Being a loyal Chicago Bears fan, last night was hard to watch. Actually, I turned the game off after the second Green Packers score. After rightfully so, the Chicago Tribune honored the loss with a special Sports section cover, Lambeau Bleep. The Bears took a big bleep at Lambeau Field, where the Green Bay Packers crushed them by a score 55-14 after taking a 42-0 lead at halftime.
Having played football and even thought of trying out for the Bears in an era of youth long gone, I knew the game was history in the first quarter. After reading last night’s postmortem, I presume Aaron Rodgers was pulled from the game due to a sore arm. Hell, throwing six (6) touchdowns in one half is tiring. In truth, Rodgers stated the Bears didn’t change much from the first game.
At work, I was queried about Chicago’s execution. “I’m in favor of it,” I responded. Simply put, the Bears couldn’t find lightning in a thunderstorm. Accordingly, Coach Marc Trestman quoted the usual, “We’ll take a day off, regroup and prepare for next week.” For a team that’s allowed the opposition to score 106 points in two games, I’m sure they’ll regroup – may not happen in this decade, but eventually they’ll be better, stronger, and faster.
Famed Indiana basketball coach Bobby Knight once quoted, “Getting to the top is not as hard as staying on top.” From a business or sports perspective, when one seemingly has no concept of team, whatever that is, you lose. In business and life, you can’t win with essentially good intentions attached to mediocre talent.
Joseph Master wrote an interesting piece about Virginia McKasky.
“Despite some lean seasons in the 1990’s — at the height of which there was hearsay that the team would be sold; a laughable idea to all who know Virginia Halas McCaskey — the Bears have benefitted from excellent leadership. With Mike Ditka at the helm, the Bears won Super Bowl XX against the New England Patriots. Under head coach Lovie Smith, they defeated the New Orleans Saints to take home the 2006 NFC Championship trophy, which bears her father’s name. On that occasion, the First Lady of the NFL took to the field to receive the trophy while fans sang “Bear Down Chicago Bears.”
“It was glorious,” she says. “The only problem was we didn’t win the Super Bowl afterwards.”
From a Buddhist perspective, suffering can lead to faith, which in turn leads to joy, peace, all the way to the highest levels of happiness. How so? Well, first remember this is sports. It’s only a game, regardless of the fact the Bears play worse than my high school alma marter, William Fremd High School some thirty-years ago.
Sometimes athletic activities pull you into a natural state of mindfulness. For the Bears, mindlessness seems better suited.
Still … when faced with a Lambeau Bleep, it’s important to know the people around you and see how they come together to support one another. Loss can lead to a palpable sense of genuine connection. In order to progress forward, the Bears will have to find such support.
I remember the closing words from a memorial service: “My life has been so blessed.” Remember, most of us are truly blessed. Seems simple, but means everything. In one’s spiritual practice, facing the most frightening challenges can be a path to true awakening and each of us has the potential for awakening humanity in an unprecedented way.
May you find an unprecedented way.