On January 28th, 1990, I was an impressionable 6-year-old boy, with a growing love for the game of American Football. My father was a big Green Bay Packer fan, and like any good son, so was I. But on that day, I witnessed greatness. That was the day that Super Bowl XXIV, or 24 if you don't know your Roman Numerals. In that game, I witnessed Joe Montana throw touchdown pass after touchdown pass against the Denver Broncos, and from that day forward, I was a fan of the San Fransisco 49ers. Joe Montana was my hero, and I still have my posters that I had gotten from the era rolled up in a closet in our apartment.
I have had a long-running off and on relationship with the Green Bay Packers. I started to detest the team when they kept beating my beloved 49ers in playoff game after playoff game. It was their dominance over my team that caused me to strongly dislike the team. After a while, I grew out of that phase, because it didn't really matter. Now I'm a casual observer of the team from northern Wisconsin. And today, as a good son once again, I will root for the Green Bay Packers in tonight's Super Bowl XLV. Because the Packers winning a championship means so much to the fans, and I have a lot of friends that are fans of the team. I understand what it feels like to watch your team win it all, even though it's been since 1994 that my team last accomplished the feat. In fact, the Packers have won a title more recently than my team has (1996). But still, whenever you get the chance to win the championship, you must relish it.
I mention the date above, the day I became a fan of the 49ers, because I always wonder what kid, somewhere in the world will be watching a game, and discover their hero. Their sports hero that they will keep a poster in their closet until they have outgrown the days of putting sports posters up in their bedrooms. Somewhere, a kid will see either Aaron Rodgers or perhaps Ben Rothlesberger or any another player tonight, and witness one of these men do something great, and forever be affected. Some kid somewhere will remember tonight for the rest of their lives, the same way I remember Joe Montana carving up the Broncos on that fateful night in New Orleans. You don't have to be a fan of the most local team around. You can idolize anyone you want.
Tonight, the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers will do battle for the Lombardi Trophy in Dallas, TX. The Super Bowl always holds a special place in my heart, mainly because I haven't missed one since that game in 1990. I've watched every second of every Super Bowl, and I remember where I was for every one of them, as well. I watched most of these Super Bowls with my father, and that's something I regret not being able to do here in Tennessee. But weather I'm on my couch with my wife and my unborn child and my good friend Sean, or if I was at my dads, it does not matter. I will have a good time watching the Super Bowl, and as history would indicate, I will never forget where I was to watch Super Bowl XLV. But no matter the outcome, I will never forget that night where I fell in love with Joe Montana.
