The Day a Dallas Cowboys Fan Quietly Chanted “Go Pack Go!” – Green Bay Packers Family Night
I am a football fan. I’ll watch any football game but I am a Dallas Cowboys fan. Have been for probably 25 years or so. The good years of Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith and then the not so good years. I remember the STL Cardinals then the years without a local team. Next came the Rams and then now again not a local team. Through all of this, I have been a Cowboys fan. But one day last July, I wore green and yellow. . Not any just any green but PACKER green. Yes I’ll admit it. I joined “The Pack” for just a day.
We spent several years traveling all over the country for Hunter’s baseball (which will eventually become blogs). Sometime early in the beginning we hooked up with The Blands and we became regular traveling partners and along the way we became family.
They are Packers fans, so much so that Kim and Jeff were married in Packer’s jerseys. They are serious fans.
Most people are probably aware that getting tickets to a Packer’s football game in Green Bay is nearly impossible. Seats are held by season ticket owners with a waiting list years long. (Although my good friend Gina is able to go to one game a year and she always sends me a picture to rub it in my face.)
Why would a Cowboys fan be interested in going to a game at Lambeau field? Because as a sports fan, I can appreciate the history of the team and the dedication of the fans. It would be something to experience.
Kim knew this and so when she was able to score two sets of tickets to Family Night she thought of me and Hunter. Family nights allows fans who don’t have season tickets a chance to experience a practice session at Lambeau field complete with the legendary tailgating during training camp.
“Go Pack Go?!”
I was more than eager to accept her gift. This was going to turn into mine and Hunter’s summer trip. Our “me and you” trip. I had a little time to figure out our plans.
The only problem in this scenario was the hotel. It was a large event bringing in thousands of visitors to the area, so the prices weren’t cheap. The hotels nearest Lambeau were out of my price range, so I started looking on the other side of the town. I found something I was comfortable with made reservations. It turned out to be a nice hotel right on the river with a beautiful view.
Just like with every trip, we try to do as much adventuring as we can while in the area. I’m going to share those later in a separate blog and just concentrate on the football in this one.
“Go Pack Go?!”
Our first introduction to Packer Nation was the local WalMart. When entering you are instantly greeted by an overwhelming amount of green and yellow. This isn’t Cardinal baseball territory anymore.
We arrived on a Friday night but our first Packer activity wasn’t until Saturday morning. We headed over to Lambeau early that morning to pick up our Lambeau Field and Hall of Fame tour tickets. When we arrived, we noticed that there was already a large crowd of people around the field. This was like 10:00 am so I was a little surprised. That’s when we realized that there was an outdoor morning training session going on and people were lined up in the streets watching.
As we walked down to get a closer look we passed a long row of kids’ bikes. Hunter asked why and at the moment I couldn’t remember. It wasn’t until a little later that I remembered Gina telling me about the tradition.
The field is really in the middle of your average subdivision with nice homes surrounding it. It’s not a metro area, so the kids in the vicinity bring their bikes in hopes that one of the players will choose it to ride to the practice facility. We were not able to actually witness the event because our tour was during their return time. The pictures of previous years though are great.
Another area just for the kids was an autograph area. It was marked with a large banner. Kids could line up and wait for the chance of an autograph as the players made their way back to the locker rooms. (Sorry Jason King only kids allowed.)
Waiting to see some players
We stopped and watched the outside practice. Even this was crowded with the bleachers full and people lined up along the fence line.
But our main event for the day was the stadium and Hall of Fame tour. We decided to wander through the Hall of Fame while waiting for the stadium tour to start. This tour is self-guided and allows you to stroll at your leisure. The historic past of the Packers is told through exhibits including memorabilia, videos, and displays. There is a lot to take in.
“Go Pack Go?!”
Hunter’s favorite part was the interactive player comparison. Through life size displays of players, visitors are able to compare height, wingspan, hand size, and vertical jump. Hunter, 16 at the time, was pretty close to the hands and wingspan. The vertical jump was a different story.
Near the end are displays for favorite and noteable Packers. Uniforms, equipment, trophies, and articles are on display. I would have to say my favorite Packer of all time would be Reggie White.
At the end is the trophy area. An impressive display or rings and trophies. It’s a beautiful display of hardware.
Next we were on to the Stadium Tour. This was a guided tour that took you behind the scenes of areas that would never be allowed to go on your own. There were stops outside the locker room and deluxe suites. While near the suites we were taken out onto a balcony/rooftop where privileged tickets holders can watch. It has a beautiful view including the river from underneath one of the giant scoreboards. I’m not so sure it would be as enjoyable during one of those cold Wisconsin winter evenings.
The specific tour we took ended after walking through the tunnel out onto the field. Yes we were allowed down onto a roped off section of the field for photo opportunities. And on this day we did see some of the ground crew in action preparing the field for tomorrow’s scrimmage. What’s most noticeable out the field is that all the seats are bleachers which allows more people to attend.
Now Sunday was the big event. The day that “normal” Packers fans have a chance of getting into Lambeau field and getting to experience that game atmosphere.
“Go Pack Go?!”
At some point during this day, Hunter and I decided we should probably just give in and go “whole hog” as they say. After seeing grown men walk through the gift shop in full uniform, we knew we would be the odd ball in “regular clothes.”
We decided to wear green and yellow. (At one point while packing, I considered throwing the “I ❤️ The Cowboys” shirt in the suitcase but decided against it.) We headed back to Walmart and that huge Packer display to buy t-shirts. I rationalized this purchase by telling myself it was just a souvenir for the trip. I wasn’t really supporting the Packers.
The scrimmage itself didn’t start until 7:00 pm. The gates opened at 5:00 pm but the festivities for the day started at 10:00 am. And that’s what time we arrived. The Blands are Packers fans. The Blands are tailgaters. They wanted to experience the entire day. Hunter and I were just along for the ride.
Jeff and Kim got there before we did and secured a parking spot on the lot next to the stadium. Prime tailgating location. Once you were in this lot there wasn’t any getting out of if because of the tents and tailgaters. Hunter and I had a different dilemma. He had to be back for the first day of fall baseball practice the next morning. Which meant we had to leave by about 8:00 pm and drive all night to get home in time. So we couldn’t get blocked in somewhere. We opted for a parking lot down the road where we could leave when we needed to with no issues.
We didn’t spend seven hours on the parking lot just sitting – only about three or four. Lol. This was Family Night so there were a number of outside events setup to entertain the fans. A number of vendor booths lined the streets offering souvenirs and even free samples of products. The main attraction though was American Family Dream Zone interactive tent. Inside fans mainly kids could play washers, cornhole, and a variety of other skills games. Outside were more booths offering to clock your throwing arm, which of course was a competition between the boys. It entertained us for an hour or two.
Then came the waiting. We found our spot in the midst of the tailgaters and I began to people watch. Since we were traveling, Jeff and Kim didn’t bring their usual tailgating gear. We were just there for the atmosphere and experience. Plenty of food was available from vendors so when we were hungry we just headed out to find something to snack on. At some point Hunter gave in and grew tired. He just laid down in the parking lot to rest a bit.
The waiting continued for a while. The gates opened at 5:00 but people started lining up about 4:00. Tired of just sitting on the parking lot and with hopes of getting decent place in line, Hunter and I decided to lineup. The waiting wasn’t much different there but if made us feel like we were doing something different. It was about an hour in this line then we were able to slowly make our way through the security line. There were a TON of people at this PRACTICE event. Around 78,000 tickets are available for this event.
Once inside we found our seats. We were in a different section from the Blands so this part of our adventure would be in our own. Except Jace came over to sit with us for awhile while we were doing more waiting. We were in and end zone section on a lower level. Not bad seats.
There were the usual pregame festivities including a parachute team that lands on the field. Players were introduced and then the rest of the event was on field drills and “scrimmages.” Honestly after the first quarter of this, it was a bit redundant. We hated to have to leave early, but we had experienced all that the day had to offer. Since it wasn’t an actual game, I didn’t feel bad about leaving.
We were part of the Packer Nation for the day. We will probably never make to an actual game at Lambeau field, although the Blands are on the season ticket waiting list. We experienced the tailgating, the massive crowds, and “Go Pack Go.” The only thing missing was the Wisconsin cold.
I never understood the appeal of attending a attend team training camp and waiting on the streets just to get a glimpse of a team practicing. But now I get it. I am glad I joined The Pack for a day although my heart will always be with the Dallas Cowboys.
Go Pack Go!
If you are a Green Bay fan or just appreciate the experience of attending such an event, check the website for details. If you can’t make that weekend, the Stadium and Hall of Fame Tours are worth the stop.
Author
