49er Faithful

Almost a year ago to the day, my friend asked me to write an article for her. She is a sports writer and was doing a piece on female sports fans and their “game day faces.” The article never got published but I wanted to share it anyways: 

How I became 49er faithful:

I have been a 49er fan since I can remember. It was kind of hard not to be when I was watching players like Jerry Rice, Steve Young, Merton Hanks, Joe Montana, and Ken Norton Jr.. When people ask me why I love football so  much, it’s hard to explain. It’s just become a lifestyle for me. The team was my first love and will always be one of the most important things in my life, much to the dismay of my loved ones.  I remember growing up, I would make my dad drive me from Reno all the way to Candlestick in the same day just to go to the games. I chose the college closest to their training camp, and have traveled as far as London just to watch them play. 

My game day face:

It’s hard being a real female football fan. People always look at me like I don’t know what I’m talking about, or doubt my love for the game. People who don’t know me, don’t take my love for the Niners seriously. That being said, my game day face is quite different than most fans’: I am the epitome of seriousness.  Come game day morning, I am incredibly excited, but also very anxious (like, Xanax anxious). My friends hate it, but I refuse to tailgate before the games, and don’t even think about asking me to watch the game at a bar. I take it way too seriously. Whether I go to the game, or am watching at home, I mean business. When the game starts I am always excited, heart pounding with adrenaline, and hoping for the win. But as the game goes on, I am an emotional roller coaster. Football can make you feel every emotion possible: happy, excited, nervous, angry, and the worst: disappointed. Call me crazy, but my emotions directly correlate with the score at the end of each game. There is no better feeling than going to sleep with a smile on your face because the 49ers won. The most important thing to me on game day is obviously winning, but also surrounding myself with people who understand the implications the team has on my heart. 

Whatever you do, do not tell me: ‘It’s just a game.'”

Around the same time I wrote that, I published this post and to this day, it is one of my favorites. When I think about all of the important things in my life, the San Francisco 49ers are pretty high up that list. And while I understand that most fashion blogs don’t feature NFL gear- I love to break the rules. Before the beginning of every season, I am always so excited to pick up a few new pieces of 49er gear that I can wear throughout the year. This year I was thrilled to see that Revolve was offering NFL apparel, and I picked up this amazing sweatshirt at Nordstrom. 

My parents came into town the weekend of the first game. We had so much fun shopping downtown and eating lobster rolls in Half Moon Bay. On Monday night my dad and I headed to Levi’s Stadium for Monday Night Football (and my dad’s first win at Levi’s)! The weather was crazy that day… it was cold, foggy and drizzling. Considering I was going to be outside for four hours I had to plan my outfits accordingly.  I decided to bring both the baseball tee, the sweatshirt and the red jacket. Just in case, I would rather be carrying too many layers than freezing my ass off. Once we got there the adrenaline kicked in (or maybe the wine) and I ended up not even needing my jacket (or beanie, or gloves, or scarf) that I brought along. The energy at the stadium that night was amazing and I had the best time with my dad. It was so great to kick off the new season with a win and even though we suffered a pretty bad loss this past weekend, I am forever faithful until the end. Next up, #BeatTheCardinals!