ST. PAUL — I was walking through Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Sunday morning on my way home from covering the Bulldogs men’s hockey team at Colorado College, when another traveler looks my way and says, “you’re deep behind enemy lines today.”
Huh? Was that meant for me?
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It took me about a half second, but then I remembered I had put on a Green Bay Packers zip-up hoodie, T-shirt and dad cap before I left Colorado Springs for the Denver airport at 2:30 a.m. MST Sunday.
It’s not what I usually wear when flying — I try for a comfy business casual when I’m in the air for work — but the Packers were hosting the Minnesota Vikings on this very Sunday at Lambeau Field. So like Aaron Rodgers with every play that’s ever radioed his way, I called an audible.
In some places, you’d think twice about wearing opposing colors on gameday, but as a native Cheesehead, I’ve never once felt like I was living “deep behind enemy lines” as a Packers fan in the state of Minnesota.
NFL: Green Bay Packers at Pittsburgh Steelers
Recording artist Bret Michaels poses with Green Bay Packers fans before the Pittsburgh Steelers host the Green Bay Packers on Oct. 26 at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh.
Charles LeClaire / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
It helps to be right across the border from Wisconsin in the Duluth area, where plenty of Packers fans can be found. But I’ve also found myself surrounded by Packers fans in the Twin Cities — the literal home of the Vikings — as it’s an area that many Wisconsinites end up moving to, as well.
When I’m in Rochester at Mayo Clinic visiting my cardiologist, I’m guaranteed to again run into Packers fans and get a “Go Pack Go” from someone if I’m in green and gold.
This past weekend in Colorado Springs — what one would consider the heart of Denver Broncos country — I ran into a Packers fan who had recently attended her first game at Lambeau Field. An employee at the store, she was excited to share her experience with someone who had also been there.
NFL: Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packer fans celebrate an interception with the defense during the second half against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Kayla Wolf / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
I ran that fellow Packers fan — an employee at the store — in the Packers apparel section. Yeah, they have actual Packers sections in sporting goods stores in Colorado (as well as Chiefs/Travis Kelce sections) and for good reason.
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The truth is, it’s rare for a Packers fan to ever find one’s self in “enemy territory” wearing green and gold. Yeah, a Packers fan at the Vikings’ U.S. Bank Stadium or the Chicago Bears’ Soldier Field could say they’re in enemy territory, but not deep.
Chances are, there are thousands of of Packers fans there with you.
NFL: Berlin Game-Atlanta Falcons at Indianapolis Colts
A Green Bay Packers fan with a Cheesehead poses during the NFL Berlin Game between the Indianapolis Colts and Atlanta Falcons at Olympic Stadium on Nov. 9 in Berlin, Germany.
Kirby Lee / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Matt Wellens
By Matt Wellens
Co-host of the Bulldog Insider Podcast and college hockey reporter for the Duluth News Tribune covering the Minnesota Duluth men's and women's hockey programs.