No Pack NO?
There are some students and alumni from UWGB who do not worship the Green and Gold… Does that change their college experience in Titletown?
The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay doesn’t have a football team of its own, but does boast a close relationship and partnership with the Green Bay Packers. The spirit of the Packers became present throughout the halls immediately following week one of the season. The proximity to Lambeau Field draws many students to attend UWGB, but there are some who think differently of the Packers.
Azure Hall is a 22-year-old Theatre/COMM major. A rarity in a football city like Green Bay, Hall is indifferent to the Packers, and football in general. What comes with a football centered environment comes a specific atmosphere. Hall says that she, “doesn’t know if the atmosphere changes” but that she definitely hears many people talking about it. She says that win or lose, the conversations around campus do not really affect her because she “doesn’t care either way.”
“We cheer for the team we cheer for.”
Although she is not a football fanatic, she still knows how to show team spirit. “I’m a cheerleading coach, so I cheer for the team we cheer for.” Hall’s fanship is not limited to just one team, so even though she might not show as much interest in football as the rest of the community, she still knows how to cheer just as hard as the rest of the fanbase.
Devin Gardapee is a 24-year-old alumni from UWGB. Although he grew up just 75 miles south of Lambeau Field in Plymouth, Wisconsin, the team he roots for is the Detroit Lions. WHAT? “My dad is from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and is a Lions fan.”
Despite being a Lions fan, Gardapee attended UWGB because he fell in love with the campus and it was close to home. Walking around campus in team apparel that doesn’t favor Wisconsin seems like a bold thing to do but surprisingly, he never felt out of place because of it. “I didn’t feel un-welcomed in any way,” he said. “I wore my Lions clothes around campus many times and only got the occasional good-natured ribbing from my friends who knew me.”
All of my Friends are Cowboys
Friendships, luckily, aren’t affected by Gardapee’s taste in teams. “Most of my friends are Packer fans,” he said, “but it does not create a rivalry except for two days a year when they play each other. They are also very accepting of who I cheer for, or at least they make it seem like they are okay with it.” The Lions fan knows that most Packer fans are super nice, but he does run into an obnoxious fan occasionally.
The hardest part about growing up a Lions fan in Wisconsin is that they aren’t always on TV. When the Packers play, they take precedence on the local channels making it hard for Gardapee, and other non-Packer fans, to support their teams. His friends also only watch the Lions game with him only if the Packers aren’t playing, which he said hardly happens, unless the Lions game is on primetime, or if the Packers and Lions play on different days.
Though he is a die-hard Lions fan, the UWGB alum has no problem supporting the teams of his home state. He never roots against the Packers, unless a loss benefits the Lions. When he isn’t cheering on the Lions, he is rooting for the Badgers, the Bucks and the Brewers.
The culture at UWGB is a perfect representation of how fans of other teams may not fully support the Pack, but still find themselves shouting “GO PACK GO!”
The Extra Point roster includes: Jenelle Mackie, Kate Kraemer, Audrey Schneider and Elisa Vohen
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After yesterday: NO TY NO!