AMERY, Wis.— To walk around Darin Gilbertson’s home in the small northwest Wisconsin community of Amery, you’d think you had hopped a plane to San Francisco. His basement is filled with nothing but 49ers memorabilia. Gilbertson also has his back yard, car and even body in tribute to his favorite team.
He has a tattoo of the 49ers and the Golden Gate Bridge.
When he attends games at Lambeau Field, like he will Saturday, he is often mistaken for a California resident.
“They have made that mistake before, then I open my mouth and they hear that Fargo accent, and they know you aren’t from California you know,” said Gilbertson.
Being one of the few 49ers fans in an area dominated by green and gold can sometimes be a challenge. While he expects plenty of joshing this weekend, he said he actually has a strong respect for Packers fans.
“Packers fans are loyal too; they are classy," said Gilbertson.
Roughly 2,000 miles to the southwest, Waukesha native Deno Konstantinidis faces a similar geographic challenge as Gilbertson, only he is rooting for the other team. Konstantinidis has called the Golden State home for more than 25 years, but will never lose his Packers pride. He said living among so many 49ers fans, including his own wife, can be a challenge. Tuning in to the game can present struggles.
“For three hours we are on opposite sides of the house. Sometimes it's, 'I’ll go on that TV and you go on this TV,'" said Konstantinidis. “We always kiss and make up no matter what happens.”
Still Konstantinidis said he has been able to find a small but mighty group of fellow Packers fans in the Bay-area that he sometimes gets together with to enjoy games.
Come Saturday night both Gilbertson and Konstantinidis will be cheering on their respective teams, even if geography isn’t on their side.