Tag: football

One of the most disconcerting aspects of traveling to a country whose language you don’t know is how the most commonplace things become indecipherable. Ask a stranger for directions and she may think to explain tricky vocabulary but she’ll almost never think to describe whether the place she just referred to is a city, train station, library, cafe, or all of the above. The same is true for sports natives. A thoughtful sports fan should be willing and able to explain a rule, but he’ll almost never think of explaining who a particular team is, what sport they play, or the team’s history and characteristics. In this series, we’ll do just that — describe what is unique about each sports team.

Pittsburgh Steelers – the basics

• Sport – Football
• League – National Football League (NFL)
• Conference – American Football Conference (AFC)
• Division – AFC North
• History – That the Pittsburgh Steelers would go on to win more championships in the modern era than any other team would have come as a giant surprise to fans of the team during its first few decades. Founded in 1933 as the Pittsburgh Pirates (there was already a baseball team by that name), the football team didn’t have a winning season throughout the 1930s. In 1940, they renamed themselves the Steelers but things didn’t get any better in that decade. During World War II, the team merged briefly and temporarily with the Philadelphia Eagles (the Steagles) for one season and the Chicago Cardinals (derisively, the Carpets) for another. It wasn’t until 1970 that things got going for the Steelers, but then they started making up for lost time and have been a model winning franchise ever since. The team has been owned by a single family, the Rooneys, for its entire history.
• Championships – The Steelers have won six Super Bowls, more than any other franchise. Their victories came in 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 2005, and 2008.
• Rivals – The Steelers rivals are the three other teams that play in the AFC North, the Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, and Baltimore Ravens. Unlike other divisions though, these rivalries run very, very deep.

The Steelers logo projects strength, intimidation, winning, and a very old but modern tradition. The Steelers don’t have a crusty traditional feel like some of the teams that won a lot earlier in their histories. Instead, their tradition is firmly planted in today’s NFL. Tough but not unintellectual. Aggressive but not crazy. The Steelers of the past 45 years have been built around supremely stifling defenses but not to the complete detriment of their offense.

Here is the their winning percentage in each season since their inception:

Who are some notable players or figures from the Pittsburgh Steelers?

Art Rooney and Dan Rooney, the grandfather and father of current Steelers owner, Art Rooney II were the first two owners of the Steelers. Art was an athlete himself, once winner of an amateur boxing belt in 1918! In 1933, he paid $2,500 to the NFL for the right to create an NFL franchise in Pittsburgh. He also loved baseball and reportedly helped support a Negro League team in Pittsburgh. Called “the Chief” and renwoned as the first citizen of Pittsburgh, Art died in 1988. Art’s son, Dan, took over as owner and team president of the Steelers in 1975 and was instrumental in many of the Steelers greatest victories. As an owner, he was an active part of league politics and policy and helped design the salary cap as well as settle the 1982 player’s strike. Art and Dan both were on the front edge of racial equality in football and Dan led the effort to implement a policy that requires teams to interview at least one minority head coaching candidate whenever they have an opening. That rule is called the Rooney rule. Dan currently serves as United States ambassador to Ireland.

Dick LeBeau was one of the best cornerbacks in football during his time in the NFL with the Detroit Lions from 1959 to 1972. After his retirement, he went straight into coaching, and made his name as a fine coach of special teams and defensive positional groups. He landed in Pittsburgh in 1992 and coached as an assistant coach there until 1996. He returned from 2004 to 2014. All together, LeBeau has been an active player or coach in the NFL for the last 57 consecutive seasons. And at the age of 77, he’s still going strong as an assistant head coach of the Tennessee Titans. LeBeau is credited with inventing the zone blitz, an extremely effective and now common maneuver in which a little dude who the offense thinks is going to cover a wide receiver, instead tries to sack the quarterback while a big dude who the offense thinks is going to try to sack the quarterback drops back to cover a wide receiver. The result is often a quick throw from the quarterback intended for the receiver, who he believes will be uncovered, but which instead is an easy interception for the big dude. Surprise!

Where do the Pittsburgh Steelers play?

The blind date test

Imagine you’re about to go on a blind date and all you know about the person is that he or she is a Pittsburgh Steelers fan. Here’s what you can guess about that person. Remember that all fans are unique. We bear no responsibility for any misunderstandings we engender. Trust but verify.

Your date will expect to win at every game you play.

What will make a Pittsburgh Steelers fan squirm?

Pose the hypothetical question of what would have happened had quarterback Ben Roethlisberger been accused of sexual assault in 2015 instead of 2008.

Buy Pittsburgh Steelers Swag!

What do the Pittsburgh Steelers look like?

Team colors are black, gold, and white. Their current uniforms look like this.

Current and recent teams

Coming soon — a post about the 2015 Pittsburgh Steelers including an overview of their most interesting characters as well as what fans expect from the team this year.

One of the most disconcerting aspects of traveling to a country whose language you don’t know is how the most commonplace things become indecipherable. Ask a stranger for directions and she may think to explain tricky vocabulary but she’ll almost never think to describe whether the place she just referred to is a city, train station, library, cafe, or all of the above. The same is true for sports natives. A thoughtful sports fan should be willing and able to explain a rule, but he’ll almost never think of explaining who a particular team is, what sport they play, or the team’s history and characteristics. In this series, we’ll do just that — describe what is unique about each sports team.

Cleveland Browns – the basics

• Sport – Football
• League – National Football League (NFL)
• Conference – American Football Conference (AFC)
• Division – AFC North
• History – The Cleveland Browns have one of the more bizarre histories in sports history. They were founded in 1944 and named after their first head coach, Paul Brown, who later spread rumors of alternative sources for the name. The team began play in 1946 in the AAFC or All American Football Conference, a rival league to the NFL. In 1950 the team switched to the NFL. The team operated in Cleveland until 1996 when their then owner, Art Modell, moved the team to Baltimore. As opposed to every other team in NFL history that has moved, the city of Cleveland managed to hold on to its team’s name and history in a legal settlement and also got a guarantee from the NFL that a new team would be installed within four years and would take on the mantle of the old Browns. This came to pass in 1999 when the city was awarded an expansion team. So, the history of the Browns is bifurcated by a period of four years without football from 1996 to 1999.
• Championships – The Browns won AAFC Championships in each of its four years in the league and then won an NFL championship in 1950, the first year in that league, as well. The Browns won three more NFL championships in 1954, 1955, and 1964 but haven’t won any in the Super Bowl era.
• Rivals – The Browns have great rivalries with each of the teams in its division, and for good reason. The Cincinnati Bengals were started partially out of spite for the Browns by then ex-Browns coach, Paul Brown. The Baltimore Ravens are the team that once was the Browns before the Browns were born again. And the Pittsburgh Steelers are the big brother that won’t stop beating them.

It’s a real shame that many NFL football fans only associate the Browns name with the newer edition of the team. The new Browns have faced similar issues to many expansion teams. It’s hard to build a winning roster and culture from scratch. The shame is that in all the commotion with moving the team to Baltimore and then recreating it in Cleveland, a proud, albeit not entirely successful franchise has been reduced to a laughingstock.

Here is the their winning percentage in each season since their inception:

Who are some notable players or figures from the Cleveland Browns?

Otto Graham is the answer to the question, “Wait, the Browns went to the championship game every year between 1946 and 1955 and won seven of them… who the heck was their quarterback?” Graham was one of the pioneers of the position. At the end of his career, in 1955, he left the Browns with a 114–20–4 record. He still holds the record for longest average pass completion. Graham was a renaissance man who was proficient as an instrumentalist on piano, violin, french horn, and cornet. He was also a great basketball player.

Jim Brown was the game’s greatest running back during his short career with the Cleveland Browns. Drafted by the Browns with the sixth overall pick in the 1957 NFL draft, Brown played his entire nine year career in Cleveland, where he set many, many records, even career records for running backs despite his abbreviated career. Brown retired abruptly before the 1966 season due to a disagreement with then owner, Art Modell. Modell was annoyed that Brown had missed part of training camp because of his role as an actor in the the movie The Dirty Dozen. Brown got annoyed (or more) at Modell and simply retired from football at the age of 29. Since his retirement, Brown has remained a cultural figure, particularly as a strong voice for racial justice.

Where do the Cleveland Browns play?

The blind date test

Imagine you’re about to go on a blind date and all you know about the person is that he or she is a Cleveland Browns fan. Here’s what you can guess about that person. Remember that all fans are unique. We bear no responsibility for any misunderstandings we engender. Trust but verify.

The experience of having had their team taken away, only to have it come back reinforced the lesson that good things come to those who wait. Of course, if they think the new edition of their team is a good thing, you’re in luck — you’ve got an optimist on your hands!

What will make a Cleveland Browns fan squirm?

Mention Orlando Brown (yes, another Brown), nicknamed Zeus, who had his career with the Browns shortened in a terrible accident when an official’s penalty flag hit him in the eye and nearly blinded him. Tragic.

Buy Cleveland Browns Swag!

What do the Cleveland Browns look like?

Team colors are orange, brown, and white. Their current uniforms look like this.

Current and recent teams

Coming soon — a post about the 2015 Cleveland Browns including an overview of their most interesting characters as well as what fans expect from the team this year.

One of the most disconcerting aspects of traveling to a country whose language you don’t know is how the most commonplace things become indecipherable. Ask a stranger for directions and she may think to explain tricky vocabulary but she’ll almost never think to describe whether the place she just referred to is a city, train station, library, cafe, or all of the above. The same is true for sports natives. A thoughtful sports fan should be willing and able to explain a rule, but he’ll almost never think of explaining who a particular team is, what sport they play, or the team’s history and characteristics. In this series, we’ll do just that — describe what is unique about each sports team.

Cincinnati Bengals – the basics

• Sport – Football
• League – National Football League (NFL)
• Conference – American Football Conference (AFC)
• Division – AFC North
• History – The Cincinnati Bengals were started in 1966 by an unhappy ex-head coach of the nearby Cleveland Browns. He pursued his revenge by starting a team in the same state as Cleveland and wearing the same exact shade of orange. From those inauspicious roots, the Bengals, one of the least successful and most dysfunctional teams in all of football, was born.
• Championships – The Bengals have never won a championship.
• Rivals – Born out of a rivalry with the Cleveland Browns, the Bengals continue to carry that grudge now that the teams play twice a year within the AFC North division. The Pittsburgh Steelers are the team’s other primary rival, even though they’ve had the losing end of the matchup 56 out of the 90 times the teams have played.

The Bengals are often referred to as the “Bungles” and, although that’s a bad joke, it’s not a bad description. The Bengals have been consistently bad throughout most of their history. They’ve made the Super Bowl twice, in 1991 and 1998 but lost both times to the San Francisco 49ers. From 1991 through 2008, the team only recorded a single winning season. The Bengals have been known for their unwillingness to spend money on players or player “luxuries” like decent practice fields and equipment. They also have a reputation for employing players who get into legal trouble. Basically, they’re a pretty giant pile of mess most of the time.

Here is the their winning percentage in each season since their inception:

Who are some notable players or figures from the Cincinnati Bengals?

Anthony Munoz was drafted with the third overall pick of the 1980 draft. He played on the Bengals offensive line for his entire 13 season career and was one of the most popular and successful Bengals of his era. He was selected to 11 Pro Bowls in that time and was also a three time offensive lineman of the year and won both the Walter Peyton Man of the Year award and the Bart Starr Man of the Year award. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998.

Paul Brown is the founding father of the Cincinnati Bengals. The former coach of the Cleveland Browns (who were named after him!), Brown was fired in 1963. By 1968 he had cofounded the Bengals and was firmly installed as their first head coach. He was an innovator in many aspects of the game. According to Wikipedia, he “was the first coach to use game film to scout opponents, hire a full-time staff of assistants, and test players on their knowledge of a playbook. He invented the modern face mask, the taxi squad and the draw play. He also played a role in breaking professional football’s color barrier, bringing some of the first African-Americans to play pro football in the modern era onto his teams.” Brown retired in 1975 and was succeeded in his ownership capacity by his son, Mike Brown, the current owner of the team.

Where do the Cincinnati Bengals play?

The blind date test

Imagine you’re about to go on a blind date and all you know about the person is that he or she is a Cincinnati Bengals fan. Here’s what you can guess about that person. Remember that all fans are unique. We bear no responsibility for any misunderstandings we engender. Trust but verify.

Your date is either from Cincinnati or really, really has a thing for cat-print clothing. The first should be easy to check. The second… may require some undercover investigation…

What will make a Cincinnati Bengals fan squirm?

Claim that the Bengal’s chant, “Who Dey?” is derivative of the New Orleans Saints’ “Who Dat?” Shockingly it seems as though the two developed in a strange case of independent convergent linguistic evolution, but that doesn’t stop people from squabbling over who had it first.

Buy Cincinnati Bengals Swag!

What do the Cincinnati Bengals look like?

Team colors are black, orange, and white. Their current uniforms look like this.

Current and recent teams

Coming soon — a post about the 2015 Baltimore Ravens including an overview of their most interesting characters as well as what fans expect from the team this year.

One of the most disconcerting aspects of traveling to a country whose language you don’t know is how the most commonplace things become indecipherable. Ask a stranger for directions and she may think to explain tricky vocabulary but she’ll almost never think to describe whether the place she just referred to is a city, train station, library, cafe, or all of the above. The same is true for sports natives. A thoughtful sports fan should be willing and able to explain a rule, but he’ll almost never think of explaining who a particular team is, what sport they play, or the team’s history and characteristics. In this series, we’ll do just that — describe what is unique about each sports team.

Baltimore Ravens – the basics

• Sport – Football
• League – National Football League (NFL)
• Conference – American Football Conference (AFC)
• Division – AFC North
• History – The Baltimore Ravens have one of the most interesting creation stories in the NFL. After failing in several attempts to land an expansion franchise, the city convinced the owner of the Cleveland Browns to move his team to Baltimore for the 1996 season. Baltimore football fans felt understandably queasy about taking another city’s team, especially because so many of them were still angry that their original team had moved to Indianapolis in 1984. Cleveland residents were not so happy either. As part of a settlement with the NFL, the team moving to Baltimore promised to leave its name, colors, and its history in Cleveland and start anew in Baltimore. The NFL promised to replace the Browns in Cleveland within three years. So, the Ravens began in Baltimore with an already established set of players, but otherwise just like a new expansion team.
• Championships – The Ravens have won two Super Bowls, one in 2000 and one in 2012.
• Rivals – The Ravens rivalry with the Pittsburgh Steelers is the most physically intense rivalry of the 2000s. Games between the two teams feel viscerally different from the point of view of a spectator and I would imagine to the players as well.

The Ravens have a very distinct image. They’re loud, aggressive, and physical. Like the Chicago Bears, their teams lean towards great defenses that can carry mediocre offenses deep into the playoffs. Unlike the Bears though, the formula has worked for the Ravens, twice in their short history. The Ravens are known throughout the league as being very smart operators from a management and player development standpoint. When they reach a point at which other teams would have to go through several years of losing while they rebuild their rosters, the Ravens seem to be able to reload quickly and keep winning. After three losing seasons to start the team’s time in Baltimore, they only had another three in the next fifteen years.

Here is the their winning percentage in each season since their inception:

Who are some notable players or figures from the Baltimore Ravens?

Ray Lewis was the face of the Ravens franchise and the heart of their defense for most of his 17-year career with the Baltimore Ravens. Lewis was a brilliant middle linebacker and a charismatic leader. During the prime of his career, from 1998 to 2001, the Ravens had a streak of 51 games in which they didn’t allow a single player from an opposing team to rush for 100 yards. Lewis’ career was marred by an indictment for murder in 2000. The charges against Lewis were eventually dropped to a lower offense after he agreed to testify against two other people accused of the crime. Lewis’ public image took a hit but bounced back a few years later. Lewis is once again a very popular figure and a big part of ESPN’s NFL coverage.

Jonathan Ogden was drafted as the fourth overall pick by the Ravens in their inaugural 1996 draft. It was a great pick for the team. One of the tallest players in NFL history, the 6’9″ and 345 pound Ogden manned the left side of Baltimore’s offensive line for the next twelve years. An almost impossibly good player, starting in 1997, Ogden was voted into the Pro Bowl every year until he retired in 2007. He was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013 and became the first honoree to have played his entire career with the Ravens.

Where do the Baltimore Ravens play?

The blind date test

Imagine you’re about to go on a blind date and all you know about the person is that he or she is a Baltimore Ravens fan. Here’s what you can guess about that person. Remember that all fans are unique. We bear no responsibility for any misunderstandings we engender. Trust but verify.

Your date will tell you exactly what he or she thinks of those new pants you’re wearing. Ravens fans don’t hold back easily or often.

What will make a Baltimore Ravens fan squirm?

Last year’s controversy over Ray Rice will make most Ravens fans squirm in their seats. Through no fault of their own, they rooted for him for years and years, and that doesn’t feel good retroactively.

Buy Baltimore Ravens Swag!

What do the Baltimore Ravens look like?

Team colors are purple, black, metallic gold, and white. Their current uniforms look like this.

Current and recent teams

A post about the 2015 Baltimore Ravens including an overview of their most interesting characters as well as what fans expect from the team this year.

One of the most disconcerting aspects of traveling to a country whose language you don’t know is how the most commonplace things become indecipherable. Ask a stranger for directions and she may think to explain tricky vocabulary but she’ll almost never think to describe whether the place she just referred to is a city, train station, library, cafe, or all of the above. The same is true for sports natives. A thoughtful sports fan should be willing and able to explain a rule, but he’ll almost never think of explaining who a particular team is, what sport they play, or the team’s history and characteristics. In this series, we’ll do just that — describe what is unique about each sports team.

Minnesota Vikings – the basics

• Sport – Football
• League – National Football League (NFL)
• Conference – National Football Conference (NFC)
• Division – NFC North
• History – The Minnesota Vikings were almost a founding member of the upstart American Football League before the NFL pounced on them and made them an offer they couldn’t refuse to become the league’s 14th franchise in 1961. Since then, they’ve managed to be very good (they have the third highest winning percentage in the NFL since 1961) without being very successful.
• Championships – The won an NFL championship in 1969, the last year before the AFL merged with the NFL. Since then, they’ve been to the playoffs 25 times and the Super Bowl four times without ever winning another championship.
• Rivals – The Vikings may be the new kid on the block in the NFC North with the Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, and Chicago Bears, but that hasn’t stopped them from developing violent rivalries with all three.

The Vikings are the most successful failures in the NFL. Only the Buffalo Bills, with their four straight Super Bowl appearances (but no wins), rival the Vikings in pathos. They Vikings are almost always good, often very good, but always frustrating to their fans. They are a colorful team in terms of personality and uniform. Their name reflects the Scandinavian heritage of many people in the Minnesota area and their mascot is currently a dude named Joseph Juranitch who holds the World Record for fastest beard shaving with an ax.

Here is the their winning percentage in each season since their inception:

Who are some notable players or figures from the Minnesota Vikings?

Fran Tarkenton is a rare character. His Wikipedia page lists him as a football quarterback, television personality, and computer software executive. Tarkenton’s first game was the Vikings first game in 1961. He threw for four touchdowns. Rare for his time (and his race, but that’s another story with a long and racially complicated history) Tarkenton would frequently run with the ball which got him some great nicknames: “The Mad Scrambler,” “Frantic Fran,” and “Scramblin’ Fran” and a lot of bruises. He played for the Vikings from 1961 to 1966 and then, after a one year stay with the New York Giants, from 1972 to 1978. When he retired, he held most major quarterback records. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1986.

Randy Moss was a phenomenal wide receiver who burst onto the NFL scene in 1998 after a productive and controversial college career at Marshall University. He was the subject of a compelling documentary called Rand University which I wrote about in 2014. Moss’ time with the Vikings, from 1998 to 2004 were the highlight of his career (plus one ridiculous season with the New England Patriots in 2007) and brought a lot of casual fans into football and made a lot of football fans root for the Vikings. For those of us where were teenagers at the peak of Moss’ talents, he will always be the greatest receiver ever in our minds.

Where do the Minnesota Vikings play?

The blind date test

Imagine you’re about to go on a blind date and all you know about the person is that he or she is a Minnesota Vikings fan. Here’s what you can guess about that person. Remember that all fans are unique. We bear no responsibility for any misunderstandings we engender. Trust but verify.

Your date is a football fan who wears purple proudly. You may associate purple with Prince but Prince associates purple with the Vikings. He’s a giant fan. Is your date a Prince fan in addition to being a Vikings fan? If so, he or she might be a keeper.

What will make a Minnesota Vikings fan squirm?

No Super Bowl wins? 25 playoff appearances since 1970? Four Super Bowl appearances? And no wins?

Buy Minnesota Vikings Swag!

What do the Minnesota Vikings look like?

Team colors are purple, gold, and white. Their current uniforms look like this.

Current and recent teams

Coming soon — a post about the 2015 Minnesota Vikings including an overview of their most interesting characters as well as what fans expect from the team this year.

One of the most disconcerting aspects of traveling to a country whose language you don’t know is how the most commonplace things become indecipherable. Ask a stranger for directions and she may think to explain tricky vocabulary but she’ll almost never think to describe whether the place she just referred to is a city, train station, library, cafe, or all of the above. The same is true for sports natives. A thoughtful sports fan should be willing and able to explain a rule, but he’ll almost never think of explaining who a particular team is, what sport they play, or the team’s history and characteristics. In this series, we’ll do just that — describe what is unique about each sports team.

Green Bay Packers – the basics

• Sport – Football
• League – National Football League (NFL)
• Conference – National Football Conference (NFC)
• Division – NFC North
• History – The Green Bay Packers are the third oldest team in the NFL, having been founded in 1919. Back then, having a team in a small, industrial town like Green Bay, and naming it after the local industry, was not so unusual. For the team to have survived to today in almost that exact form is astounding. The Packers have never moved and have never been renamed and they are among the most popular NFL teams in the country despite having one of the smallest local markets. Part of their secret has been consistent winning, almost throughout their 96 year history. The team is also unique among American professional sporting franchises in its ownership structure. It is communally owned by over 360,000 people although only a very small percentage of those carry any decision making privileges.
• Championships – The Packers can lay claim to being the winningest team in NFL history. They won nine NFL championships before the Super Bowl era and four Super Bowls including the first two in 1967 and 1968, one in 1997 and one in 2011.
• Rivals – The Packers are part of the oldest rivalry in the NFL, with the Bears starting in 1921 and the longest continuously running with the Lions, starting in 1930. They’re also rivals with the Minnesota Vikings.

The Green Bay Packers are most dominant team in NFL history. They are like the New York Yankees in baseball, the Boston Celtics in basketball, or the Montreal Canadiens in hockey. If you love history and nostalgia and knowing about the days of yore, you’ll love the Packers. Their stadium, Lambeau field, is hallowed ground within the NFL community. Because of its setting and unique ownership, the team is more integrated into its city and surrounding area than any other team. People pass Packers season tickets down from generation to generation. Even spots on the waiting list will be inherited as a prized possession! The Packers players show their dedication to their fans by leaping (called the Lambeau Leap) into the crowd after scoring touchdowns.

Here is the their winning percentage in each season since their inception:

Who are some notable players or figures from the Green Bay Packers?

Vince Lombardi is the most famous coach in NFL history. Although he only coached the Packers for seven years, from 1959 to 1967, during those years, he made quite a name for himself. His teams won five NFL championships in those seven years, including three straight in 1965, 1966, and 1966. Lombardi was determinedly liberal on issues of race and sexual preference. He only booked his teams to stay in hotels that allowed white and black players to stay and was comfortable with and encouraging to gay players and co-workers in his organization. As a show of respect and sincere widespread fondness towards Lombardi, the NFL named its championship trophy for him in 1971 following his death at the age of 57.

Bart Starr had two stints with the Packers, first as their championship winning quarterback from 1956 to 1971 and then as a lackluster head coach from 1975 to 1983. Starr is regarded with an odd mix of reverence and dismissal. He is considered to have been a great leader on the field more than a great player. That’s perhaps why the NFL award named after him is given each year to a player with “outstanding character.”

Brett Favre was the charismatic quarterback who led the Green Bay Packers from 1992 to 2007. In that time, he won three straight NFL MVP awards, a Super Bowl, and set a record for consecutive games played, 297 (or 321 if you count playoff games) which may never be broken. He was as headstrong as he was strong armed, and was known almost as much for his wild mistakes as his brilliant successes. He had a desultory end to his career, playing with moderate success for the New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings and being the perpetrator of an early sexting harassment situation. As time passes, he is slowly regaining respect in the public sphere and will be eligible for induction into the Hall of Fame in 2016.

Where do the Green Bay Packers play?

The blind date test

Imagine you’re about to go on a blind date and all you know about the person is that he or she is a Green Bay Packers fan. Here’s what you can guess about that person. Remember that all fans are unique. We bear no responsibility for any misunderstandings we engender. Trust but verify.

He or she is used to winning but not unreasonably so. They love tradition, but not at the expense of winning, and will be willing to be flexible when push comes to shove. If you don’t mind their habit of wearing a giant, yellow, plastic block of cheese on their heads, they might be perfect for you!

What will make a Green Bay Packers fan squirm?

Packers fans are understandably uncomfortable with how things ended with Brett Favre. Some will take the team’s side and say that Favre was at fault. Others criticize the team and say that the organization was too quick to move on from a beloved employee like Favre. Despite the success of quarterback Aaron Rodgers who took over for Favre, many Packers fans will still cringe if you bring up the team’s split with Favre.

Buy Green Bay Packers Swag!

What do the Green Bay Packers look like?

Team colors are dark green, gold, and white. Their current uniforms look like this.

Current and recent teams

Coming soon — a post about the 2015 Green Bay Packers including an overview of their most interesting characters as well as what fans expect from the team this year.

One of the most disconcerting aspects of traveling to a country whose language you don’t know is how the most commonplace things become indecipherable. Ask a stranger for directions and she may think to explain tricky vocabulary but she’ll almost never think to describe whether the place she just referred to is a city, train station, library, cafe, or all of the above. The same is true for sports natives. A thoughtful sports fan should be willing and able to explain a rule, but he’ll almost never think of explaining who a particular team is, what sport they play, or the team’s history and characteristics. In this series, we’ll do just that — describe what is unique about each sports team.

Detroit Lions – the basics

• Sport – Football
• League – National Football League (NFL)
• Conference – National Football Conference (NFC)
• Division – NFC North
• History – The Detroit Lions played as the Portsmouth Spartans from Portsmouth, Ohio, for four years from 1930 to 1934 when the team was purchased by a group from Detroit and moved to the city. There the team was renamed the Lions to fit with the city’s baseball team, the Tigers.
• Championships – Despite having played in the NFL since 1930, the Lions do not have a tradition of success. Although they won four NFL championships, one in 1935 and three in the 1950s, they have never even been to a Super Bowl.
• Rivals – The Lions maintain rivalries with each of their divisional opponents, the Chicago Bears, the Green Bay Packers, and the Minnesota Vikings — and despite the Lions losing ways, each rivalry has something special to it. The Lions and Packers have the longest running continuous rivalry, having played at least once every year since 1930.

The Detroit Lions are the NFL’s version of the Washington Generals. Unlike the Generals, who are professional stooges to the Harlem Globetrotters, the Lions are actually trying to win. In their long history, they’ve never had a sustained period of extraordinary success. They have had sparkling individual players but have never been able to put all the pieces together to make, much less win, a modern NFL Championship.

Here is the their winning percentage in each season since their inception:

Who are some notable players or figures from the Detroit Lions?

Barry Sanders was every kid’s favorite running back in the mid-1990s. Drafted in 1989 with the third overall pick by the Detroit Lions, Sanders was a pint-sized running back (only 5’8) with moves to spare. He would spend much of the game getting tackled right at the line of scrimmage by the giant defensive players out to get him, only to fake everyone out on one run and score a highlight-reel worthy long touchdown. He was elusive and resilient on the field but an enigma off the field. Never one for putting himself in the spotlight, he stunned the world when he announced he was retiring in 1989 by faxing a letter to his local newspaper. Sanders was a Pro Bowl honoree in all of his ten seasons with the team and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004.

Calvin Johnson has continued the trend of quiet Lions superstars into the 2000s. An immensely talented wide receiver, unlike many of his positional peers, Johnson lets his play speak for him. His nickname is Megatron which nicely relates the type of robotic dominance that Johnson has had over the league since he was drafted number two overall in 2007 by the Lions.

Where do the Detroit Lions play?

The blind date test

Imagine you’re about to go on a blind date and all you know about the person is that he or she is a Detroit Lions fan. Here’s what you can guess about that person. Remember that all fans are unique. We bear no responsibility for any misunderstandings we engender. Trust but verify.

Your date loves lost causes. Time to celebrate!

What will make a Detroit Lions fan squirm?

At this point, Lions fans are so used to losing that the easiest way to get them to squirm is to be really, really positive about their team. The more hopeful things you say, the more squirming you’ll see.

Buy Detroit Lions Swag!

What do the Detroit Lions look like?

Team colors are Honolulu Blue, silver, black, and white. Their current uniforms look like this.

Current and recent teams

Coming soon — a post about the 2015 Detroit Lions including an overview of their most interesting characters as well as what fans expect from the team this year.

One of the most disconcerting aspects of traveling to a country whose language you don’t know is how the most commonplace things become indecipherable. Ask a stranger for directions and she may think to explain tricky vocabulary but she’ll almost never think to describe whether the place she just referred to is a city, train station, library, cafe, or all of the above. The same is true for sports natives. A thoughtful sports fan should be willing and able to explain a rule, but he’ll almost never think of explaining who a particular team is, what sport they play, or the team’s history and characteristics. In this series, we’ll do just that — describe what is unique about each sports team.

Chicago Bears – the basics

• Sport – Football
• League – National Football League (NFL)
• Conference – National Football Conference (NFC)
• Division – NFC North
• History – The Chicago Bears history began in 1919, 180 miles out of Chicago in the town of Decatur as the Decatur Staleys, named after the A. E. Staley “food starch” company. They are one of two original NFL franchises that still exist today. By 1921, the team had moved to Chicago, and in 1922 had changed its name to the Bears. The team was an almost immediate success and had fewer than 10 losing seasons from its inception until 1970.
• Championships – The Bears have won nine championships but only one counts as a Super Bowl victory. That one, in 1985, is much prized by contemporary Bears fans, whose memories of the seven NFL championships the team won from 1921 to 1946 are non-existent or fading, and whose memories of the winning team in 1963 are probably not that much better.
• Rivals – The Bears are part of the longest running rivalry in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers. The two teams began playing in 1921 and have played over 190 games. It’s also been remarkably even — as of the start of the 2015 season, the Bears have the edge 93-91-6. They still play in the same division, along with the Bears other two rivals, the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings. Those rivalries are not as old but they are plenty deep.

The Chicago Bears are a legendary team in reality and in… ahem… legend. As one of the oldest teams in the league, the Bears carry with them a mystique of traditional greatness strongly associated with rough, defensive football. This strength can also be interpreted as a weakness, and indeed, the team’s inability or unwillingness to acquire or develop a great quarterback and a high-scoring offense is a major reason for their long championship drought. Their most brilliant stretch of play came in the mid-1980s and came thanks to an overwhelmingly good defense. It was around this time that the Bears entered the national vernacular (or at least my family’s) thanks to this wonderful SNL skit. Of course, when it comes to comedy, unintentional is often better than intentional. Here’s a totally unironic Chicago Bears fight song performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. In all honesty though, that song is a great example of how the Bears celebrate their legacy as one of the oldest and most historic teams in the league and it’s pretty cool.

Here is the their winning percentage in each season since their inception:

Who are some notable players or figures from the Chicago Bears?

Mike Ditka has been the key character in almost all Bears related dramas since the Bears drafted him fifth overall in the 1961 NFL draft to play tight end. The tight end position was at the cusp of a revolution and Ditka was on the barricades, leading the way. He helped transform the position from being primarily a blocking position to a hybrid blocking and catching one. In his five years with the Bears, he earned Pro Bowl honors each year and was part of the team that won the NFL championship in 1963. In 1982, he returned to the Bears as head coach after several years as an assistant coach in Dallas. He coached the Bears for 11 seasons and led them to their only Super Bowl victory. His hardened demeanor, brusque attitude, and military mustache became emblematic of the Bears during his time as coach. He was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1988 and is a frequent presence on NFL television today.

Walter Payton, known by his nickname, “Sweetness,” is considered one the best and definitely one of football’s favorite running backs of all time. After a wonderful college career at the historically Black college, Jackson State, Payton was drafted fourth overall by the Bears in the 1975 NFL Draft. In 1977 he rushed for 275 yards in a single game (during which he had the flu and a 101° fever). This record would stand for 23 years until it was broken in 2000. His running style, while elegant, was the opposite of his nickname. Payton was a tough, physical runner, whose policy was to seek contact rather than avoid it and who had celebrated touchdowns by simply handing the ball to a referee. Payton famously did not score a touchdown in the Bears Super Bowl win despite the team scoring 46 points, including one touchdown from a defensive player on an offensive rushing play that would ordinarily have gone to Payton. Payton was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1993 and died in 1999 at the age of 45.

Where do the Chicago Bears play?

The blind date test

Imagine you’re about to go on a blind date and all you know about the person is that he or she is a Chicago Bears fan. Here’s what you can guess about that person. Remember that all fans are unique. We bear no responsibility for any misunderstandings we engender. Trust but verify.

Your date is about to order a Polish sausage. She hates offense and would be as happy to tackle you as kiss you. Nah, just kidding, those are stereotypes too gross even for this joking segment. Your date has a love/hate relationship with tradition. She loves the Bears and a lot of what loving the Bears is about is honoring the past and respecting tradition, but after 30 years of the Bears way not working… maybe it’s time for a change?

What will make a Chicago Bears fan squirm?

Jay Cutler, the Bears current quarterback, makes all Bears fans squirm, all the time. Say his name or place pictures of him in unexpected places.

Buy Chicago Bears Swag!

What do the Chicago Bears look like?

Team colors are dark navy, orange, and white. Their current uniforms look like this.

Current and recent teams

Coming soon — a post about the 2015 Chicago Bears including an overview of their most interesting characters as well as what fans expect from the team this year.

One of the most disconcerting aspects of traveling to a country whose language you don’t know is how the most commonplace things become indecipherable. Ask a stranger for directions and she may think to explain tricky vocabulary but she’ll almost never think to describe whether the place she just referred to is a city, train station, library, cafe, or all of the above. The same is true for sports natives. A thoughtful sports fan should be willing and able to explain a rule, but he’ll almost never think of explaining who a particular team is, what sport they play, or the team’s history and characteristics. In this series, we’ll do just that — describe what is unique about each sports team.

Tennessee Titans – the basics

• Sport – Football
• League – National Football League (NFL)
• Conference – American Football Conference (AFC)
• Division – AFC South
• History – The Tennessee Titans played for the first 36 years of their existence as the Houston Oilers, first in the American Football League (AFL) and then in the NFL. The team moved to Tennessee in 1997 where it played as the Tennessee Oilers for two years before changing its name to the Titans.
• Championships – The Titans franchise claims two AFL championships from 1960 and 1961.
• Rivals – The Titans maintain a rivalry with the team that took their place in Houston, the Houston Texans, and their divisional opponents, the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Nostalgia is a strange beast. It’s very likely that we’d regard the old Houston Oilers differently if the team hadn’t moved to Tennessee, but once they did, the Oilers became a focus of a great many fond memories. The Titans have always lived in the shadow cast by the memory of the Oilers and despite being supported well by fans in the area, it will probably take a Super Bowl win for them to finally step into the spotlight as the Titans.

Here is the their winning percentage in each season since their inception:

Who are some notable players or figures from the Tennessee Titans?

Warren Moon was quarterback of the Houston Oilers from 1984 to 1993. As was the case for many black quarterbacks in those days, Moon had to take a circuitous route to NFL success. Faced with the prospect of going to a major football college but having to change positions, Moon decided to continue playing quarterback and go to a lesser known school, West Los Angeles College, where he set records. Undrafted by the NFL, Moon went to play in the Canadian Football League for the Edmonton Eskimos for six years and won five Grey Cups (the CFL version of the Super Bowl.) Finally, the NFL and the Houston Oilers came calling and Moon had his shot. By 1989, he was the highest paid player in the league. He had an extremely successful career although he never reached the pinnacle of success in the NFL that he had in the CFL. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006.

Steve McNair took a similar path to NFL stardom, although he skipped the Canadian track. The University of Florida offered him a full scholarship to play football but wanted him to switch from his preferred position of quarterback to running back. McNair declined and went to Alcorn State University, which plays in college football’s second division. After a remarkable career in college, McNair was drafted by the Houston Oilers with the third overall pick of the 1995 draft (showing that there had been some progress for black quarterbacks since Moon). He led the team for the next 11 seasons and bridged the gap between Houston and Tennessee. He was the team’s starting quarterback during their one Super Bowl appearance in the 1999 season. He was murdered in 2009 by his mistress.

Where do the Tennessee Titans play?

The blind date test

Imagine you’re about to go on a blind date and all you know about the person is that he or she is a Tennessee Titans fan. Here’s what you can guess about that person. Remember that all fans are unique. We bear no responsibility for any misunderstandings we engender. Trust but verify.

He or she is someone who holds back judgement until they get to know something or someone pretty well. That’s a good quality, especially since you ran out without noticing that stain on your shirt.

What will make a Tennessee Titans fan squirm?

Insist that the “Music City Miracle” was an illegal forward pass.

Buy Tennessee Titans Swag!

What do the Tennessee Titans look like?

Team colors are Titans Blue, navy, red, white, and silver. Their current uniforms look like this.

Current and recent teams

Coming soon — a post about the 2015 Tennessee Titans including an overview of their most interesting characters as well as what fans expect from the team this year.