Non local fan here. My first ever NFL game I attended in person was a Bears-Patriots preseason game at Gillette in 2003 when I was 7. Everyone around me was a Pats fan and I wanted to be different. I also thought the name, jerseys and city were all cool. Kordell Stewart and Urlacher were both a lot of fun to use in the OG NFL Street game which made me like them too.
When I actually started watching football on a regular basis in like 2007 or 2008, Devin Hester was such a unique electrifying player, he was really the player who made me fall in love with them. I was stoked when the Cutler trade happened too. That’s when I became a more dedicated fan, even though his first year here was rough.
In hindsight, I definitely made the wrong choice choosing the Bears over the Pats. The first NFL game I remember seeing on TV was their first SB win, and by the time I started watching on a regular basis they already had 3 so attaching myself to the championship glory from when I had no idea what was going on felt cheap and born with silver spoon in hand to me. Plus, Boston sports fans are insanely annoying (go C’s and Sox tho, and fuck the Bruins).
If I ever see the day when the Bears raise a Lombardi with my own eyes, it’ll make the decision and all the years of heartbreak and disappointment worth it. Bear down.