“I think Bears fans think we care about them. That’s the problem,” said 24-year-old Green Bay Packers fan Jesse Ajao, who just so happens to be a born and bred Chicagoan. “We don’t circle the Bears on our schedule, I promise. Bears fans revolve everything around the Packers.”
He’s not wrong for feeling that way. In the last 30 games between the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers, a stretch dating back to 2011, Chicago is just 4-26. For younger fans like Ajao, the rivalry has rarely felt competitive. Think about former Bears QB Jay Cutler throwing an interception to Nick Collins, while driving for a game-tying score in Week 17, giving the Packers a spot in the 2010-11 playoffs. This paved the way for the Packers to beat the Bears in the NFC Championship, and then go on to win the Super Bowl.
Think about just two weeks ago, when Bears sophomore QB Caleb Williams threw that interception with 22 seconds left on the clock for another game-tying chance, losing 21-28 to the Packers. In these moments, every true Bears fan lets out a collective sigh knowing that they’d never hear the end of it from the cheeseheads in their life.
The 1985 Chicago Bears, and their 1986 Super Bowl win, are a distant memory, one that most in the millennial generation wasn’t even born in time to experience. Many younger Chicagoans came of age only knowing the Packers’ dominance, not the balance that once stood between the two. That 1985 season, the Bears beat the Packers twice.
But that doesn’t stop Bears fans from labeling that special brand of Chicago cheeseheads the ultimate traitors.
“It begs the question: why?” Bears vice president and board member Brian McCaskey said in a phone interview with The TRiiBE. He is the grandson of Bears founder and owner George Halas. “Born and raised in Chicago and cheering for a team from up north? It just doesn’t make sense to me. And I want to do everything I can to win them over.”
McCaskey spoke about the Bears’ previous stumbles through coaching staff changes and quarterbacks compared to Green Bay, which has moved from one winning franchise quarterback to another with Brett Favre (1992-2007), Aaron Rodgers (2005-2022) and now Jordan Love (2020-present). That has shaped how younger generations experienced the rivalry.
“The Packers have been very fortunate. They’ve had two quarterbacks back-to-back that are legit Hall of Famers. The Bears, in that same span of time, has had one quarterback, Sid Luckman, in the ‘40s when we dominated and we’re the Monsters of the Midway,” McCaskey said about Favre and Rodgers. “Quarterbacks are going to make or break a team in terms of long-term success, and Green Bay has been in that fortunate position.”
Now Chicago has a QB1 in Caleb Williams. The Bears are undergoing a culture reset under new Head Coach Ben Johnson. And the city is buzzing with excitement over this winning season; before today’s home game against the Packers, the Bears sit atop the NFC North with a 10-4 record.
But that’s not enough for some Chicagoans; the ones who still bleed green and gold. The three Black men we interviewed still choose the Packers. Read our interview with them below.
These interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity.
The TRiiBE: Do you remember the moment you became a Packers fan?
Jesse Ajao, 24, from Chicago’s North Side: Brett Favre was my favorite quarterback. Favre was my favorite NFL player, period. I just got attached to him. I used to have fun as a kid, seeing my people at home mad when the Bears would lose. Playing Madden 2005, I loved using the Packers by far.
Lonzo Williams 34, from Chicago’s West Side: The exact moment I became a Packers fan was with Aaron Rodgers. My little brother was the starting quarterback for his high school team, so when I watched Aaron Rodgers, I thought about how my little brother is a great quarterback, and that’s how he throws.
Allen Linton 36, from Chicago’s South Side: I was probably five or six years old. It was during a Bears vs. Packers game. My whole family are Bears fans, so they’d have people over to watch. My favorite color growing up — and still is — was green. I remember seeing a team on TV wearing green, with green in the name, and hearing everyone screaming. I thought they were cheering for the green team. Years later, I realized they were actually yelling for the Bears. But in my head, I was like, “Everyone’s excited for the green team. That’s my team.” And I haven’t looked back since.
What was your family’s reaction to you being a Packers fan?
JA: My pops was not playing that. Packers win, we’re not talking the rest of the day.
AL: My entire family are Bears fans. People would look at my parents and ask what was wrong with them for letting me wear green and gold at home. There was a lot of teasing and playful banter. The Packers have mostly been better than the Bears in my lifetime.The hardest stretch was 2006. That Bears Super Bowl run made being a Packers fan in my family especially rough.
LW: Let me tell you. Our whole building was full of Bears fans. From my dad down to my little brother, everyone cheered for the Bears. During rivalry games, I’d be the only one cheering for the Packers. Everyone would give me that look, the one that says, “You just did something wrong; just shut up.” Being the black sheep of the family, I always got a lot of satisfaction from it.
Have you ever gotten into a confrontation with a Bears fan?
AL: A couple weeks ago, I stopped by the Original House of Pancakes on 47th Street before a Bears–Packers game, wearing a Packers sweatshirt and hat. The server rolled her eyes and asked what I was doing there. Other diners chimed in, joking that the Bears were about to “give us that work.” It was all playful; the kind of banter that comes with the rivalry. Never anything hostile.
What do you think Bears fans get wrong about you as a Packers fan from Chicago?
JA: Bears fans think we care about them. That’s a problem. We don’t circle the Bears on our schedule. Bears fans revolve everything around the Packers. As soon as they beat the Cleveland Browns [31-3 on Dec. 14], I’m hearing people say that we’re gonna get you guys this [next] game. We’re the Bears fans’ Super Bowl every year. It’s not a rivalry, talent wise. It’s like a mind game.
AL: Because the Packers have been better overall than the Bears, people say “you’re not committed to the city, you just want to be with a winner.” And I’m like, nah, that’s not it.
There are some assumptions about Black Chicagoans being sellouts for rooting for Green Bay, a rural Wisconsin town where Black people make up 10 percent of the population. What’s your take on this?
JA: I think Green Bay for sure is a heavily white town. But when you travel, you see it’s a lot of Packers fans that’s Black, Asian, Hispanic, everything. I’m in Dallas now. I’ve seen all types of Packers fans, all different races.
LW: I don’t get involved in what happens in Wisconsin with race or anything like that; it’s just sports. It’s trash talk. I figure, if people are working for the man, why can’t I root for a team that’s in the same situation?
AL: As a Black Packers fan, I think one thing that’s made it a little easier is that Green Bay feels like more of a national team. Obviously, the whole league is national in terms of fans, but for such a small-town team, I can go places and see people repping Green Bay in many different cities. Because of that, my fandom is less about the city of Green Bay and more about the Packers themselves. Seeing so many different people supporting them has made it a lot easier to feel connected.
Is there anything that you respect about Bears fans, even a little bit?
JA: I respect the persistence. The Bears will know they’re not talented, but they’re still confident. Once they lost [28-21 against Green Bay on Dec. 7], they said, “We got you in two weeks.” I like hearing that.
AL: Bears fans are really committed to the franchise in a way that’s special. Look at how many franchises have struggled — Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins, the New York Jets — and their fans don’t show up the same way. Bears fans do. Even when the Minnesota Vikings put a dome on their stadium [in 1982] and Detroit Lions [put] a dome on theirs [in 1975], Soldier Field, on the lake [without a dome], fills up no matter the weather. You get big respect for showing up in November and December.
LW: I respect Bears fans.They’re some of the most loyal, passionate fans in sports. But here’s the thing: when their team is losing, it’s all, “Oh, [former Bears QB] Justin Fields sucks,” or “the Bears are so weak!” And when they win, it’s, “[Bears QB] Caleb Williams, you’re the best thing that ever happened to us!” I get it, but I feel like no matter what happens, win or lose, you should stand 10 toes down behind your team.
How are you feeling heading into Saturday’s game?
JA: Losing [Packers LB] Micah Parsons is big. I ain’t gonna lie. But, you know, before the season started, with or without Micah, we had high expectations.
AL: I’m going to say Green Bay wins 27–21.
LW: Somehow, we’re going to win this game. It’s going to come down to who wants it more, and I think we want it more. A lot of people expect us to lose because of Parsons [who suffered a torn left ACL against the Denver Broncos on Dec. 14] and a few other injuries, so it might come down to the last minute, maybe a game-winning field goal. I live by a saying I always use: “Jordan Love, in Love we trust, 10.” I’ll keep saying that until we beat the Bears, and then my legacy will live on.
Win or lose, what’s the text you’re sending or receiving after the game?
JA: If Bears hit first, my phone goes off. I leave group chats. I can’t do it. I’m one of those fans. Once it gets to halftime, I’ll come back, converse a little bit.
AL: The one text I’m most worried about getting is the “We’re gonna knock you out of the playoffs,” or the annoying “Bear Down” with a bear emoji. There’s also the “good, better, best” [mantra from Bears Coach Ben Johnson], and even the shirtless Ben Johnson clips.
LW: “I told you, man. I told you we were gonna get y’all.” My reply back to them is always the same, y’all gonna win one of these games. I always say that. I still give them props. That’s the thing I love about being a Packers fan from Chicago. I don’t hate the team; I just tease the fans.
