In Bears, Packers country, who’s your Super Bowl pick?

Packers and Bears fans might feel left out of tonight's festivities. (Photos by Ronald Martinez & Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

BLOOMINGTON — It’s never easy to watch a team  you hate make it to the Super Bowl.  But what happens when you don’t really have a dog in the hunt at all?

Do you still watch the game?  If yes, how do you decide who to cheer for?

WJBC’s news intern Amanda Pigott from Illinois State University’s student station WZND asked local fans about their Super Bowl plans.  After a quick tour of some of Bloomington-Normal’s best sports bars, fans seem to be giving a slight advantage to the Giants.

“Probably the Giants because they beat the Green Bay Packers,” said one Bears fan.

“The Giants, absolutely!” one fan yelled into the microphone. When she asked him why that was his choice, he said, “Because I absolutely hate the Patriots!”

Another Packers fan is siding with family ties. “My son-in-law is a big Giants fan, so I’m going with the Giants. Otherwise, I just don’t care.”

Of course, some fans are thinking about the bottom line now that their teams are out of it.  Quite a few fans in Bloomington-Normal seem to have some money running on the game. Let’s hope the IRS doesn’t catch wind of that … or I guess we could assume these bets were placed through 100 percent legal channels in Las Vegas.

“We’re rooting for the Giants now,” another Bears fan said. “My nephew will win $2,400 if they win.”

And finally, some NFL fans are just being pragmatic.

“I’m going for the Patriots, because I think they’re the better team,” a Packers fan admitted.

As for this New Orleans Saints fan, I’m rooting for Eli Manning and the Giants.  I figure if Archie Manning’s kid is playing, it’s my duty to cheer for him … this time.

Who are you picking in the game and why?

— Beth

(Thank you to Amanda Pigott for contributing to this post.)

Beth Whisman can be reached at whisman@wjbc.com.