Pains of Being Pure at Heart's Kip Berman Cheers for the Packers

Who is your pick to win the Super Bowl this year?

The Green Bay Packers!

Why?

I'm a massive Packers fan because my family is all from Wisconsin. My grandma calls me the moment the game is over each week, so even if I'm somewhere far away from a TV (or a live internet stream), I always get to hear how the Packers did.

How are they going to do it?

Hmm, I think Pittsburgh is a good team, so probably a bit of luck will have to be involved.

Any key players?

Aaron Rodgers is great, but what separates this year's team from last year is the defense. Rookie sensation Tramon Williams alongside Charles Woodson and Sam Shields is a pretty amazing secondary, and B.J. Raji has finally started playing like the guy they drafted number 9 overall. Clay Matthews is obviously a beast. Pittsburgh is a great team too on both sides of the ball, but if the Packers can cause some turnovers, I think they have a good shot of winning.

How much will they win by?

As long as it's one point or more, I'll be happy.

What's your favorite sport?

Pro Football!

What is your favorite team of all time?

I love the Green Bay Packers, but I also root for the Philadelphia Eagles (where I grew up) and the New York Jets (where I now live). Alex, my bandmate, is a big New York Giants fan, so it's always fun to watch the Eagles vs. Giants twice a year.

What's your favorite childhood sports-related memory?

I went to a Packers game at Lambeau field with my grandpa. It is so hard to get a ticket, so it was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing. They were playing Bo Jackson and the Raiders and the kickoff temperature was -30 degrees with windchill (imagine sitting outside in that for three-plus hours). At halftime, the Packers were winning by a lot, and both my grandpa and I decided getting some hot chocolate was more important than staying for the second half. A wise man, my grandpa.

Favorite thing to eat at any sporting event?

Bratwurst at Milwaukee Brewers games.

If you could create the perfect football/basketball/baseball team, which players would you choose?

The original "Dream Team" (USA Basketball '92) might have been the best sports team that'll ever be assembled. This was an era when American basketball was experiencing a golden age and the best players were in their prime. Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley and Patrick Ewing were the starters -- even the subs were David Robinson, John Stockton, Karl Malone, Scottie Pippen, etc.

The sight of seeing all these heroes of the NBA compete at the Olympics was really captivating because it felt like watching the sport performed on a level that wasn't even a game, but more a demonstration or elevation of what was possible. Nowadays it's common to see pro athletes competing in the Olympics, and American hyper-dominance of the sport is a distant memory. But back then it felt totally insane to see these icons all on the same team -- I even went to McDonalds a lot to collect the "limited edition" cups. USA! USA! USA!

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