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At the Intersection of Sports and Culture

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The “Bad Weather is Good For TV Ratings” Week 16 NFL Power Poll

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The Minnesota Vikings should play all of their home games outdoors. An outdoor NFL stadium in the Twin Cities would have provide serious home field advantages.  I bet if you polled Viking fans they would tell you the same thing.  The problem for Minnesota is, who’s going to pay for the new stadium? The state is facing an enormous amount of debt, which makes public financing basically out of the question.  This is why I have said that the Vikings are a prime candidate to relocate.  Sorry Minnesota, if a new stadium isn’t built I fear that your team could be headed out to the West Coast. Other potential candidates for relocation include Jacksonville, Oakland, and San Diego.

For now, here’s my Week 16 NFL Power Poll

1. New England Patriots (12-2): John Kuhn is going to give me nightmares for weeks.

2. Atlanta Falcons (12-2): What are the chances that Atlanta ends up hosting Michael Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game?

3. Baltimore Ravens (10-4): My wife’s new favorite movie is The Blindside, which means she is now obligated to now root for Michael Oher and the Ravens.

4. Philadelphia Eagles (10-4): Think the City of Brotherly Love has yet to fully embrace Vick? Check out this video from the Sixers/Lakers game last week.

5. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-4): Their chance are totally contingent on the health of Troy Polamalu. Without him, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them exit the playoffs early.

6. New Orleans Saints (10-4): Feel like I haven’t heard/seen much of this team since their Thanksgiving Day victory in Dallas.  I’m picking them to beat the Falcons next weekend in Atlanta.

7. San Diego Chargers (8-6): Chargers should be forced by league rule to wear their powder blue uniforms at home AND on the road.

8. Chicago Bears (10-4): Game on the line. Who would you rather punt to? DeSean Jackson or Devin Hester?

9. New York Jets (10-4): New York sports radio has a quintessential love/hate relationship with Rex Ryan and the Jets. All except for Mike Francesa who pretty much just dislikes everything about the J-E-T-S.

10. Green Bay Packers (8-6): Tell me again why the Packers didn’t feature John Kuhn on their last drive of the game?  Patriots had no answer for him.

Share your views.

Soldier Field Turns Into a Real Life Snow Globe

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As a Patriot fan, I couldn’t ask for much more. New England goes to Chicago and destroys the NFC North leading Bears 36-7 while back east, Miami surprises the Jets by a final score of 10-6.  The Pats have now clinched an AFC playoff berth and lead the AFC East by two with only three games remaining in the regular season.

Watching the blizzard unfold in Soldier Field today was a lot like flying through space on the Millennium Falcon.  (Star Wars note: I always wondered how it was possible that they never crashed into a planet or star while in hyperdrive.) This view comes from Laura, a Patriot fan who flew out to Chicago for the game and will not by traveling home disappointed. Different story for my wife’s family, who are from Chicago and have supported the Bears since before George Halas.

So Chicago, Bears still the favorites to win the NFC North or is today a harbinger for things to come? Share your views.

NFL Thursday Night: Maybe It’s a Miami Thing

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Yesterday, I gave a view from the Heat/Suns game and wrote about how the fans in Miami do not support their basketball team like they should .  Last night, during the Dolphins Thursday Night Football game against the Bears, things became clearer to me.  Maybe it’s a Miami thing.

During the the second half of Chicago’s convincing 16-0 win over Miami, it became clear to TV viewers that Bears supporters in Sun Life Stadium were the much more vocal group.  This could have been a product of the game itself.  The Dolphins looked lost on offense and eventually wore down on defense.  The Bears were solid on both sides of the ball, especially on defense, where they sacked a hapless Tyler Thigpen 6 times. So Chicago did have much more to cheer about during the game.

However, why were there so many Bears fans in the stadium to begin with? Did a lot of Midwesterners travel down to South Florida for an early Thanksgiving break?  Are the Chicago Bears truly one of “America’s Teams” with a national fanbase?  Or, like with the Heat, do people in Miami have priorities that prevent them from supporting the Dolphins?

Share your views.