Iowa Man with ‘It Wasn’t a Fair Catch’ Sign at World Series Has Been Identified

The smile on the face of this Iowa fan at last night's third game of the 2023 World Series in Arizona said it all. He was having a great time cheering on one of his favorite teams while also clearly getting a kick out of bringing more attention to what happened to his home state Hawkeyes more than a week ago. So who is this guy? Let's answer that question.

One fan noted that "This guy switched sports, travelled all the way to Arizona, and bought a front row World Series ticket…just to see what actual offense looks like." Nope. Arizona scored one run last night and lost to Texas 3-1. The Rangers now hold a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

The sign last night caught the eye of viewers, both fans and sports sites.

Even Iowa punt returner Cooper Dejean took note.

And so did his dad.

There was speculation that the Iowa fan may have dropped as much as $1500 on his World Series ticket, to "flash" his sign. I don't think anybody believes he went just for that.

Even Iowa's Assistant Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Coach Seth Wallace commented on it.

The gold-clad Hawkeye fan is a native of Pella, Iowa, who played college football in his hometown at Central College. According to KNIA/KRLS, his name is Marc Poortinga, and he is a member of the Central College Board of Trustees. According to his LinkedIn profile, Poortinga is the owner of Distinctive Custom Cabinetry in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Do I wish the call near the end of the Iowa-Minnesota game would've gone differently? Absolutely. However, if Iowa had won the game would Iowa Interim Athletic Director Beth Goetz announced yesterday that Brian Ferentz wouldn't return as Offensive Coordinator next season? We'll never know. Regardless, as Cody Hills tweeted the morning after the game, "I hate it for him (Cooper Dejean) most."