The Patriots also often find themselves behind the basketball Celtics and even the hockey Bruins. The Patriots have filled the stadium since Robert Kraft bought the team in 1994. Coach Bill Parcells has helped spark fan interest. Before that, however, there were plenty of empty seats. There's a Packers passion in Wisconsin that consumes much of Sunday afternoon, and that's not a bad thing.
Packers flags flap in the breeze from the front of homes.
Fathers and sons and mothers and daughters talk football and the virtues of Reggie and Brett. Season tickets get passed from generation to generation. Families sit and watch Packers games religiously on Sundays. They don't grow football fans like that in the Northeast. The last time my family sat together to watch a sporting event was when the Red Sox played the Mets in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series.