It’s safe to say that the last two weeks of my life have been consumed by sports. Not only have I been watching NFL games regularly, but the San Francisco Giants swept the Detroit Tigers to win the World Series.

I was fortunate enough to spend the day in San Francisco for the Giants’ victory parade yesterday among 1.2 million other fans. It was an incredible experience to see everyone so excited and supportive of the baseball team that no one expected to succeed. One of the highlights of the parade was getting to see superstar pitcher Matt Cain and first baseman Brandon Belt being driven by Alex Smith and Jim Harbaugh, respectively. When both Harbaugh and Smith were interviewed, they expressed such excitement and inspiration from watching the Giants on their championship journey. Alex Smith threw out the first pitch at the Giants playoff opener and he has attended a handful of games. Coach Harbaugh recently invited Giants’ legend Willie Mays to attend the end of a 49ers’ practice at the team’s Santa Clara headquarters. Mays spoke with the group after practice, signed autographs for everyone in sight and also posed for a number of photos. The 49ers returned the favor by presenting Mays with his very own No. 24 jersey. If this isn’t true sports camaraderie, I don’t know what is.

The respect these two San Francisco teams share is awe-inspiring. Both Smith and Harbaugh were asked if seeing the Giants win the World Series makes them that much more hungry to win a Super Bowl. They both told reporters that they have a lot of work cut out for them down the road, but that a Super Bowl victory would obviously be the ideal goal. I wouldn’t be surprised if the 49ers end with another astonishing season. If the Giants can go all the way, watch for the 49ers to try their hardest and do the very same. I wouldn’t mind seeing the driving roles reversed for the 49ers parade come February 2013…

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Written by Taylor

I was born and raised in San Francisco. I grew up watching the 49ers and the Giants with my dad, who is a native San Franciscan. Growing up, I played soccer and basketball. I attended San Diego State University and graduated with a BA in Political Science. I have always had a huge passion for sports and the teamwork dynamic; football, baseball, and soccer are my favorites. Some fun facts: I love traveling, music, photography, and hanging out with my new puppy!

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