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How did you become a fan?


Ed Hochuli 3:16

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I've noticed many of you guys are from places like Ireland, Sweden, Chile, Arizona, Los Angeles, etc.

 

I was just wondering you became Bears fans? Were you born here then moved due to money issues or a new job? Or was it a choice growing up to just pick a team and it happened to be the Bears?

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My family (both on my mom's and dad's side) immigrated to Chicago from Lithuania fleeing Stalin's regime during WWII. They moved to California right when I was born as my soc sec. card is from Ill. Spent many summers and a few cold winters with family in Chicago. So I always consider it my home away from home. I still have a few relatives, but a good handful of friends in the Chicago area. So the moment I started expressing love of football, my dad sat me down and had me watch Walter run... Sold ever since. I have tended to go back at least once a year to visit and try to catch a Bears game. Always iun the fall! I like to avoid winter and summer!

 

In LA, they had the Rams still and the Raiders in the early 80's. But I actually was raised in Ventura, CA, which is further north, but not far enough to be a SF fan... So I felt I was a bit in no man's land...thus, I adhered to my family's team. As did most of my freinds in the area. My dad went to college w/ Butkus and hung around in some of the same circles...and that's how he got into the Bears. Before that, his European background only had him a fan of basketball (as many may know of some of the success the Lithuanian national team has had in some of the Olympics) and soccer.

 

Thankfully, I only had to suffer about 6 years before the Bears started getting good in the early 80's! But, always having Walter made the pain far more bearable!

 

I've noticed many of you guys are from places like Ireland, Sweden, Chile, Arizona, Los Angeles, etc.

 

I was just wondering you became Bears fans? Were you born here then moved due to money issues or a new job? Or was it a choice growing up to just pick a team and it happened to be the Bears?

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Bears and Vikings played a preseason game in 87 here in Sweden. It was quite a big deal so even though I didn't attend the game I adopted a team to cheer for. Since most of my friends picked the Vikings (due to the Sweden-Vikings connection) I went the other way and picked the Bears. As a 10 year old boy I wasn't to fond of braids and purple...

 

That was my choice of team even though it took me more than 15 years before I started to follow the sport(and the Bears) on a regular basis. Due to bad TV coverage (you needed cable which I didn't have when I grew up) it was basically the super bowl I watched. Every now and then I checked the results for the Bears but nothing more than that for a long while.

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