Fanzo Fan Spotlight: Rebecca Zaccard; Green Bay Packers Doll! #Packers #GoPackGo #Fanzo
If there’s one thing I’ve learned about the Green Bay Packers, it’s that their fans are perhaps the most dedicated, close-knit group of people I’ve ever met. One of my favorite cheeseheads is Rebecca Zaccard; a Wisconsin to LA fan whose commitment stood out on Twitter so much, I reached out immediately. We quickly became friends and even hung out when she was up here in Seattle for the Packers v. Seahawks Monday Night Football game too (ouch, sorry about that game Rebecca)!
Rebecca is also an actress (not aspiring, actually makes a living on it!) who has recently carved out a niche in the sports vertical. Fanzo loves Rebecca, and here’s why!
On becoming a Packers’ fan:
I was born and raised in Janesville, WI by diehard Packer and Badger fans. The fact that my parents had four girls, didn’t hinder our family’s love for football. Many of my favorite memories growing up are from family Packer parties. We’re talking cheese curds, Reggie White jerseys, and a whole lot of yelling, clapping, and high-fiving. When I was a pre-teen, I used make so much fun of my dad for yelling and clapping at the TV. “They can’t hear you, Dad,” I would say with the annoying tone only a 14-year-old can truly master. Little did I know that I would inherit his exact tendencies. I say now that I cannot be held responsible for the things I say or do during Packer games! Seriously though, I can’t.
On moving from Wisconsin to LA:
When I moved to LA in 2008, I was a young, bright eyed, Wisconsin girl with no friends, no job, no car, and definitely no one to watch Packer games with. Those first three months were the hardest; the Packers weren’t winning…our offensive line couldn’t block for our new man Rodgers. I missed my family, I missed Wisconsin, I even missed Brett Favre. Luckily for me though, over the next several years, I found a great group of friends, many of which are football and Packer fans (I may have had something to do with it) and the Los Angeles Green Bay Packer group (the largest Packer fan group outside of Wisconsin). Now I have my new LA Sunday rituals, which normally involve surrounding myself with fellow Packer fans at Mom’s (the LA Packer bar).
We dance to “Bang on the Drums all day” after every Green Bay score, we sing the Bears Still Suck (whether or not we are playing them), we toast to “Go Pack Go” and take green shots at halftime, we toss a football around in the street after said shots (when someone drops a perfect pass, we inevitably call him or her Jermichael Finley), and win or lose, we yell, scream, clap, and cheer together (even though the Packers can’t actually hear us, dad).
It’s funny that somehow since moving to LA, my love (read: obsession) for the Packers has actually gotten more intense. It means more to me than it probably should, but please don’t tell me it’s just a game. It’s not just football, it’s my Packer family. It’s home.
On being a Packer fan:
Being a Packer fan is like being a part of a family. I’m sure many fans feel this way about their teams and their supporters, but there’s something special about Packer nation. Maybe it’s that we’re the last small town team, that the fans are actual shareholders, that the city of Green Bay runs off Packer pride, or maybe it’s that there are Packer bars, fans, bumper stickers, and fan groups across the world.
I went to the Packers/Chargers game in San Diego last year with my close friend and roommate at the time, Dara, and the LAGBP. We won that game (we won quite a few games that 2011 season!), and I had a blast tailgating and cheering despite the drizzle and what San Diego locals called “the cold”. What stuck with me the most about that trip was the Green Bay couple I met the day before the game. I started chatting with them because of their Packer garb, and by the end of the conversation I had invited them to the LA Packer group’s tailgate. The next morning they found us, we hugged, I offered them beers, and we started joking around and talking. Within ten minutes, they had offered me a place to stay with them in Green Bay whenever I wanted to go to a game at Lambeau. And they meant it.
Fast forward to Packers at Seahawks Monday Night Football of this year (the game that shall not be mentioned…I mean, that call!!), and guess who I bump into as they’re walking into the stadium, Mel and Jay, that same Green Bay couple. After screams, hugs, and talk of how crazy it was to run into them again, came the same offer. When was I going to come to Green Bay and stay with them? Well, needless to say I’m going next season, absolutely for sure. All it took was some talk of Aaron Rodgers and Lambeau leaps, and these two were instant friends and Packer family. Those are my kind of Packer fans.
Dream gig in her field:
I want to work in Sports Broadcast. I can’t imagine how it took me so long to realize it! Honestly though, I’m so grateful that I took the path that I did. I feel like my actor and on-camera training in conjunction with my personality and undying love for sports is a perfect combination for a sports broadcaster! I also believe there is a need for more funny, smart, passionate women out there in the sports world, and I’m excited to say that there are some great opportunities in the works for me. Hopefully the next time you hear from me, I will have a mike in my hand and an NFL player at my side (no, not because I’m dating him, because I’m interviewing him. Clearly). However, I’m not going to sit around and wait for said dream gig to come to me (that’s not my style), and so Travis Platt, a regular guest on Wisconsaholic and diehard Seahawks fan (please don’t bring up the infamous botched call), and I are producing an NFL/sports comedy show. We will self-produce now (that gives us complete control, wooo!), but eventually we hope to pitch it to the various sports networks. That’s all I can tell you for now, but Fanzo will be the first to know once the show is on air!
Thanks for the interview Rebecca and we agree… you would make the perfect sports broadcaster! So come on football fans, get behind her and show your support! To follow Rebecca’s progress including the status of her show, you can find her here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/rebeccazaccard/featured
http://rebeccazaccard.com
http://facebook.com/Wisconsaholic
Twitter: @Wisconsaholic
From @DArm91
