since 1960.
You can feel the pride in the air – or is it the aroma of grilled brats on game day?
Green Bay revolves around its only major franchise, and outsiders aren't excluded.
Driving in on a rainy Sunday morning, fans have already gathered in the Lambeau parking lot —and every possible parking area surrounding the stadium. It doesn't matter that it's 8 a.m. for a noon game. (The partying actually began the night before in surrounding parking lots such as Kmart, where RVs park and form their own little community.)
You're sure to run into a tailgate party. Even at breakfast time, grills are glowing, footballs fly and foam rises out of cans and bottles.
The scent of bratwurst grabs you. These people take this seriously, but they do it with good cheer. It's easy to join in, but if you're bashful about asking these grill masters for a taste, groups such as the Shriners also sell snacks.
The biggest gatherings are in the Lambeau parking lot. Fans display green and gold on banners and flags flying high over their vans, RVs and SUVs.
The lot is a sight to behold, so don't rush through it. There are men wearing cheese hats, and other distractions such as the Packalope, a.k.a. Larry Primeau, who is decked out in a jersey and helmet with a deer rack.
You don't have to go straight to your seats. The Lambeau Field Atrium offers plenty of diversion.
Located on the northeast side of the stadium, it's fronted by two Green Bay legends immortalized in bronze: Curly Lambeau, one of the team founders, and Vince Lombardi, the coach who led the team to five NFL titles, including the first two Super Bowls. With a ticket in hand, you can enter the stadium straight ahead or veer to your left into the Packers Pro Shop. However, expect to wait. Groups are allowed in intervals to keep the store from being overrun.
Inside the Atrium, look for the Packers Hall of Fame. It displays the three Super Bowl trophies won by the team and a re-creation of Lombardi's office. Maybe not so cheerfully for Dallas Cowboys fans, the Hall has a re-creation of the 1967 NFL championship, known as the Ice Bowl. It shows quarterback Bart Starr before he scored the game-winning touchdown against Dallas.
Yet, don't forget the real reason for visiting Lambeau Field: the game.
As you enter the stadium, you're inundated with green, from the press box to the perfectly manicured grass. Sketched in gold are the names of star Packers, immortalized on the stadium walls, similar to the Ring of Honor at Texas Stadium. Unlike Texas Stadium and other pro fields, Lambeau is a bowl, with no second decks. You have two big screens on either side, but don't expect scores from other games.
Only one matters here.
By kickoff, all seats are filled, and they'll remain that way until halftime. The only way you'll miss a play is if you don't stand up fast enough.
What sets these fans apart are their manners. Sure there's the sniping at opponents, but they're unlikely to get into confrontations. After a game that had two questionable calls go against their heroes, you would think the fans would be in a foul mood. Nope. The good cheer remains.
A Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan, decked out in a red cape and with a ship on his head, is surrounded by Packers fans. Instead of bickering, you hear laughter. "You Packers fans are the nicest fans," he blurts.
Later, despite a loss, the party will continue. The bars around the stadium blare music, and fans crowd inside, eager to review the game just ended. And, of course, to plan for the next one.