Atlanta did Bears fans a major solid when it upended Green Bay in the NFC championship game. That fact alone is enough to convince many Chicago fans to back the Falcons in Super Bowl LI. However, if a stronger brand of persuasion is necessary, I am happy to oblige.
They’ve got speed
Fast don’t lie, and the Falcons defense (ahem, that unit isn’t anywhere near the spotlight this week) counts speed as its greatest advantage. You know, kind of like how the Bears defense swarmed opposing offenses relentlessly when they had Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, Charles Tillman and other playmakers on their roster.
Although the Falcons don’t have the same reputation for causing chaos and turnovers as those Bears teams, their speed will make Chicago fans a bit jealous.
They’ve got game
The Falcons have not one, not two, but three pingpong tables at their training facility in the Atlanta suburbs. That ups their cool rating several notches in my book, because pingpong is awesome. They’ve also used the recreation time as a reason to, you know, actually talk to one another once in a while.
“We’re not as connected as we could be, so that was just one more avenue for our team to see how close we could get,” Falcons coach Dan Quinn told The Associated Press. “Is this a collegiate environment? I think it’s way deeper than that. This is a brotherhood that’s connected not just personally, but they’re also connected professionally.”
They’re the underdogs
And not just in the Las Vegas sense, though the Patriots are favored by about a field goal by most oddsmakers.
For everyone who’s not already a fan of the Patriots, ask yourself: Do you really want to be the kind of person who roots for the earthquake/tornado/blizzard in the disaster movie? It’s one thing to be impressed by the awesome power of New England, which it has used to repeatedly humble the rest of the NFL. The way they churn out victories deserves praise. But does that mean you’ll feel good about rooting for the Patriots on Sunday? Nope.
Fans of pro sports in Atlanta often take heat because they don’t tend to show up. Sometimes it’s hard to argue that point, including when Braves and Hawks attendance lags year after year.
Still, this is a city that, unlike the Boston metropolitan area, has little to hang its hat on. These fans last saw a pro sports title in 1995, when the Braves won the World Series. Would it be so bad if they got to experience what Cleveland fans celebrated when the Cavs won? No, no it wouldn’t.
@redeyesportschi | chsosa@redeyechicago.com
![Four years into cannabis legalization in Illinois, celebrations of the April 20 informal weed holiday known as 420 are getting bigger and more widespread. Named for the time of day a group of friends met to get high, 420 has become a chance for marijuana users to publicly share a previously illegal drug and the counter-cultural atmosphere surrounding it. The main event in downtown Chicago likely will be the second annual 420 Sesh Fest, at Green Rose Dispensary. The party will include live music, a magic show, carnival games, food trucks, pop ups, and product discounts. It also will feature Grammy-nominated […]](https://www.chicagotribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ctc-l-Illinois-marijuana_175925141.jpg?w=546 "Four years into cannabis legalization in Illinois, celebrations of the April 20 informal weed holiday known as 420 are getting bigger and more widespread. Named for the time of day a group of friends met to get high, 420 has become a chance for marijuana users to publicly share a previously illegal drug and the counter-cultural atmosphere surrounding it. The main event in downtown Chicago likely will be the second annual 420 Sesh Fest, at Green Rose Dispensary. The party will include live music, a magic show, carnival games, food trucks, pop ups, and product discounts. It also will feature Grammy-nominated […]")
