By:David Folz
Wrigley Field, the old Yankee Stadium, even Daytona
International Speedway and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway all have something
in common with Lambeau Field: The aura of history.
It was in December of last year when I first got to witness
the mystique of Lambeau Field during a football game. Before this I had seen the stadium up close,
having been to Green Bay in 2007 during the Wisconsin State Volleyball
Championships next door at the Resch Center, and in 2009 during the NFL Draft I
was with friends in the Lambeau Field Atrium as the picks of B.J. Raji and Clay
Matthews were announced. In December
however, I got to witness my first game at Lambeau Field as we took on the
Raiders. Usually December in Wisconsin would
lead to bitter cold weather, and probably about a foot of snow either the day
of the game or just in general. That was
the opposite case as no snow happened and it was a warm 45 degrees at kickoff. The game officially started when longtime
Packers favorite Donald Driver being announced to the crowd to a rousing
standing ovation and the crowd, at its full sellout capacity.
The game was a dominant one for the Packers, who were
perfect at this point of the season, en route to a 14-0 start. The Raiders had always been in trouble
playing in Lambeau in late fall and winter due to the cold weather and this
game was no different. It began with
Carson Palmer throwing an interception to reserve linebacker D.J. Smith and it
set the tone for the Packers day. With
Ryan Grant breaking through for a 47-yard touchdown, the Packers were not about
to lose. The touchdown of the day
however may have been a rainbow throw from Aaron Rodgers, soon to be the
league’s MVP, to Jordy Nelson for a 45-yard touchdown and Oakland fell behind
at one point 31-7. The crowd was one of
the reasons to get excited going to this game, with it cheering louder and
louder with every big play in the game.
At halftime, the crowd roared its approval of the Packers dominance,
with another win in certainty. By the
end of the game it was 46-14, Green Bay routed the Raiders.
Fast forward to last night, August 16 against the Cleveland
Browns in pre-season action. I wanted to
go back to Lambeau and it was a first for my parents and brother. I also brought my friend who hadn’t gone in
eight years, so it was like a welcome back atmosphere for my friend and I. As kickoff got closer, the crowd filed
in. ESPN jokingly talks about the
Packers fan base and how energetic and loyal we are, and in ways they tell the
truth, because we are the most loyal fan base in football. We have to renovate our stadium and sell
stock in the team to keep pleasing the fans and invite more to Lambeau
Field. Right now on deck for renovations
are 7,000 seats and new scoreboards which look great. When kickoff began, the crowd was a sellout
once again, for a pre-season game. While
the Packers lost 35-10, the crowd was full of energy and always stayed into the
game. At one point they did the wave
seven times around the stadium with full support.
Only in Green Bay and at Lambeau Field does any of this
still happen. John Madden once said the
crowd reminded him of the “Ghost of Greatness” meaning the times of Curly
Lambeau, Lombardi, and Holmgren. With
the McCarthy times, a Super Bowl 45 title, the league’s Most Valuable Player,
and a team always expected to be a contender,
the Ghost of Greatness is not only existent in past times, but also on
the present times. Lambeau Field may
always be changing but is the same with the fan base and in its history.
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