by Madison Prestine

Jan. 21 was the second day after the San Francisco Forty-niners lost to the Seattle Seahawks 23-17. Seahawks’ cornerback Richard Sherman is still trending on Twitter. The Niners’ locker room has been cleaned out and the team has said their goodbyes. Players such as quarterback Colin Kaepernick are beginning their offseason grind. The Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has said he will not watch the superbowl. And most importantly, after Sunday the Broncos gained many new fans who hastily exchanging red and gold for orange and blue.

It is difficult to watch your team lose to an inferior one; heartbreaking may be the word to describe the last play of the game. Kaepernick played the game of his life, and when an offense known for its precise and measured game plans puts together an explosive drive to close the 6 points separating them from their rightful victory in less than 3 minutes, you thought they were going to do it. Head coach Jim Harbaugh does not blame Kaepernick, or any of his players, for the loss, saying that “[they] played well. The game itself was one of the best games[he has] ever witnessed as a coach or player because the players played their ass off. It was a credit to the players in the game, the way they played.” Harbaugh is one of the most animated and intense coaches in the league. He has inspired this team to win despite difficulties and he has lead them to the playoffs three seasons in a row in his three years as the niners’ head coach.

I took this article in as a native, self-described “occasional sports-columnist” about two weeks ago. I dutifully sat glued to my couch to watch the battle of the all-stars and sort-of cheered for the Patriots, thinking I would rather play Brady’s obstinate offense than Manning’s brutal aerial attack. I know better now, as the rightful team does not always get the title. However, we will be back next season, and while I won’t make the same mistake, it won’t matter because the Niners will each receive a ring depicting them the Super Bowl XLIX champions.