Green Bay Packers Fan is Taking His Soon-to-be Wife's Name...because it's "Packer"

Ryan Holtan-Murphy, a Green Bay Packers superfan, is going to marry Marie Packer, and he's taking her name so he can finally call himself an actual Packer. Ryan met Marie—who is not a Packers fan, or sports fan in general—at law school reunion event in Wisconsin when she tagged along with her cousin, who was Ryan's classmate. The two hit it off that night, and Ryan told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that everything about her was sending him signals, but the name "was like a thunderbolt for me. Her last name was just the flashing neon sign saying, 'this is the one!'"

I called Ryan up earlier today to talk a little bit more about the name change and while he's not making a political/feminist stand out of the decision, he had "absolutely no issue" taking his soon-to-be wife's name, though he did joke that things might be different if her last name were "Minnesota Vikings."

"I never thought of it in terms of gender," he said, but "I don't see why it has to be the woman who is always changing her name." From speaking to him, you get the sense that his is legitimately a huge fan and changing his name just makes sense, like he'd be stupid not to, and social convention is irrelevant. The Sentinel report mentioned that his father had a few questions about it, but Ryan said that was more so because his dad isn't a Packers fan and he doesn't really understand the extent of his son's fandom, which he admits has led him to do other "goofy things" in support of the team. Like the time he made his dad sit through a beating at the hands of the New York Jets in Lambeau, as visiting Jets fans threw beer and hot chocolate at them. Or when he made them stop a hike along the coastline of Ireland on a beautiful day to find a pub to watch the Packers game.

But what about friends and coworkers? What do they make of this? It all depends on the nature of their relationship.

"People that know me well are absolutely unsurprised, " he said. Others might look at him a little funny, but the Packers have been the number one love of his life so it only makes sense to combine it with his new love. And he said Marie's willingness to indulge him, "that she gets it and is going along with it," are strong points in her already loaded "pro" column.

I asked him if he was concerned having the name Packer might put him at a disadvantage in the relationship. Would he let her win arguments or not speak up for himself for fear of angering her and possibly losing the name? "I think once I change it," he said, "I'm going to keep it no matter what."

Finally, I asked him if there was anything else in his life on the same level as the Packers that he would consider changing his name to?

He thought about it for a bit and then said, "maybe Miller beer?"