Like it or not, Justin Fields was right about losses hurting players more than fans

The Bears suffered an ugly 27-10 loss on Sunday night in Green Bay, continuing the Packers’ dominance in the NFL’s longest-running rivalry. Chicago’s offense put together an impressive opening drive to go up 7-3 in the first quarter, but they didn’t threaten much again until the fourth quarter. Fields threw the ball just 11 times while the running game put together a more impressive 180 yards on 27 carries.

The defense, on the other hand, barely put up a fight. The Bears had three sacks and a fumble recovery, but the Packers were mostly able to move the ball at will. The Bears had no answer for quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the two-headed rushing attack of Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon.

We can spin posts and talk about the poor Pro Football Focus game scores for the Bears’ top players, Fields and Roquan Smith. We can discuss the Bears abandoning the run game for two quarters. But there’s more than just what happens on the field, and sometimes, comments made after the game can dominate headlines.

Following the Bears’ loss Sunday night, Fields made one of those comments. He compared the way a rivalry loss affects fans and players. Some media members interpreted his comments as a shot at Bears fans.

“It hurts more in the locker room than for the Bears fans because, at the end of the day, they’re not putting in any work,” Fields said.

The game just means more to players

Every time an athlete brushes off the fans, this debate reignites around the internet. Fans get up in arms because they feel their emotional and financial investment should be placed on the same level as the players” commitment to the game.

Unfortunately for those fans, the two don’t remotely compare.

Fans give about four hours every Sunday to the team. They pay money for jerseys and tickets. They invest their emotions in the team, but that is where it ends. For the players, the team’s success is their livelihood. This is their job. Everything they do hinges on their ability to play this game and play it well. They are giving literal blood, sweat, and tears every day to win games.

When you put all you have into something and are unsuccessful, it crushes you. It makes things even worse when you add that poor performance can get them fired. A guy like Fields may have more job security, but he’s looking out for the fourth-string cornerback fighting to see another day.

The players see their teammates as family, so don’t be surprised when they value them higher than fans. This debate comes up every season and remains as ridiculous as when it began.

Like it or not, the game just means more to the players.

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