Two of the NFL’s greatest rivals are going head to head Sunday, just in case you have not heard.

The Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers will play and the winner will go on to the Super Bowl XLV in Dallas. These two teams have one of football’s greatest rivalries and will showcase yet another chapter to the world Sunday. This game is the quintessential definition of the “Big Game.”

The two teams have been rivals since 1921, they have played each other in more than 180 regular season games and have only met in the playoffs once before, nearly 70 years ago. The rivalry between the teams and their fans is further intensified by the meaning of the game at hand.

The game determines who will go to the Super Bowl, but more importantly because of the passion involved, this game is promising to be as big as the Super Bowl itself.

The winner also gets all-important bragging rights over the loser. Even if the winning team goes on to lose the Super Bowl, they can still say they beat their biggest rival in the NFC Championship for years to come.

That Chicago and Green Bay are a mere three-hour drive away from each other and the two teams are from border states only further adds to the rivalry. Chicago is the third largest city in America, while Green Bay is the smallest city to own a NFL franchise. The little town vs. big city mentality will also be tied into the game as the hours tick toward kickoff on Sunday.

The team’s historic identities are both similar. Both teams have had legendary coaches with the Packers having Vince Lombardi and the Bears having had George Halas.

The teams differ when it comes to what they are known for around the country. The Bears are known for having great defenses and running backs. The Packers have had great quarterbacks and many NFL championships giving Green Bay the nickname “Title Town.”

All these pieces add up to a sports advertiser’s dream come true. Fox Sports’ wish has come true with so many promo points with which to market this game to sports fans. This could be the most watched NFC Championship game Fox has ever broadcast.

There is so much hype heading up to game time that it is almost a carnival-like atmosphere among fans. This game on Sunday rises to this almost iconic level since this is the NFL’s largest rivals putting it all on the line to go on to win the NFL top prize.

Most importantly this is just a game, and games were meant to be fun. So sit back and relax, good luck to both, and may the best team win.

Steven Puschman is a sophomore journalism major. She can be reached at 581-7942 or at [email protected].