As much as I would love to watch the NFC championship game between the Green Bay Packers and the New York Giants in person, there’s almost no way I’d go out to a game knowing that I might freeze to death.
Forecasters are predicting the weather to be 3 degrees at the time of kickoff, and that’s way too cold for me. I remember growing up and having the days be that cold, and I can promise you that I do not miss them.
Having lived in Hawai‘i for several years, I’ve been completely out of touch with what winter is like for some parts of the country. I complain about cold weather when the temperatures get in the 60s near my home in Lawa‘i. Sometimes I forget that it’s winter here.
I was so out of touch that when I was shopping for gifts for my 1- and 3-year-old nephews who live in Appomatux, Va., I bought them short-sleeved Polo and shorts outfits, not even thinking that it wasn’t season appropriate.
When my sister opened those gifts, I got a nice little e-mail that read something like this:
Thanks for the outfits. They’re cute. It’s a little cold here for them, but we’ll get good use of them in the spring.
I didn’t even think that it would be cold and snowing over there because it wasn’t cold and snowing over here.
So you can imagine my reality check when I saw the blizzard that was last Saturday’s playoff game between the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks. With the snow piling up, I just couldn’t believe it — not the game, but the weather. How can the guys play in that and how can the fans stand it?
I know that if they live there, they’re used to it, but still. How do you get used to freezing temperatures?
Seeing those images conjured up old videos I saw of the 1967 Ice Bowl for the NFL championship — oddly enough, also played by the Packers. On Dec. 31, temperatures were 13 below zero with a wind chill factor of -46. Fans turned out, the game played on and the Packers won.
In January of 1976 for the AFC Championship, the Pittsburgh Steelers played the Oakland Raiders in single-digit temperatures with a chill in the negatives. The Cinncinnati Bengals beat San Diego in 1981 for the AFC Championship when temperatures were at -9 and a wind chill of -59.
That’s crazy!
This isn’t the United States Postal Service, through rain, sleet and snow. This is the National Football League. I know they play all games unless there’s lightning, but temperatures and wind chills in the negative are another story.
Some of the Packers are even going sleeveless for the game. What are they? Ironmen?
It’s just too cold. As much as I love football and as much as I love the New York Giants, I guess I don’t love them that much if I wouldn’t go out and sit in the freezing cold. I moved away from the cold, and I’d kind of like to keep it that way.
So today, when the Packers and Giants kickoff at 1:30 p.m. HST, I’ll be cuddled up on the couch, nice and warm and shaking my head at all the dedicated fans who turned out for the game.
I applaud their loyalty for going and cheering on the team, but I don’t think I’ll be emulating them any time soon.
