In the last five years, the San Francisco 49ers have perhaps been among the unluckiest teams in the NFL. Being a 49ers fan is tough, especially after coming agonizingly close but losing two Super Bowls to the same opponent. While normal logic dictates the 49ers’ players should hate the KC Chiefs for being their kryptonite, star tight end George Kittle proves otherwise.
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In the latest edition of Tight End University’s annual gathering, the likes of Lucas Krull, Kittle, Dallas Goedert, and Pharoah Brown were asked by the NFL and TEU’s social media team to give their best Travis Kelce impression. Surprisingly, one of the best impressions came from the Niners TE, who nailed Kelce’s iconic “alright now” catchphrase. See for yourselves:
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While one might argue that Kittle’s on-point impression of Travis might have come from the 49ers player’s obsessive research to get past his kryptonite, in reality, Kittle switches to a completely different mindset after experiencing defeat at the grandest stage of football.
George Kittle Opens Up About Coming Short to the Chiefs Twice
Earlier this week, Kittle appeared on “Bussin With The Boys” and opened up on what goes on in his mind after losing a Super Bowl. “It does suck. Losing Super Bowls is not fun,” the San Francisco 49ers TE admitted.
When asked which of the two Super Bowl losses hurt him the most, Kittle replied that it’s hard to compare, as both had different journeys and stories. But considering recency bias, coming short in Super Bowl LVIII hurt him the most.
“I mean they both suck in their own way but no, I wouldn’t say one hurt like hurts more than the other. I think just recency bias, so it just sucks like it’s not very fun,” Kittle said.
When asked about how he deals with failures, the TE revealed that he doesn’t let the game and the result affect him too much. Of course, it’s hurtful. But irrespective of the result, the grind resets the next day. So, he focuses more on pushing the rock back up the mountain than fretting over the rock that almost reached the peak.
“The only way to look at it is like well, I woke up the next day and I get to play football again. Like it is what it is… got to climb back up the mountain, push the rock back up the mountain,” the TE continued.
While many take losses personally and get into a rut, seasoned professionals like Kittle exhibit elite mental prowess and keep ironing out the chinks in the process for the next pursuit. There’s a lot to learn from Kittle, not just as a player but also about how a professional should deal with failures.
