PHOENIX — On freeways around the Valley this week, billboards from Lerner & Rowe have been seen cheering on San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, who is a Valley native and played football at Perry High School in Gilbert, as he prepared to take on the Detroit Lions in the NFC Championship game.
They carry the simple message, "Let's go Brock Purdy." However, not all football fans here in Arizona are appreciating the move, as Purdy plays for one of the main rivals of the Arizona Cardinals.
"This is blasphemy! This (is) Arizona Cardinals country," one post on X, formerly known as Twitter, said.
"Currently in Phoenix and there's billboards that say 'Let's Go Brock Purdy' and I about threw up," another post on X read.
Another person posted, "Saw a 'Let's go Brock Purdy' billboard. What's wrong with AZ man?"
And finally, one fan said, "Jus (sic) saw a 'let's go Brock Purdy' billboard on I-10 East," with a broken heart emoji.
However, it was not all fans had a negative reaction to the billboards. Some showed their appreciation for the nod to the hometown QB.
"Cardinals fans might not like this, but I love seeing the billboards around the valley supporting Brock Purdy," one post read. "Shows a lot of (high school) kids now the impact they can make in (Arizona)."
Another post read, "Love how the billboards on the freeways say 'Let's go Brock Purdy."
"Driving to the airport yesterday, there was a billboard that said — Good Luck Brock Purdy! — which was very nice to see for the local AZ boy," another post read.
Love or hate the billboard, Purdy's story is one to remember. After leading Perry to the 2017 6A state championship game, Purdy was named the Friday Night Fever Offensive Player of the Year. He then went to Iowa State, where he was the starting quarterback for four years, throwing for 12,170 yards and 81 touchdowns and leading the Cyclones to four bowl games, including the 2021 Fiesta Bowl, where Iowa State beat Oregon, 34-17. Purdy was named the offensive MVP of that game.
Purdy was taken by San Francisco with the final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, earning the title of Mr. Irrelevant. He took over as the 49ers starting quarterback in Week 14 of the 2022 season, beating Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in his first start.
Purdy has now led the 49ers to the NFC Championship game in back-to-back seasons. They came up short last season, losing 31-7 to the Philadelphia Eagles, in a game that saw Purdy injure his elbow early on and not be able to throw a football for the majority of the contest.
This season, Purdy led the 49ers to another NFC West Division championship and the NFC's No. 1 playoff seed. In 17 games this season (including the NFC Divisional round win over the Green Bay Packers), Purdy completed 331 of his 483 passes (68.5%) for 4,532 yards, 32 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale. The Coyotes play at Mullett Arena on ASU's Tempe campus.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.
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