Assuming the weather permits, you may not often see San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan wearing hats on the sidelines of games this season. It sounds like he's ditching them.
As absurd as it might sound, it wasn't uncommon to see someone reporting on Shanahan's hat choice before each game in previous seasons. The decision often even influenced the team's official online store's ability to keep the specific hat in stock.
It sounds like Shanahan is tired of hearing about his hat, and superstition (or avoiding it) may also be playing a part in the decision yet again. Remember, during the 49ers' Super Bowl run, the coach wanted to switch away from his then-signature red hat, but his wife put a stop to that.
"My wife will not let me (change it)," Shanahan said before the NFC Championship Game during the 2019 season. "I wore a red hat earlier in the year, and now she's so superstitious that if I take that off, I may lose."
Yes, as crazy as it sounds, Shanahan was asked about his decision not to wear a hat on Saturday night, and he confirmed that he is looking forward to his game-day attire not being reviewed week to week.
"No, no hat," Shanahan responded. "I wore it all the time when we [went to] a Super Bowl. Then it didn't go as well last year, so I don't want to have to do anything. So hopefully, we're not evaluating it each week, but thanks for asking."
As long as the 49ers start winning again, fans aren't going to care what the coach is wearing on the sidelines.