There is an interesting controversy brewing in Chicago that few folks outside of the Windy City or perhaps Green Bay would understand. Like most of my family and friends in Chicago, I was shocked recently to see former Bears coach Mike Ditka putting on a Packers sweater to get free French fries for four whole weekends. Of course, Ditka was not doing it for French fries but another cash in on his relationship with the Chicago Bears. The problem is that there are some things that a Bears coach is never expected to do. There is the killing of a child. Then there is the bombing of a place of worship. And finally there is wearing a Packers sweater. To make matters worse, Ditka’s number was just retired and he has been honored repeatedly by fans. He is even put on television despite being truly dreadful in any conversational setting beyond monosyllabic responses. Ditka says that he has no problem is donning a Packers sweater if it will get him fries. That is hard to swallow for fans that have stuck with the team through both good and bad seasons. Making it worse is Ditka’s later response to the outcry where he seemed to blame the Bears for not getting him sufficient love. So, Ditka is dead to me. Enjoy the fries.
Look, I actually love Packers fans and admire the team. The fans in both cities are actually very similar in many respects and have enjoyed the long-standing rivalry. (Indeed, the Turleys have even inter-married with Cheeseheads). However, there are certain things one does not do with football’s oldest rivalry. This is one of them. Ditka’s desire to grab a few more bucks does not sit will with many of us, particularly with the Bears struggled to rebuild after a disastrous period. I would understand Packers fans feeling the same way about McCarthy donning a Bears sweater. These guys have made millions of their teams. All that is requested is that they forego a few more bucks by insulting the fans that made them.
Ditka responded to the controversy with the same unintelligible babble that has become a virtual signature for his post-NFL career. He told the Sun Times: “I had no problem at all putting it on. It’s a commercial. I thought it was kinda funny and and kinda cute. Frankly, if people were offended by that, then get a life. Com’n. It’s no big deal.” Chicago fans understand that it is just a commercial. We understand this is just a guy who cannot resist grabbing any dollar at any cost of personal or team pride. Of course it is not a big deal to Dikta. I expect there are folks in Minneapolis debating what he would charge to don a Minnesota Vikings thong and prance around the U.S. Bank Stadium.
What is even weirder is Ditka’s suggestion that he is only striking back out of a sense of abandonment. In a statement that sounds like my mother didn’t hug me enough, Ditka insisted:
“I would say that I’ve honestly been more loyal to the Bears than they’ve been to me, so I don’t think I have to apologize to anybody if I dress up in a Packers sweater or Detroit Lions sweater or Minnesota Vikings sweater. I will not apologize to anyone for that. I think when you look at loyalty, it’s a two-way street,” Ditka added. “But this had nothing to do with anything. It’s a commercial. They came to me and said will you make the commercial, will you do it this way.”
Come again? They just honored you with a huge celebration and retired your damn number. People treat Ditka like a king in Chicago. Yet, Ditka comes across as a pouting child caught stealing cookies and blaming it on the lack of loving from his parents. Give me a break.
So Ditka is dead to me. He can just as well take his new wardrobe to Green Bay and have all of the fries that he can enjoy with his Cheesehead fry-cook overlords.
God is dead.
I agree even though last season, after 50+ seasons as a Bears fan, I gave up on them after two games in a row where they gave up 50+ points. I am now a (lukewarm, I admit) Seahawks fan. But never would I wear a Packers jersey. Ditka? More or less treason.
“Ditka” translated into English does not need much translation. Full of juice, ready for use and don’t let your meat loaf.
Is there any “life” after da Bears?
Wait until the Bears move to another town Maybe L. A, with the Chargers, Raiders and Rams, Who wants them nothing but a bunch of carpetbaggers taking what they can get, playing one town against the other
FIFA. ‘Nuff said!!
It’s only football, nothing but a circus. With the circus, come clowns. Get a life.
Modern, There are some conspiracy theorists over on the Trump thread. One could be fashion a conspiracy theory that the McCaskeys are really Packer fans. Only a Packer fan would have gone all in on Jay Cutler.
May he rest in peace….
Nick: I call all Yorkies: Damn Yankees. But it is a stretch to call a Met or a Mets fan a damn Yankee. People will think that KC played the friggin Yankees. And Friggin Yankees is the correct term.
Dyczko made the playoffs 7 of the 10 years he was in charge of DaBehrs and had an overall .630 winning percentage during his tenure. During that period, he pretty much owned the old NFC Central, much to the chagrin of me and my fellow Green Bay Packer owners.
The McCaskeys are consistently voted and thought of among the Top 3 Worst Owners in the NFL and letting him go after so much success was a typical McCaskey move. In the 22 seasons since his departure, DaBehrs have made the playoffs 5 times. 7 of 10 or 5 of 22, you make the call.
Of course, Green Bay Packer fans love that he’s gone and thank the McCaskeys and DaBehrs’ administration for their consistency in making managerial blunders and bad player/personnel decisions. In fact, we’re working hard to ensure Jay Cutler gets the “franchise player” tag as soon as possible.
We didn’t like “Iron Mike”, but we respected him, probably more than the city of Chicago ever has. It’s no wonder he’s come over from the dark side.
Geez Turley, are you really that childish?
So, the Thanksgiving invitation to Ditka is cancelled?
The man has always been a curmudgeon. He’s 76 years old. Like many conditions, being a curmudgeon is a progressive disease. “Coach Dicka” which is how it’s pronounced phonetically, has said he missed an opportunity to keep Obama from being President. Back in 2004 “The Coach” flirted w/ the idea of running against Obama for the Illinois US Senate seat. Of all the former athletes who have owned restaurants, the coach has a very good restaurant just off the Gold Coast that has done well for decades. Ironically, another western PA. guy of Eastern European descent, Stan Musial, had a very good, long standing, restaurant in St. Louis. Ditka’s Restaurant is famous for its pork chop, and it is superb.
JT is spot on about the Bear/Packer rivalry. I’ve not been to a Bear/Packer game @ Soldier Field, but I’ve been to several @ Lambeau. Having grown up in the Northeast, attending sporting events in Boston, NYC, and Philly, the fans are nasty, particularly in Philly. There are fights all the time. When I moved to the KC, I fell in love w/ the Royals. And, as heated as the rivalry was in postseason play w/ the Damn Yankees, it was always civil.
Can’t really blame him. The most exciting thing to happen at soldier field in the past 5-10 years is the announcement about the Lucas museum.
Are Johnsonville Brats next? A Viking thong would bother me so much more, at least the Packers are owned by the public – socialists – and besides, Bret Favre did worse.
This reminded me when the city gave Solti the space where Beethoven used to be – someone stole the bust of Ludwig one dark and snowy night, or day, in Grant Park and no one noticed for at least a year that it was gone – when someone finally figured it out and asked the city decided to replace it with a bust of Sir George, he basically said, ‘It’s about time!’ He never felt appreciated enough by the people of Chicago either. Course he did consider himself to be the worlds greatest conductor, maybe even the last.
Is this some kind of in-joke, or is this blogger exhibiting a genuine case of sport-derived insanity?
That is a rather childish thing to rant about…
And still he lives…. what levels of sophontry man can rise to
Da Bum