Washington couple make bizarre bets whenever 49ers play Seahawks
SAN FRANCISCO -- Fresh off the Seattle Seahawks' loss to the 49ers on Thanksgiving Day, Seattle-area resident Jason Irwin had to make good on a bet he lost to his wife Jen Irwin -- a lifelong Niners fan.
That payout involved Jason donning a sandwich board and standing on a street corner in Auburn Wash. for several hours Friday. Auburn, where the couple live, is a suburb just outside Seattle.
"It was so much fun. I sat on the corner with him but in a chair with a blanket and coffee and watched all the people drive by and wonder what he's doing," Jen said.
Jason has plenty of skin in the game. He has a painful reminder of a heartbreaking loss tattooed to his thigh.
He had to get the tattoo of Sourdough Sam after the Seahawks lost to the 49ers in the playoffs last January.
"It's much bigger than I anticipated but it's well done and colorful and only shows up when I'm wearing shorts," he said of the tattoo.
For the last 18 years, the couple have made friendly and, lately, high-stakes bets when the Niners and Seahawks face off.
"The worst one for me was probably when I had to get a perm," Jen said. "It took three years to get fully out of my hair. It was terrible."
Jen was born in Seattle on the day the Niners won their first Super Bowl in 1982. She's been a fan ever since. Jason grew up a Seahawks fan.
"I like to joke, 'Well, it's the only thing we really fight about -- is the Seahawks -- but on most everything else we get along," Jason said.
"Winters can be 'meh.' "It gives us a little bit of excitement in the late fall," Jen added.
On Dec. 10, the 49ers will take on the Seahawks at Levi's Stadium.
The Irwins will be making a bet. It's not known what's at stake yet but they're open to suggestions.