The title of this article is actually toward the bottom. I want Alan to remember this come February when the Green Bay Packers are sitting on their couches watching the Chicago Bears in the playoffs. But I digress. I think a few words about the NFL are in order first.

There’s a lot about today’s NFL that makes you shake your head. Between sky-high player contracts, billionaire owners squeezing every last dollar with expanded schedules, and the absurd price of tickets, parking, and even a lukewarm hot dog, it’s not hard to see why many fans feel disillusioned. In cities like Chicago, where you’re often watching a late-season game wrapped in three layers, questioning your life choices while the wind off Lake Michigan freezes your eyelids shut, you have to wonder: why do we keep showing up?

And yet—we do. We show up because football, especially Bears football, isn’t just a sport. It’s a ritual. It’s generational. It’s me yelling at the TV on Sundays and telling stories about Ditka like he was Zeus, and your buddies debating whether this is finally the year we fix the quarterback problem. It’s that rare moment of raw, unscripted emotion in a world that’s becoming increasingly filtered, polished, and performative. The game still has a pulse that no boardroom decision, marketing campaign, or political statement can sterilize.

Yes, the NFL has leaned hard into certain cultural trends—what some might call “wokeness”—and that’s not always easy to reconcile. At times, it feels like the soul of the sport is being repackaged, sanitized, or over-corrected. But somewhere underneath all that is still a game built on grit, pain, toughness, and strategy—the kind of thing that speaks to something primal in us. And when it’s fourth and goal at Soldier Field, and the defense is standing tall against the wind, politics and price tags don’t matter. You stand. You cheer. You believe.

Because despite all the nonsense, the Bears are still our team. The NFL is still our game. And no matter how far it drifts, we’re going to be right here—cold, frustrated, wallet lighter than it should be—but loyal. Always loyal. Bear down.

“Called It.”
Chicago Bears – 2025 NFC North Champs

Listen, I tried to warn you. Back in the off-season, when the haters laughed at the idea of the Bears doing anything but rebuilding (again), I said watch out. New quarterback. Revamped defense. An offensive line that could finally protect someone. And that WR corps? Filthy.

Everyone laughed when I said the Bears would win the NFC North this year. “The Lions are too strong.” “Green Bay’s got another Favre/Rodgers clone.” “Minnesota has weapons.” Blah blah blah. Guess what? The Bears ran the North.

All those doubters? Quiet now. That Week 12 win over Detroit? Chef’s kiss. The Lambeau beat-down? Historic. And while the analysts scrambled to update their “Power Rankings,” Bears Nation just nodded. We knew. We called it.

So to all the couch GMs, rival fans, and Twitter trolls — grab a plate. There’s plenty of crow to go around.

And for the real ones?
This is just the beginning.