Yooper Country: Where Football Loyalty Is Split, But the Sisu Runs the Same

Up here in the U.P., things are built a little different — and I’m not just talking about our snowbanks or our saunas. I’m talking about loyalty. Real, stubborn, shovel-your-neighbor’s-driveway-at-5-a.m. loyalty. And nothing shows that split loyalty better than Packers vs. Lions.

According to every Yooper ever born, the U.P. is 30% of Michigan’s land and 3% of the population, and somehow 100% divided when football season rolls in. Half cheer for Detroit because “it’s Michigan, eh?” and the other half bleed green and gold because, well… Green Bay is closer than Detroit, and WLUC Channel 6 raised a whole generation on Packers highlights.

And the rest? Maybe a Viking or two hiding in the woods.

One Bears fan, probably exiled from somewhere. (No one likes him.)

From Ironwood to Sault Ste. Marie, it’s the ultimate Yooper house divided — Packers fans on one couch, Lions fans on the other, but both shoveling the same driveway when the blizzard hits. That’s sisu, baby — the Finnish word for grit, stubborn courage, and the ability to survive 300 inches of snow without losing your sense of humor.

We’ve got mayors who make bets with their spouses over team wins… families who’d sooner give up hot pasties than give up their fandom… and entire towns where the biggest argument of the year is who gets bragging rights until next Thanksgiving.

But here’s the truth: No matter the colors on your jersey, we’re all Yoopers first. Tough. Proud. Forgotten on maps. But never forgotten by each other.

So whether you’re cheering Honolulu Blue or rocking the Frozen-Tundra green, remember this:

Up here, we don’t measure loyalty by wins — we measure it by how fast you can dig your truck out before kickoff.

Welcome to Yooper Country.