here here

as I mentioned previous - I grew up an hour north of chicago. Have worked around chicago and lived in the northern part of the state for many years.

Combine that with having most of my extended family from illinois. IMO the bears/pack rivalry is much more then the viks/pack (but this new farve thing will add more spice to the vik/pack games IMO).

I seem to get rude bear lovers here in london too.

I personally cant wait for the bears/pack games ... more the viks games ... I do want us to beat MN but I just want us to crush the bears with no mercy.

it'll likely go back to the Bears once Minnesota loses the Vikings for good.

---

Did you know we've played the Lions nearly twice as much as the Vikings?

---

It's always been Minnesota for me - partly because I grew up in Bears country and my family are Bears fans, partly because Walter Payton was my childhood hero, and partly because I've almost always been able to at least respect the Bears. Vikings, I've always hated them. For one, I despise the color purple (when you're a kid, these things matter), for another, I despise dome teams, and since the days of Bud Grant the Vikes haven't even been a team I can respect.

Since I married a lifelong Vikes fan (and because I do respect guys like AP and Winfield), my vitriol has cooled some, but I still hate the Vikes. Put it this way: I always want to beat the Bears, but with the Vikes it's not enough - I root for them to be miserable and lousy every single game, whether they're playing the Packers or not.

---

The oldest rivalry in the league is between the Chicago Bears and the Arizona Cardinals, the only two remaining NFL charter member teams, dating back to 1920.

The oldest continuous (at least one game per non-strike season) rivalry in the league is between the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers, dating back to 1922 and now encompassing about 170 games.

In terms of length, no other rivalry comes even close to these two.

---

Good post. And great point.

Let me ask you this: What is the biggest collegiate rivalry in football? What's the consensus on that?

---

After Favre stinks it up this season and retires after the season(for good hopefully) The Bears/Packers will be the bigger rivalry but for now it's Favre's fault the Packers/Vikes is the bigger rivalry.

---

I gotta go with the Vikings. Only because the Bears have not been much of a factor recently. Now that they have Cutler and an actual offense I'd like to see what happens when they play our new defense. But the Vikings with Favre is a sight to see and that is those are the games I will absolutely be screaming at my computer for. GO PACKERS!!

---

I was born and raised in Illinois, but for me, even without Favre, it is definitely the Queens! Actually, there is NO person I hate and despise more than someone wearing purple. I have a strong dislike for ANY New York based team of any sport, but it pales in comparison to my unadulterated loathing of those pole smokers from MN!

---

I've only been around during the Vikings/Packers rivalry so this is the biggest for me.

I've always wondered why there isn't a larger Bears presence on this forum. Vikings have some good reps here.

---