The PEOPLE StyleWatch team has some pretty serious football loyalties, and as far as we’re concerned, there’s no wrong way to express team pride. (Seriously.) But for those of us who like to cheer our teams on in style (or just need an upgrade from the ratty men’s XL tee we got for free out of the T-shirt cannon in 2002), NFL Women’s Apparel is here for you. And before the first kickoff this year, they’ve enlisted football fans Jordin Sparks, Dania Ramirez and Miranda Cosgrove (plus Jessica Szohr and Erin Heatherton, not pictured) to show off what they’ll be wearing in the stands.
Courtesy NFL Apparel
Above, Sparks and Szohr display their team pride: Szohr in a vintage-feeling Green Bay Packers sweater and Sparks in an Arizona Cardinals jersey. And yes, Sparks, the daughter of former N.Y. Giant Phillippi Sparks, knows that’s a controversial choice.
“I was born and raised in Arizona. Although I have an allegiance to the Giants because of my daddy, I bleed Cardinal Red,” she tells PEOPLE. “I’ve always loved the underdog!” But she does credit her dad with fostering her love for football in general, thanks to a little rule-bending on his part: “One of my earliest and favorite [football] memories is when my dad took my brother and me to the training facility and locker room to play instead of school. Sorry, Mom!”
Though Sparks admits to wearing 4-in. heels to sing the anthem at games in the past (“not smart in turf!”) her regular game uniform is a NFL women’s jersey worn “simply and comfortably — maybe with a pair of wedge sneakers.” And one game-day accessory you’re going to see on Sparks this season? Face paint. “Most definitely! I haven’t painted my face yet. This is the year!”
Courtesy NFL Apparel
Devious Maids star Ramirez, clad in a lace-up Cleveland Browns tee and orange overcoat, is dressed for cold home games — but she wasn’t always so prepared. “I once wore a Browns football jersey as a dress with high boots to a home game in Cleveland,” she tells PEOPLE. “It was a good idea until I sat there and froze to death! We won that day so I still say it was worth it.”
She’s been a Browns fan forever, but her top football fan event was meeting Jim Brown while filming Spike Lee’s She Hate Me. “It was an incredible moment. Now I’m a friend of him and his wife Monique, who is one of the most amazing women I have met. Watching Browns games has now become an event!” she says. So will we see her in face paint, like Sparks? “I totally would, as long as I can help my team or the bet is high enough.”
Courtesy NFL Apparel
Finally, Cosgrove went even more glam with her New Orleans Saints tee from the NFL’s tweens line, which (with the help of stylist Philip Bloch) she jazzed up with sparkling gold pants and a glossy lip (how fun would this be to watch the game at a bar?).
Ready to check out your team’s offerings? (If you can imagine it, they probably have it at NFLShop.com.) Tell us what you wear to games — and who you’re cheering for — in the comments!
–Alex Apatoff
