Losing breaks hearts, but losing in the playoffs when everything is on the line, and one play can end your season, is devastating. Fans deal with these losses in different ways, with some being optimistic for the future while others look back at what went wrong. 

Football brings a sense of community to all of us. It gives people around the world the chance to come together and root for or against another team as a group.

After the Packers’ crushing defeat against the Chicago Bears in this year’s NFC Wild Card, many Packers fans were distraught and disappointed because of the rivalry between the two teams and the impact the game had on both teams’ seasons. Being a Packers fan in Chicago, surrounded by people celebrating beating your team, makes it harder to overcome a loss of that magnitude.                                                 

“They made fun of me like crazy. I knew for a fact that as soon as they lost, my phone was gonna get blown up, so I turned it off,” said Matthew Richlen ‘27 

School was not much easier, surrounded by others cheering for your season-ending loss. 

“The next day and the next week, they were something else,” said Richlen.

Even though living in Chicago as a Packers fan does not provide the same community and camaraderie as being a Bears fan in Chicago, Packers fans have had the upper hand in the past few years. According to StatMuse, the Chicago Bears are 3-17 in the last 10 years versus the Packers. 

“Honestly, it’s been the best place to be a Packers fan for the past like 10 years… Because up until now, the Bears have been pretty horrible,” said Richlen. 

Throughout the season, the Packers had many dramatic moments throughout their season that led to mixed emotions about how the season ended.

“The Packers actually were rolling, then injuries kind of set in, and with some losses to teams we definitely should not have lost it,” said Richlen. 

But Bears fans experienced many of the same tragedies and heartbreaks in the divisional round of the playoffs against the Los Angeles Rams. 

“The loss hurt. I sat in silence in my room for 20 minutes after the game,” said Elijah Milsap, a sophomore Bears fan.

But for Chicago Bears fans, even with the crushing loss, the entire city felt like there was light at the end of a decade-long tunnel. 

“I honestly think that people are appreciating how far we came and how close we were to winning, but I wouldn’t say it’s sad because we lost. I’d say, like, we’re gonna build on it next season,” said Landon Bermudez, a sophomore.

During the Bears’ playoff run, the entire city rallied behind the Bears; every Chicago Bear fan had something to cheer and be happy about. 

“Oh, 100%, I’m seeing people who have never talked about the Bears before comment about them…The city rallies around the team, like, it just makes the city as a whole better,” Milsap.

Football brings people closer together and unites them around a shared goal and team. Fans joke and laugh about football, but also take it seriously and care about the sport.

“We’re all in support of something, like a lot of the city is in support of something…everyone in Chicago loves the Bears,” said Bermudez.