SPORTS| WHITE UNIFORMS| WRITING CHALLENGE
Rooting For The White Uniforms In The Super Bowl
My previous experiences and a ton of coincidences on White Shirt Day which is also Super Bowl LVIII this year
I am thinking ahead to today’s Super Bowl, which is now going to be the 58th Super Bowl, written in Roman Numerals as Super Bowl LVIII. The teams this year are the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs. The 49ers have decided to go with their white uniforms on this day. The Chiefs are going with their red uniforms. This was the same arrangement with the last Super Bowl these two teams wore when they faced each other four years ago.
It also takes me back even further. The year was 2003. Yeah, it was almost 21 years ago. One team wore white that year. The other team wore red. I rooted for the white team that year and I find myself rooting for the white team again this year and also as I had four years ago. It’s much more than the color for me since I grew up in Northern California and the 49ers were my childhood team.
The Raiders weren’t but they still had my respect going into the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that year. The thing is, Raiders fans were still pissed about Gruden leaving the team and going to them just to have to face their old coach in the Super Bowl. I should’ve seen that loss coming from a mile away. But because I was loyal to the Northern California roots and I truly wanted to root against Jon Gruden, I went with my heart, and not my head.
I should’ve known he’d know all of the offensive schemes and that he would just have his team ready to kick his old team’s ass. I had bet my friend $200 that the Raiders would win. I didn’t have the money. I still haven’t been able to square that bet to this day. I just had the confidence. That allegiance to my regional team and the association with the white uniforms at the time doomed me.
With the Super Bowl four years ago, I didn’t have to worry about a bet this time. I just strongly rooted for the 49ers. Again, a coincidence that they went with the white. But then again, rooting for the team with the white uniforms disappointed me in the end. I didn’t have an obligation to pay money since I didn’t bet that time around but I lost as a fan. Not being able to see my regional team tie the league lead with a sixth Super Bowl win.
Now I look forward to tomorrow and hope this time that my loyalty to the white-uniformed teams from my home area, I think that my loyalty will finally pay off this time. I want to see the 49ers win this game. I care much less than I have in recent years as my interest in the sport has started to diminish but I still would love to witness a 49ers Super Bowl win in my adult life.
Their last Super Bowl win was in 1995 against the Chargers with Steve Young at quarterback. The 49ers wore their red jerseys in that game and the Chargers wore white. I wasn’t rooting for the white team in that game but maybe I should’ve hoped that the 49ers would’ve gotten a chance to wear red this year.
I know in my head it’s likely that rooting for the white-jerseyed team is going to screw me again. Not because of the sole fact that they’re wearing white but there are a few coincidences here. The Chiefs won their last Super Bowl against this team with red jerseys. The 49ers' last Super Bowl as I mentioned was with red jerseys.
The Raiders, the team who wore white when they were in Oakland representing the AFC in that previously mentioned Super Bowl, are the team hosting this event this time. The Super Bowl is in Las Vegas at their relatively brand-new Allegiant Stadium. This just feels like a long game set up against the 49ers.
Throw in the fact that you have Taylor Swift coming to the game rooting for her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, the star tight end of the Kansas City Chiefs. After all, the Taylor Swift-Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl championship crossover would be a huge win for both parties.
The referees and the NFL may want to see the Chiefs celebrate the first back-to-back Super Bowl champions since the Patriots' 2003 and 2004 teams. They beat my Carolina Panthers in that latter Super Bowl when my favorite team wore, yes, you guessed it white. The Panthers were also wearing the white uniforms in our second Super Bowl loss to the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl L. So excuse me for enjoying teams with white jerseys but also feeling completely burned by them.
As White Shirt Day coincides with this year’s Super Bowl, I hope that turns the tide but I’m not holding my breath. I imagine I’m going to watch another team I love wearing white and losing to the team that’s not wearing white and I just might have to get used to it.
