When the Miller High Life winds up on a grill — because the beer has finally frozen and needs to thaw — it might be a little too cold for tailgating.
But that didn’t stop die-hard Chicago Bears fans from venturing out to Soldier Field on Sunday. Neither did the Bears’ dismal record this season.
“It is a meaningless game on a really cold day,” said Bob Farster, of Lincoln Square, moments before his icy beer froze completely while he tailgated south of the stadium.
Still, Farster and others hoped they’d leave Soldier Field with bragging rights. Many predicted the Bears would play their coldest-ever home game Sunday. They were wrong. While the “official” kickoff temperature varied depending on who you asked — ranging from 9 to 12 degrees — it was, at best, the fifth-coldest Bears home game since 1971, according to the team’s website.
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Whatever. The Packers were in town. And so were their fans, decked out in yellow and green, ready to brave December in Chicago near the shores of an icy Lake Michigan.
“(The cold) doesn’t stop them from coming down,” said Joel Stapleton of Des Plaines. “Why would it stop us from coming out?”
Joe Greco, also of Des Plaines, acknowledged that, “nobody’s going to the playoffs with this game.” And when forecasters began to predict a high of 1 degree Sunday, ticket prices for the game also plunged. Brokers complained it could be the first time they lost money on a Bears/Packers game.
But Bears fans were still spotted outside Soldier Field, bundled up with heavy coats and scarves and snow boots and ski masks and gloves and blankets. Many huddled by a grill or a heater or an outdoor fireplace before venturing into the stadium. And for a little extra warmth, several kept a toasty beverage nearby.
“I’ve got, like, three pairs of long underwear, this hunting bib — which is supposed to be good until zero degrees — and I’m still cold,” said Tyler Larek, of Lemont.
Farster said he wore “two pairs of thermal socks, two pairs of thermal long johns, two pairs of thermal undershirts, a down-filled parka, big scarf.”
Bob Gorman of Lincoln Square said an “element of stubbornness” brought him out to the game with Farster.
“Enough people told us not to do it,” Gorman said.
Larek said he’s a lifelong friend of the Cincinnati Bengals’ Clayton Fejedelem. Larek had earlier planned to be in Cincinnati on Sunday, where the high was 27 degrees.
“He’s making fun of me right now,” Larek said.
Some people bought tickets to Sunday’s game months ago and felt they might as well go to the game. Others, like Greco, were season ticket holders who simply weren’t impressed with Sunday’s chilly weather. The cold was eased before kickoff by bright sunshine, and Farster predicted the game wouldn’t break any records.
But Greco still called it “an unbelievable experience, regardless of who wins or loses. You’re out there cheering your team on.”
And let’s face it. The Packers always matter. Stapleton predicted that far fewer people would have attended Sunday’s game had it been against some other NFL team.
“As a Bears fan, I can never say Bears/Packers is meaningless,” Gorman said.
But then he quickly added: “It’s as close to meaningless as it’s ever been.”
The Bears ultimately lost 30-27 in a nail-biter.
