Just Fly Me in for Games

I will not be attending Bears summer camp practice in Bourbonnais, Illinois. I am not against the idea of watching a football practice. In fact, I do it all the time. I will not be a party to a circus, however. Remember the scene in Rocky 3 when Sly trains for his first fight with Clubber Lang (Mr. T) in the ballroom of a swanky hotel? Well, that's the Bears camp in Bourbonnais. I have seen the photos, too many people and too many distractions. I will quote Mickey to Lovie and Bears management. "Let's get outta here and go back to the old gym, and really work."

The "old gym" was Platteville, Wisconsin. Far away and not very fan friendly. A great place to get some work done. That is the purpose of a camp. Build some camaraderie, bust some asses and sort out the players from the arena-leaguers. I have been to Platteville, and it was all football. The move back toward Chicago was for money. That's all it could be for. In Platteville, you watched practice in the early a.m. Then, you left campus for lunch in town, which was neat. They had a great little main street, and the locals loved having you there. After lunch, you went back for another practice. If you stayed over night, you could probably catch a beer with a player at one of the local bars. Good Times.

Now they have a Fan Experience area and all kinds of nonsense. You can't bring a grill or a cooler. You have to spend your dough inside the gates. Bad Times. They should go back to Wisconsin and get serious about football. Screw the fans. If you love the Bears, you would take a drive up there.

Besides, you saw what Rocky did to Clubber after he went slummin' at Apollo Creed's gym. That is what the Bears should be doing. After all, movies imitate real life, right?