Packers fans from Milwaukee paint Sao Paulo green and gold
By Zoie Henry
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MILWAUKEE (WISN) — From Milwaukee to Sao Paulo, Brazil, Green Bay Packers fans at home and abroad are gearing up for the first NFL game in the country. 12 News spoke with a lifelong fan who is headed to Sao Paulo for the Packers’ first game of the season.
Robert Kennedy says he’s been a Packers fan for more than 50 years, and it all started on his father’s couch.
“Oh, boy. I was, like I said, I was born in southern Indiana, but both my parents were from the Milwaukee area, so my father had me in a Packers jersey with a little shot glass of beer on Sundays, from a way too young age,” Kennedy said.
He flew into Rio De Janiero on Saturday. He said he visits twice a year, and his love for the country is connected to another kind of football.
“So we’re going back 10 years here. But I came down for the World Cup in 2014, and I fell in love with this country, and especially Rio. So I’ve been coming down about twice a year,” he said.
On Thursday, he’s flying to Sao Paulo. He says others know his love for South America, and the announcement of the first game left his phone ringing off the hook.
“And when it was announced that the Packers were going to be playing in this first NFL game in South America, I woke up that morning, and my phone was blowing up with text messages from people. I thought a family member had died,” Robert Kennedy said.
While the big event is exciting, he says he may not get into Corinthians Arean due to the ticket prices.
“The ticket price for Americans, I don’t know if you’ve heard, is pretty exorbitant. It is more expensive than my flight and eight nights of hotel down here for one single game ticket,” he said.
He says even if he doesn’t get inside the stadium, he will be meeting up with other Packers fans hailing from Milwaukee. The Green Bay Packers are heading off the Philadelphia Eagles, and kick-off is at 7:15 pm central time.
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