Football Wisdom

Watching the Green Bay Packers lose the NFC Championship game last night was a little heartbreaking for me, the passive fan. But my heartbreak was nothing compared to the sheer distress that was felt by my boyfriend, the die-hard fan. All season, I’ve watched him pummel coffee tables after dropped passes, shout obscenities after blown plays, and rant for days-on-end about missed opportunities, poor play calling, and terrible execution.

Despite all his disappointment when his team lets him down, he rarely misses a game, proudly sports his green and gold even on non-game days, and professes his love for Brett Favre until he’s all but blue in the face. For him, the bad games are brutal, but they’ll never offset the memories and experiences he associates with his beloved team and those are what keep him saying “Maybe next game,” and watching week after week. In a sense, my boyfriend is the perfect customer for the Packers because he remains true to the brand despite the occasional disappointment.

Wouldn’t it be great if all our customers were this way? Football shows us that they can be. Give them enough positive experiences and memories and they’ll be unlikely to leave you when a slip-up happens. Since it’s really hard to be perfect all the time, this is definitely something to think about.