If any of you have been wondering, on Friday, eight friends and I took the four-hour drive to Minneapolis to catch the Packers/Vikes game, which took place on Sunday. As man of you know, I am a big buyer/seller/collector of Packers memorabilia.
I live about an hour from Lambeau Field and have been a huge fan since I can remember. I have never felt so grateful to be at a professional sporting event as I did a couple days ago.
You see, when I was 14 years old, on September 27, 1992, my dad, uncle, cousins and I attended the Packers/Steelers game. That was Brett Favre’s first start in the NFL. I have been to more than 50 games since then, and this past Sunday, Brett broke Dan Marino’s career touchdown record.
To see Brett go through so much in his NFL career and now set the single-most-important individual record was indescribable.
The weekend was sort of surreal from the start. We booked a room at the Marriot City Center in downtown Minneapolis and it turned out to be the same hotel as the Packers’. I am not a guy who is gonna bug a player in public, but on Sunday morning, one of my friends and I left the hotel at 9 a.m. to get to the game early.
We were on the 20th floor, so needed to use the elevator to get outside. When the elevator door opened, we were stunned that the one person was in it was Ted Thompson, the Packers GM! We chatted on the way down with him and he thanked us for coming. For some reason, I knew it would be a special day.
It was, as the Pack got the big win, and in the 1st quarter Brett hooked up with receiver Greg Jennings for the record-breaking TD.
I just stood in the stands and didn’t say anything. I just took in the moment. It was unreal.
Attending sporting events is much more than just seeing the players up close. It is about hanging out with your friends and your family, and sharing something that you will remember the rest of your lives.
I am so happy I got to share that moment with some of my close friends.
For more on the game and my adventure of obtaining ticket stubs from the record-breaking contest, check out Gavel Chat tomorrow.