Generally, the attendance of a father at his child’s birth is not optional. This potentially put Chicago Bears superfan Mark Pavelka in a bind. Pavelka had scored much coveted tickets to Sunday’s NFC Championship Game against eh New Orleans Saints, but with his wife pregnant and due on Monday, the prospect of birth and sport colliding put him in a quandry.
His wife, Colleen Pavelka, perhaps fearing what Mark’s decision might be, opted to be induced on Friday to avoid the conflict. Said Mrs. Pavelka: “I thought, how could [Mark] miss this one opportunity that he might never have again in his life?”
It is unclear whether Mrs. Pavelka was referring to the game or the miracle of his son being born.
Our blood is as red as that of the next American, but we think this calls for some perspective. Are sports entertaining? Yes. Is it an electrifying experience to be in a stadium full of myriads of fans cheering on a team to which they have arbitrarily pledged allegiance despite having absolutely no real connection? Yes. Is its importance even remotely comparable to attending the birth of one’s child? Not even close… though we might be more understanding if it were a Yankees game.