49er Fans Sound Off on Sunday's Seahawk Showdown

Two of our KQED News interns, Nora Elmeligy (reporter) and Mark Andrew Boyer (photographer), went out on the streets of San Francisco to see how 49ers fans are gearing up for the NFC championship game this Sunday against the Seahawks in Seattle. In the process they also found one (somewhat undercover) Seahawks fan as well.

Here's what the fans had to say:

Nassime Addi, from San Francisco, was in full 49ers regalia when we caught up with him on Wednesday afternoon. His first memory of the team is  when it won the Super Bowl, and he thinks the 49ers will be tasting victory again soon. When it comes to comparing the Seahawks and 49ers, he points straight to the trophy case: "We have five trophies -- they have zero."

Rasjay Hardy was born in South Central Los Angeles, but she says the 49ers have always been a part of her life. Even though the 49ers lost their last matchup with the Seahawks in Seattle, Hardy still likes the Niners' chances. She'll be paying close attention to the battle in the trenches on Sunday. "Now we have a good offensive line and a good defensive line, so I just feel like we can go into Seattle and win it."

Art Olivares was sitting on a barstool at Lefty O'Doul's when we approached him. His first memory of the 49ers was a dark one: a 49ers' playoff loss to the Dallas Cowboys. But he expects this season to end differently. "The expectations are the same: They won last year, and they're going to win this year."

Thanks to the glory years of the 1980s, headlined by Joe Montana and Jerry Rice, the 49ers are a household name across the country. Can the same be said about the Seattle Seahawks? "Uh, no," says Jason Washington. "When was the last time they got to the Super Bowl? You can't even mention any good players, except for Ricky Watters, and they got him from the Niners."

Marcus O'Guinn, from Oakland, grew up watching the 49ers because his father is a San Francisco native. He doesn't mince words when comparing San Francisco with Seattle. "To me it's just better. I don't know nothing else but San Francisco." But he wants to give a shout-out to Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch, with whom he went to high school in Oakland.

Jayson Gazo, from San Francisco, is bullish on the 49ers' chances to get back to the Super Bowl, thanks to second-year quarterback Colin Kaepernick. "I don't think they could mess with Kaepernick -- the way he runs the ball and all that. Yeah, the Seahawks don't have a chance."

Oakland native Andrew Young started paying attention to the 49ers when head coach Jim Harbaugh joined the team. "I'm a sports fanatic, so whoever is winning the game, that's who I go for."

Derek Sloan is living in enemy territory. The Seattle native now lives in San Jose, and he says he doesn't advertise that he's a Seahawks fan. That might have something to do with the team's legacy. "Ever since they've come to the NFC West they've had a hard time being able to outshine the Niners."

Listen to 49ers fans sound off below: