Kansas Snapshots by Gloria Freeland - August 23, 2024

Football - more than just a game

This is the tale of two cities separated by more than 3,600 miles and an ocean. One is in Wales and the other is in Wisconsin.

The former has about 45,000 people, began in the 11th century and was once notable for its leather, iron and coal works. The latter has about 106,000 citizens, came into being in the 17th century, first as a place of fur-trading and later as a paper-making center. Now, neither is known for these industries. Both play football, but no one would confuse the game each plays. The first calls the latter's sport "American football," and the latter refers to the former's game as "soccer."

However, one thing they have in common is the passion for "their" sport and "their" team and both have received a good deal of media attention because of it.

To us Americans, the name Green Bay is almost synonymous with the Packers, the third-oldest team in the National Football League and the only one of the older teams still based in its hometown. Wrexham (Wrecsam in Welsh) is the third-oldest professional team in the world and the oldest in Wales.

The two teams share another aspect. In the early 1950s, Fred C. Miller of the Miller Brewing Company began to financially help the Packers during a time of fiscal peril created by years of poor performance on the field. Today, the Miller company is the largest Packers stockholder. In 2020, the duo of U.S. actor Rob McElhenney and Canadian-American actor Ryan Reynolds bought the Wrexham Association Football Club, infusing money into the team founded in 1864 and rejuvenating the enthusiasm of the fan base.

I'm hardly a sports fan, much less a fanatic, but I love hearing the history and the behind-the-scenes stories and admiring the athletic skills involved. I would say daughter Mariya's and wife Miriam's interest is even less than mine. So I was surprised they were familiar with the Welsh team. It was due to watching "Welcome to Wrexham" - a docu-series sports TV show that has won two Critics' Choice Television Awards and five Emmys. So while I enjoyed the brief stadium tour friend Steve Wall gave me when I was in Wales, they were downright excited when he later offered to take them. They even met Wayne Jones, the landlord of The Turf pub and one of the people featured in the show.

Since my return to the States, I've been binge-watching episodes and I've learned a bit about soccer terms and rules. But what most intrigues me is the backstory of the team's close relationship with the town. The show follows the personal lives of players and their families, covering issues such as autism, grief, mental health, sexual identity, cancer, and players' injuries. One episode devoted considerable time to the nearby Gresford Colliery disaster of September 22, 1934 - an explosion and underground fire that killed 266 coal miners. Light-hearted vignettes included such things as Reynolds and McElhenney trying to make Welsh cakes or showing their attempts to learn a few words of Welsh. The Wrexham women’s team has also been featured.

My interest in the Green Bay Packers is due, in no small part, to tales I've heard from husband Art and his family members, who hail from Appleton, Wisconsin. Just as with Wrexham, fans of Green Bay are loyal to their hometown team, win or lose.

Art's mother Donna became interested in the Packers in 1930, when then-boyfriend Tom took her to a game. He met some of the Packer players when he worked in Green Bay and the team was looking for men to serve as opposition players during scrimmages. He had played football in high school, so he decided to give it a try. That didn't last long as he said he was no match for the burly professionals.

Donna and Tom married in 1931 and, while he was never a big football fan, she was, listening to the games on WTMJ, a Milwaukee radio station. Donna's sister Ione, who worked in Green Bay, not only was a fan, but dated several Packers. Letters from Donna's pilot brothers during World War II were often peppered with comments about the team. The same was true with Art's brother Tommy during his Korean War service.

By the late 1950s, the family had seven tickets on the 40-yard line in the 29th row for all home games. But the Packers struggled until Vince Lombardi became coach. His teams won five championships - in 1961, 1962, 1965, 1966 and 1967 - and Super Bowls I and II. Donna and Tommy attended Packers games until 1991, when they sold their tickets to Art's cousins, but remained loyal fans, watching the games on TV.

We recently visited the Packers Hall of Fame with Steve's children, Courtney and Sam. Courtney, 23, teaches physical education and Sam, 20, is still in school and is a soccer coach. Both are soccer aficionados in general and Wrexham fans in particular, living just 40 miles away in the English border town of Oswestry, the same distance as Art's family is from Green Bay.

Since neither knew too much about American football, Art spent an hour with them beforehand, explaining the number of men in the line, their positions, and basic rules. They also spent two afternoons watching the Appleton High School West team practice.

After buying some Packer paraphernalia in the Pro Shop and getting a "Legendary" tour of the stadium, they were as excited as if they'd been fans all their lives. I even developed a new appreciation for the Packers. Videos, photographs, jerseys, helmets, footballs and other artifacts in the Hall of Fame told the story of the team from its beginning in 1919 to the present day. Some players I knew - Veryl Switzer and Jordy Nelson - and some I didn’t - Lynn Dickey and Paul Coffman - had been stars both at my alma mater, Kansas State University, and also for the Packers.

I will never be an "insider" in the sports world. But I must say that the human drama of the Wrexham and Wisconsin football teams and the way they have connected with their communities have captured my heart.