LIANE HANSEN, host:
Later today, four football teams will face off in the NFL playoffs. The winners will compete in the Super Bowl next month. One of the quarterbacks playing today has a special spot in the heart of a teenage girl.
Jill Singer, a freelance writer from Laguna Hills, California explains the connection.
Ms. JILL SINGER (Freelance Writer, Laguna Hills, California): My daughter, Jaclyn, is a Southern California girlie girl, which means she carries a Chanel lip gloss in her purse, an iPhone in her pocket and doesn't miss an episode of "America's Next Top Model."
Despite appearing a bit L.A.-ed out, her roots are far from the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. She lived a decade in Wisconsin and is a certifiable cheese head - from her yearning for fried cheese curds to her passion for the Green Bay Packers.
Despite now living among the rich, famous and indulged, Jaclyn's hero isn't one of the starlets of her time. It's Packers quarterback Brett Favre. Her bedroom is a shrine to number four. While her friends pleaded for a new car for their sweet sixteen, Jaclyn only wanted a signed Favre jersey. Her game day ritual includes wearing the Jersey a full 24 hours. When I asked her if she is ever taunted for her choice of clothing, she answers sternly, what would it matter? We're talking Brett Favre.
Favre's drive to win against all odds is magical in Jaclyn's eyes. When she failed her driving test for the second time, she sobbed long and hard. I hired a driving instructor again to give her additional lessons but she still lacked confidence. Then, in a last ditch effort to get Jaclyn back in the driver seat, I told her Brett Favre would certainly find the courage to face the dreaded road test again.
Jaclyn agreed to return to the DMV for the third time. She got behind the wheel, the solemn-face examiner in the passenger seat. She looked out the window and mouthed Brett Favre - our secret signal for determination. She took off down the road. I hoped the thought of Favre would inspire her to emerge victorious. It did. When she finished the test, she jumped out of the car, her provisional license in hand, and did her own version of the Lambeau leap into my arms.
Last week, Jaclyn snagged a 50-yard-line seat at Lambeau Field and watched the Packers beat the Seattle Seahawks in a snowstorm. She witnessed her hero do what he does best - keep as cool, stay focused on the goal, inspire others to greatness and lead from his hands, heart and soul. Jaclyn came back to California, wearing a new Packers T-shirt. It said simply: Favre for president in '08.
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Ms. SINGER: I'd vote for that.
HANSEN: Jill Singer is a freelance writer who lives in Laguna Hills, California.
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This is NPR News.