Each Bears and Payments followers had been hustling — as finest as they might on slushy, slippery walkways —away from Soldier Discipline Saturday afternoon after the fifth-coldest home Bears game ever kicked off with temps at 9 degrees.
The Payments earned a 35-13 victory that marked the Bears’ eighth straight loss, however there was no scarcity of followers despite the frigid temperatures and sub-zero wind chills.
Brent Tamamoto, a longtime Payments fan, attended his first NFL recreation ever Saturday at Soldier Discipline along with his spouse, Sheri, and two sons, Dylan, 14, and Wyatt, 16. He stated he was there to see the Payments clinch the AFC East.
“It was freezing, but it surely was enjoyable,” Tamamoto stated. “We had fun. The Bears followers had been nice. They had been very respectful and courteous.”
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The Tamamoto household traveled to Chicago from Hawaii, arriving simply after kickoff after their flight was delayed. They plan to stay across the metropolis till New Yr’s Eve, they stated.
Dylan and Wyatt each agreed that whereas not essentially followers of the winter climate or the Payments simply but, going to the sport within the chilly was a “good expertise” and one thing they might do once more so long as their dad was there, too.
When requested why the household left Hawaii to have a good time within the Windy Metropolis, Brent Tamamoto’s response was, “Why not? It’s a white Christmas!”
Harman Sanchez purchased tickets to the sport final minute when the costs dropped dramatically as a result of winter storm. He and his son, Diego, are Bears’ followers from the North Aspect of Chicago, and Diego stated they “wished to attempt a chilly recreation.”
“I’m used to it, so it was no large deal,” Sanchez stated. “I used to work outdoors.”
“I’m going to high school in Wisconsin, so that is just about the common climate there,” Diego Sanchez stated.
Each father and son stated they might tackle a chilly recreation once more sooner or later.
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Leslie Garcia stated her dad Enrique bought recreation tickets as a Christmas present from his boss, so she determined to go to the sport with him as a result of she had by no means been to at least one earlier than. Garcia and her dad are from the suburbs of Chicago, and he or she stated her dad is a giant Bears fan whereas she doesn’t know a lot about them however wished to tag alongside anyway.
She stated she “grew up within the chilly” however stated the heated areas contained in the stadium had been a assist.
“I used to be fairly layered,” she stated. “I’ve bought two pairs of socks, winter boots, three pairs of pants, two undershirts and a jacket, gloves, every part. I attempted to only keep as heat as attainable. If I used to be feeling actually chilly, I’d simply go in and heat up.”
Medical groups and stadium employees had been on the prepared after the final two days of bitter chilly and harsh winds weren’t sufficient to maintain followers away.
Soldier Discipline had medical groups all through the stadium and a number of other therapy areas for attendees to be checked in, in accordance with director of sponsorship and media Luca Serra. Moreover, there have been two warming areas for people who didn’t have membership seats.
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Serra stated after the sport Saturday the medical groups reported no weather-related medical points through the recreation that required transport to any hospitals.
Amongst different measures, followers had been prohibited from utilizing tents, flags, fireplace pits, deep fryers, open flames, infrared panels or propane heaters whereas tailgating within the tons. They had been additionally discouraged from bringing cardboard to sit down or stand on through the recreation.
