Super Bowl Champions

Courtesy Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Super Bowl - Game Day

After two weeks of hype, the NFL's big game has finally arrived. Fox Sports has their cameras and crew in place and game time is a few hours away. For the first time in post-season history, the Green Bay Packers take on the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Price of the Super Bowl

When Pittsburgh and Green Bay take the field for Super Bowl XLV Sunday, over 100,000 are expected in Cowboys Stadium as well as a standing room only crowd outside the view of the field. Those inside most likely paid more than the face value of $900 as the Super Bowl has a large re-sell market. Players and coaches are allowed to buy two tickets to the NFL's big game, and it is well-known that some of those choose to make a few dollars off that opportunity.

The last time the Packers won this title game, tickets went at face value for $375. That was 1996, and the price as escalated to $800 a year ago in Miami, and $900 for this year's tilt in Dallas.

With these prices, the NFL has out-priced the majority of their fan base. Imagine what $900 could pay for? And it isn't only $900, it is $1,800 as you can't just buy one at face value. The game before the Super Bowl - AFC & NFC Championship games - the face value for the game ticket is $146. How they decide upon $146 is beyond me, but a considerable amount less than the next game up. Aside from the entertainment value that comes with the Super Bowl, how can the NFL justify such a large price jump from one game in the playoff to the next?

Next year the game will be played in Indianapolis, but in 2014 the NFL looks to take their biggest game to the biggest stage, New York. Although the weather in Dallas this past week may be similar to what it could be in New York, at least this year's game as a roof to it. At the increasing cost, the 2014 fans may be paying $1,100 to sit in a cold wintry mix.

A Hawkeye in the Super Bowl

For the third year in a row, the Iowa Hawkeyes will have a representative in the Super Bowl. In 2011 Green Bay offensive lineman, Bryan Bulaga will be representing the black and gold.

Bulaga left Iowa with one remaining in his college career. There were skeptics, but Bulaga took advantage of being a potential first round pick and was picked up by Green Bay as the 23nd pick. A quarter of the way into the Packers' season, the rookie was called upon and began a start streak that will continue with Sunday's Super Bowl.

Bulaga hit gold quick. Many veterans of the NFL don't make it to the NFL's premiere game. Bulaga will be part of the starting OLine in the 45th version of the Super Bowl.

And while it has been quoted in the of the Chicago media, Bulaga didn't necessarily grow up in the suburbs as a fan of the Chicago Bears. But when Bryan was at Iowa, many of our conversations were devoted to baseball and his love for the White Sox.

Since he came from the north side, I assumed he would be found in the friendly confines on a beautiful sunny day. But he wasn't and we continued to find a bond in disliking each other's baseball teams. Typically I wouldn't care about what Ozzie and his squad would be doing, but I kept an eye on their box scores to ensure I was able to fully discuss baseball with him. Although I don't think he had time to follow the Cubs, he would remind me of how much US Cellular, the home of the White Sox, is better that the Cub's home at 1060 W. Addison. Of course he liked Sox manager, Ozzie Guillen while letting me know how much better he is than the Cubs' Lou Pinella.

Now a short year after playing his final college game at the Orange Bowl, Bulaga is preparing for what may be the biggest game of his career. Reaching the Super Bowl is a long, tough road which comes with no guarantees. Green Bay wide receiver, Donald Driver hasn't participated in a Super Bowl during his twelve year career, but the rookie from Iowa has reached it in his first year.

Super Bowl XLV

The Conference Championship games are over and the Pittsburgh Steelers will take on the Green Bay Packers for the title of World Champions for the 2010 NFL Season. It will be a match-up of two of the more storied franchises in professional football. The Steelers have six World Championships, all coming in the Super Bowl era. The majority of those titles were earned under Chuck Knoll in the 1970s. The "Steel Curtain" was the name for one of the toughest defenses in the history of the game. The most recent of championships came in 2005 and 2008, each with Ben Roethlisberger leading the team at quarterback.

The Green Bay Packers were in existence a year earlier than the NFL. The team is located in the smallest television market and is owned by the citizens of the city. In 1997 the team opened up the stocks to all of their fans for $200 a piece. It is the only major league franchise operated in this way. Green Bay has a record 12 World Championships including three Super Bowl victories. The Packers enter Super Bowl XLV after taking the NFC Conference Championship from long-time rival, the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.

This year's title game will be played for the first time at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. A crowd of 105,000 is expected on February 6th.

NFC Championship Game

 Two teams who have met each other on the field 128 times played for the first time in the post-season since 1941. The Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears have the longest running rivalry of any team in professional football, and the 129th meeting decided who would win the Halas Trophy (named after the one-time owner and coach of the Chicago Bears) and the right to play for the Lombardi Trophy (named for the head coach of the Green Bay Packers who won Super Bowls I & II). The road to Dallas and Super Bowl XLV went through Chicago's Soldier Field.

The weather in Chicago was typical for January. Lake effect snow greeted the early tailgaters, but the sun came out with clear skies and temperatures in the upper teens. Not only was the stadium's field prepared for the last game of the 2010 season, but sand and salt was sprinkled throughout the stands for fans. With this being the biggest game of the NFC schedule, the NFL on Fox crew took their show on the road. Personalities such as Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, Michael Strahan and Jimmy Johnson went live from Chicago an hour prior to kick off.

Aside from the rivalry of these two teams and their fan bases, the game featured one of the hottest offenses in the league taking on one of the leagues toughest defenses. Aaron Rodgers led the Packers a week before in a rout of the #1 seed Atlanta Falcons. However that game was inside, on turf and under controlled conditions. This week the defense was better than Atlanta's and the field conditions were questionable. The opening kick off provided some slipping and sliding and perhaps a pre-cursor to how the game would be played. The Chicago defense stepped up in the first meeting of the year by creating a turnover leading the winning touchdown. The second meeting in Green Bay was a defensive battle with the Packers taking the win allowing them this play-off run. These two units were definitely their respective strengths.

After an opening drive which culminated in a Rodgers keeper for seven, the Packers were also able to score seven more prior to the halftime break. Chicago's offense was sputtering with poor field position and struggled moving the ball. Bears' starting QB Jay Cutler, hurt himself in the second quarter and tried to make a go of it, but had to sit on the sidelines. After Michigan alum Todd Collins failed miserably, Chicago head coach, Lovie Smith turned to Colorado State alum, Caleb Hanie. Hanie provided a spark absent from the Bears all day and drove them on their first scoring drive of the day. However Hanie turned the ball over on an interception to B.J. Raji in the fourth quarter resulting in a touchdown. But the Bears rallied around their third-year QB. With Packer fans beginning to feel the Super Bowl with a 14 point lead with under ten minutes to go in the 4th qtr, Hanie led them on another drive cutting the deficit to 7.

The Packers were unable to seal the victory and gave the ball back to Chicago for one last opportunity to tie the game. But on the final drive, Hanie threw the ball to a Packer with less than a minute to go, giving the Packers the win, the trip to Dallas, and most importantly the Halas trophy. Due to an agreement between both teams, the Packers departed the Soldier Field sod for the warm locker room and the presentation of the Halas Trophy.

Packer fans were not ready to leave. Many stuck around waiting for the players to return. But the patience of the Green Bay fans were waning and they began to head to downtown bars to celebrate their first time to the Super Bowl under GM Ted Thompson. The Packers sealed up the first slot of the Super Bowl pairing, and the Pittsburgh Steelers won the second. The game will be played at Cowboys Stadium on February 6th with the view to the Texas skies closed.