Living the dream – in blaze orange
January 13, 2012The Packers are in the playoffs. It snowed last night. A tradition unseen in most of the NFL took place with a vengence today: someone had to shovel Lambeau.
I there are a few teams which also have – or have tried – to get fans to shovel. This awkard exchange is one example in Minnesota. I will give them some leeway, losing their dome and then having to deal with weather does present some new challenges.
Photo from MilwaukeeMart's Facebook Page
But in Green Bay, the shovel brigade is a long-standing tradition. Articles released this morning alerted NE Wisconsin residents that the first 450 people to arrive at Lambeau would earn $10 an hour (up from $8 last year) and the story of a lifetime to help remove the 4+” of winter wonder now covering the stands. I remember stories from my childhood indicating you had to bring your own shovel; this apparently is not the case now.
If you’ve never been to Lambeau, go. Go early and often. Watching a game there is electrifying and unlike any stadium I have experienced. I know, there is something different about your home field, but I’ve been to a few Detroi Lions games where the color spread in the stands is about 50/50.
The seating at Lambeau is alumnim benches, for the most part. Yes, they are freezing. There is a fair amount of “packing them in like sardines” at Lambeau, for better or worse. It’s you and 73,127 of your closest friends in a space that feel like it was designed to hold considerably less. No shower room, plenty of body heat. You get the picture.
Another Green Bay tradition should be in full effect on Sunday: a sea of blaze orange.
Even when it isn't snowing Packer fans love the blaze orange
Possible snow today and tomorrow, with a high of 30 on Sunday means bundling up for the game will be a must. Attending a game should mean putting on your warmest clothes. You’re sitting outside on metal seats in the middle of January people, this is not a fashion show! For many people in NE Wisconsin, the warmest thing they own is blaze orange.
Generally, as a Packer fan, you do what you have to do. We help each other. We stick together. We wear hats. Sure orange isn’t technically part of the team colors. It’s just part of our colors.
On to the Giants!
