Okay, I must confess. I am still in the throes of football ecstasy.
I have been a San Francisco Forty Niners fan since I arrived in the SF Bay Area in 1969.
The Niners were pretty awful then, but since I love football and wanted to fall in love with a local team, not the NY teams I left in the rear view mirror, and since I would not, could not, ever be a fan of the Oakland Raiders, I chose the 49ers. It’s a love affair that has lasted longer than most people’s marriages.

Last weekend’s wild card lineup appeared promising. I watched every game with great interest and was hoping for close games with a few upsets thrown in for fun.
But instead we got some not so close games as the Texans, Giants and Saints pretty much took over their respective games and C-R-U-Z-ed home.
But….the last game of the wild card weekend, the one, I wasn’t all that interested in watching, turned out to be compelling football.

Say what you want about this controversial quarterback, but one thing is for certain—he’s got heart. Whether you like him or not, whether you think he’s talented or not, whether you think the Broncos getting into the playoffs was just dumb luck, it was Tim Tebow that made it all happen.

And so it’s time for Wild Card Weekend. I love these games, they are football’s gift to the faithful and fanatical NFL lover. Football is all about do or die, all about what have you done for me lately. Football satisfies that craving for drama and excitement and provides an adrenaline rush that is at once intoxicating and painful. I have heard the feeling compared to ugh, you, know, sex.

It’s New Year’s Eve-Eve and I’m GaGa over my Niners.
I am excited to ring in a New Year and ready to live life to the fullest. I find myself in a position I have not been in, as a SF 49er fan, for 9 long season. My San Francisco 49ers have exceeded all my expectations and have made the so-called experts look stupid. It is an exciting time in 49ers football land, and I plan to enjoy every bit of it, savor it and party like a Rock Star. This old gal is gonna Move Like Jagger!

You better not pout, I’m telling you why.
Playoff football is coming to town..

I’m going to make this quick, there are two weeks left in the regular season and baby do we have drama.
The scheduling of division games at the end of the regular season has every fan unnerved heading into week 16.
As I write this on Saturday morning, December 24, 2011, there are many unanswered questions heading into today’s games.

Oh oh, the blood letting has already begun.
Out…Todd Haley, Tony Sparano.
Who’s head is on the chopping block?
Norv Turner? Probably. His talented team really laid an egg this season. And the lowly Broncos appear poised to win the division. Holy Tebow!

Who’s Got It Better Than Us! (listen to it here)
Some Niners fan and rapper dude by the name of Bailey came up with this little tune. Now I am not a fan of rap, but I am a passionate Niners fan. My first thought was, oh no, some nasty rap tune that will make me cringe. But as it turns out Bailey has written a catchy little tune that is G rated and expresses the excitement and team spirit Jim Harbaugh has brought to this team and to its fans this season.
With the NFC West clinched it is now up to the Niners to keep Fred P Soft at bay. The New Orleans Saints are one game behind in the conference and can land the #2 seed if the Niners get sloppy.
Their post season starts this Sunday in Arizona.
Go Niners!

Need tickets to a big game near you? Think you can’t afford the price of a ticket?
Think again. Score Big is a company using the “Priceline” business model to offer tickets to events of all kinds.
Want to Score Big? It’s easy and it’s free to Femmefan readers.
Just click here to join and buy tickets at a price you can afford!

Jim Harbaugh likes to tell his players stories about growing up in the Jack and Jackie Harbaugh household.
Harbaugh uses these stories to impart his football philosophy to his team. It looks like it is working very, very well. This 49ers team absolutely loves the guy.
Harbaugh has the 49ers going in the right direction, but he cautions them about getting too confident, too soon. That’s when his home spun yarn about Freddie P Soft comes in.

Say it loud, say it proud, shout it from the Golden Gate and the streets of San Francisco. The Niners are back! Exit Mike Singletary. Enter Jim Harbaugh, Vic Fangio, Greg Roman, John Morton, Brad Seely, add in to the mix incumbent coaches, Tom Rathman, Jim Tomsula and Mike Solari and you have a strong foundation for this team. The mere fact that Jim Harbaugh has taken the battered, bloodied and bruised Alex Smith and instilled in him confidence and accentuated his strengths while minimizing his weaknesses is worthy of Coach of the Year honors. The Niners didn’t need a preacher, they desperately needed an X’s and O’s guy with a staff that could adjust and utilize its talent. That guy is Harbaugh. Who has it better than us? Noooobody!!!

Several months ago I was contacted by Aine Power. She was working on a research paper on female fans of male dominated sports for FIFA. I offered my opinion and some of my comments can be found in the research paper (although the spelled my last name Rocco not Ricco).
If you are interested in the way women feel about sports that have been considered the male domain, will find this research paper interesting.
It does support some of my early obesrvations, that women do not fit the stereotype the sports industry would like to use, it is much easier to sell to male fans than to women fans. Women can not be plugged into beer and boobs promos quite so easily. The whole PINK THING sports apparel idea the NFL started was beyond ridiclous and has been soundly repudiated by true female fans.
Check out the most recent stories on female fans below (click links). Seems as if female fans are now being regarded as vital and relevant. I knew that all along people!!
Ivette Ricco

Back in May of 2001 I wrote a story about beer and broads.
It was perhaps my most popular story and men as well as women enjoyed debating the topic.
Almost ten years later, women, and more specifically, young, female, sports fans, are the object of the beer industry’s affection.
I felt it was time to review what has happened in the last nine years.

Now we have a new generation of women, women who enjoy a pint or two. They are young, beautiful, vibrant and sexy. They are the new generation of female sports fans.
Men and women alike are enjoying some of the same sports “pleasures” and activities heretofore the exclusive domain of men. Men and women can place bets on big games over at gamebookers.com

Picture this, the year is 1970, two women are sitting at a bar, they spot a nice looking man bellying-up to the bar. They exchange glances and tell the bartender they want to buy him a drink.
Sound plausible? In the year 2001 yes, in 1970, hell no.

This week I am making my picks and leaving it at that because I want to tell you about New Orleans and the object of their affection, the Saints.
I though that by now the city and the areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina would be restored and life would be normal again.
It is sad to say that in this great county of ours, with all the riches we possess and in spite of the hard work of many wonderful, humane and compassionate people, things are still not back to normal in New Orleans.
But, there is one positive in New Orleans, the love affair the City of New Orleans has with its team, the Saints.
The Saints did not reach the Super Bowl in 2006 and yet to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.