My Dad's Super Bowl Ad-A Fan For Life

It is Super Bowl Sunday.  We have been looking forward to this day for a couple reasons.  The first ended as a disappointment on January 18, 2015, when the Green Bay Packers lost a heart breaking game to the Seattle Seahawks.  I know it was exciting for Seattle Fans, but coming from a family of long time Packer fans, it was sad.  The Packers were so close.  My Dad has been a Green Bay fan for as long as he can remember.  The Packer organization was founded in 1919 and dad was born in 1924.   He was still in high school and getting ready to listen to a Packer game with his grandma when the news came of Pearl Harbor being attacked.  The Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers were tied in the Western Division and playing a playoff game.  Chicago won that game, but no one cared because the United States entered World War II the very next day.  He is also a Chicago Cub fan which has also been a source of disappointing seasons, but he never wavered.  Wisconsin didn't have a major league baseball team until 1953, so his Chicago allegiance stuck with him.  Sports are a big part of Dad's life, and that is why we were so excited when a large media company from New York contacted us.  They were looking for Fans for Life and came across one of my blogs talking about dad.

http://www.thecabincountess.com/2013/12/dad-and-his-lucky-sweatshirts.html

These were the photos they were interested in.

For two months we corresponded.  They wanted image releases and forms signed.  I was suspicious at first because now days you can't be too careful.  I researched the company and had others do the same.  I made sure all correspondence was through the company.  When I learned through the contracts that it was a project of NBC Sports, I felt better.  Then last week we learned that his image had made the final edit.  They still wouldn't divulge the exact project but said it would be shown in a large media event taking place on February 1, 2015.  Wowza, that was the Super Bowl.  There was a confidentiality agreement so I couldn't speak of it to anyone.  Then Dad's illness happened.  He was so close to death but has made such a remarkable recovery.  I thought there must be a reason.  It must be that his picture would be shown to millions of people.  Up until two days ago, we were sure it would be shown somewhere or somehow on Super Bowl Sunday.  Then last night I discovered a preview of commercials.  I looked up the You're A Fan For Life promotion.  It was there on Tumblr and another website.  So much for confidentiality.  It was a minute long video and there was no picture of dad.  I thought his image must be sitting on the cutting room floor.  At first we were disappointed.  It would have been nice, but it wasn't to be.  I guess Dad survived for an even bigger purpose or maybe it's just that is wasn't his time.  Mom died three years ago yesterday (January 31).  He was sure she would grab him up and he still isn't sure why she didn't.  I guess we need him here with us for now.

Imagine our surprise when we turned on the Super Bowl pre-show.  My husband set the DVR just in case.  I was talking to my sister on the phone with the television muted.  I looked up and saw dad's photo.  There at 1:39 was my 90 year old father in a Super bowl ad.  He couldn't believe it.  We can't either.  How many of us will ever be able to say that.