I am somewhat of a die-hard Packer fan, and proud of it. Obviously, making the playoffs isn't something new to me, since this is the eighth year in a row we have done so. (The era of Aaron Rodgers has been kind to us.) This year was special, though. Earlier this regular season, our record was 4-6, we had just gotten spanked by the Titans and the Redskins, and everyone besides the die-hards believed that this would be the first year since 2008 that we didn't see playoffs. Everybody thought we would fold under our negative record, and that Rogers had lost his magic. (By the way, his stats this season are the best they've been in the past five years, so that's simply not true.)

But we didn't fold. Instead, we went ahead and shut everyone up by winning six games in a row, setting franchise records (i.e. Rodgers surpassing Brett Favre for most completions or Jordy and Rodgers becoming the "most prolific quarterback-receiver combination in team history," beating out Favre and Freeman, or Mason Crosby taking the NFL record for the most successful straight field goals made during postseason), and making the playoffs. Of course, haters still claimed OBJ and the Giants would destroy our defense. Rodgers responded by picking apart New York's defense, and bringing back the Hail Mary at the end of the first half which gave the Packers the momentum to close out the game with an impressive score of 38-13. Rodgers could be "the greatest Hail Mary quarterback in the history of pro football," which could be a given considering that this was his third successful Hail Mary in the past 13 months.

There is no arguing Rodgers' ability to instinctively pinpoint the holes in a defense, make a 70 yard completion look easy, or throw with the most exact precision. Anyone who saw this amazing catch from Rodgers to Cook against Dallas last weekend can clearly see the art to Rodgers' style of play (not to take away from Cook's excellent job at making that catch).

As a fan, I was over the moon by this point. Seeing incredible plays like that, how Rodgers and Nelson turned what was probably going to be their worst season since 2005 into the best comeback of the season, and seeing the haters stop talking smack and start respecting us again had me hyped. There was no denying that the Packers were back and the team to beat, and I was fully confident that we were going to the Super Bowl.

The Atlanta Falcons swiftly proved me wrong, destroying us 44-21. Not only are we no longer going to the Super Bowl, but Crosby lost his record streak and was the first kicker to miss a FG this postseason and Rodgers' classic Hail Mary landed right in the arms of the Falcons. Talk about adding insult to injury, right?

Naturally, I was crushed and deeply saddened to see what I thought was going to be a glorious end to a equally glorious comeback come crashing down to an end. I thought to myself, "If I wasn't a sports fan, I wouldn't have to go through this."

And that's true. If I wasn't a sports fanatic, I wouldn't get in arguments about who does or doesn't deserve MVP, or feel the need to stay home and recover after my team gets crushed. I wouldn't spend all weekend sitting in front of the TV watching a sport I don't even play, get so defensive if someone talks bad about my team, or get so stressed when mistakes are made by a player or coach that I've never even met.

If I wasn't a sports fanatic, the losses wouldn't hurt so bad.

But it's worth it. If I wasn't a sports fanatic, I wouldn't jump and cheer after a beautiful completion, feel the happiness that I do when my team emerges victorious or the rush of sitting on the edge of your seat during a tie game in the fourth quarter, or get to celebrate the plays that end up in highlight reels later that night.

If I wasn't a sports fanatic, I wouldn't get any of the joy from the victories.

After I recovered from tonight's loss against the Falcons, I sat back and realized how much freaking fun it all is. Sure, I can look back on feeling upset when our fullback fumbled an easy ball, or when our defense just decided not to show up. But instead I look back on jumping for joy after a crazy touchdown, cheering after a great interception, feeling excited when our WR was healthy again, or going to bed with a smile on my face after a good win. When it comes down to it, my team is my team, win or lose.

Sports are a part of life, and I don't know what I would do without them. They are part of the human culture, and I love that I get to partake in that culture. Being a die-hard isn't for everyone, and it may suck sometimes, but it's worth it. It often means the low points are going to be very, very low, but the high points will be very, very high, and I wouldn't change a thing.