Marked by the death of the father of a friend, Jean-Sébastien Cloutier wanted to ensure that his, a great supporter of the Steelers, lives his dream of attending a game of his favorite team in Pittsburgh.
At 40, Mr. Cloutier, also a great NFL fan, has visited several football stadiums in his life, often during trips with friends or his wife. “Cincinnati, Kansas City…we would take the car or the plane and get off,” he says.
But none of these sports trips have the same meaning as the one he took with his father Mario 10 years ago.
“In the fall, one of the friends had lost his father, continues the man from Lévis, who works in the public service. He told me that he often asked him to go see the Canadiens in Montreal.
“He was sorry. He came from Lac-Saint-Jean, of course it required organization, but he wondered why they had never taken the time to make the trip, ”he adds.
A weekend in Pittsburgh
An idea had just arisen in the mind of Jean-Sébastien Cloutier. At 64, his father had never been to see the Steelers in what was then called Heinz Field.
A great supporter of the New England Patriots, Mr. Cloutier decided to leave aside his allegiance to take Mario there for a weekend. His dad “didn’t travel a lot,” he said, and he “also dabbled in Pittsburgh, as it’s the hometown of the Steelers.”
“My mother had bought the plane ticket and I had bought good tickets for the match. We went shopping for our Steelers jerseys. We went to the “tailgate” with our little beers, people gave us hot dogs when we explained to them where we were coming from to attend the meeting, ”he says with a smile in his voice.
“I had bought him the ‘yellow towel’, the famous yellow towel that Steelers supporters shake at the stadium. I still see them, he was tripping his life! We really had fun. I’ve been on several sports trips in my life, but this really was the most meaningful one. “, he acknowledges.
Daddy’s turn
Ten years later, dad returned the favor to son. Like several other great NFL supporters, Jean-Sébastien Cloutier has put his sports travel plans on hold during the pandemic.
He had therefore organized two this fall, each time at Gillette Stadium, in order to attend a game of his Patriots, including one with his father, to mark the 75th birthday he will be next June.
“I said to him: ‘there, it’s certain, it’s your turn to put on a Patriots jersey,’” laughs Mr. Cloutier.
Photo provided by Jean-Sébastien Cloutier
Jean-Sebastien Cloutier and his wife Geneviève Lessard on a soccer trip to see the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium.