Some Port Washington, Saukville Residents Call Themselves Bears Fans

Ever had the desire to dance in the streets of downtown Port Washington? Do you have a hankering to ride a sleigh down Highway 33 in Saukville? 

The Sunday game between the Bears and Packers for the NFC Championship at Soldier Field in Chicago has garnered so much attention, it might be one of the most opportune times to try.

With a 2 p.m. kickoff, Packers and Bears fans alike will be taking their seats in hopes of a win from their coinciding teams.

To say it’s a game with arch rivals is the understatement of the decade. There is some major animosity between these two teams, like the Hatfield’s and McCoy’s, only worse.

As antagonizing as it may be, there are actually Chicago Bear fans living in our midst, right here in Saukville and Port Washington. Not just passing through, but spending time with us cheeseheads day-to-day.

The Sullivan family of Saukville has two favorite football teams — the Bears, and anybody playing the Packers.

“My son Riley is a huge Bears fan,” said Mike Sullivan. “He also likes the Cowboys, but I don’t know where he got that one.”

Mike Sullivan was born and raised in Crystal Lake, Ill., so he can’t be blamed for being born into a Bear mentality, however misguided.

“I watched them all the time on television when I was in junior high,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan worked with Midwest Airlines as a mechanic for many years and said there was a lot of good-natured ribbing from his co-workers about his preference for the Bears.

“We had a lot of fun — maybe me more than them,” Sullivan laughed.

While he hasn’t been to Lambeau, (nor does he show any indication he wants to), Sullivan has seen the Bears play the Packers on two occasions.

“I saw them meet once at Soldier Field,” Sullivan said. “Then one more time in Champaign, Ill., when Soldier Field was being renovated.”

On game day you can probably find Mike, his wife Trina, son Riley and daughters Mikayla and McKenzie enjoying a football game — and if the Bears are on, that’s the game that will be on in the Sullivan household. 

“Not a doubt,” Sullivan said. “If there’s a choice, it’s the Bears game.”

Mike owns Bears hats and a ton of Bears T-shirts.

“Riley’s grandparents gave him a Jay Cutler jersey for Christmas,” he said. “He wears it a lot.”

Sullivan also thinks Sunday’s game has more significance than the Super Bowl. 

“I don’t think the next game (Super Bowl) will be as emotional,” he said.

Sullivan picks the Bears to win by 7 points, and looks forward to the win.

“I’ll be so happy,” he said. “I won’t have to hear about the Packers, see the flags, hear about them on the news.” 

Another Chicago transplant is Bernie Ortiz who lives in Saukville and works at Charter Steel. He takes a lot of heat for his allegiance to the Bears.

“I was at Soldier Field for the first meeting between the two teams last fall,” Ortiz said. “For whatever reason I felt these teams were going to meet three times this year. Twice during the regular season, then the playoffs.”

While he doesn’t admit to being clairvoyant, that’s a startling and accurate prognostication of which Nostradamus would have been proud.

Ortiz has lived in Saukville for 20 years and his love for the Bears hasn’t tarnished.

“I’ve rooted for the Bears since 1973,” Ortiz said. He grew up on the south side of Chicago, but was a Cubs fan.

“I think it was because of the uniforms,” he said.

He owns Bears hats, shirts and other team related accessories.

“Once a Bear fan, always a Bear fan,” said Ortiz. “My son, who lives in Chicago, is obviously a Bear fan.”

At Charter Steel, Ortiz says he’s been catching heat for being a Bears fan for many years.

“It’s good natured for the most part,” he said. “I give as good as I get, there’s a lot of back and forth razzing. But I am outnumbered in a big way. There’s one other guy I work with who is a Bear fan, so that helps a little.”

If his game prediction is as strong as his ‘seeing’ a third game between the two teams, the Bears should win by a small margin.

“The field is going to be rough,” Ortiz said. “It’s a mess. The city owns the field, not the team.

“I think the field will slow the Packers down quite a bit. I have a lot of respect for the Packers overcoming injuries. They’re peaking at the right time.”

Scott Burich owns Sign of the Times in Port Washington, and he’s a devout Bear fan.

“I look at it this way,” Burich said. “No matter who wins, it’s still going to be the game of the century. It’s going to be better than the SuperBowl.”

Burich is originally from Lockport, Ill., so he comes by his Bears roots honestly, as well.

“I don’t let everybody know,” he said. “I was down at Schooner’s in town the other day and people wondered why I was watching the Bear game. They told me it was the next game that was important."

But Burich may perhaps be used to hiding his affection for his Chicago team.

“My girlfriend is a Packer fan,” Burich confesses. “I have a lot of respect for this current team. I think it’s going to be a close one. I’d say Packers by 3 points.”