NEED TO KNOW
- Amari Thomas has been with NFL rookie Ty Hamilton since they were in high school
- The influencer shares how she feels about the term WAG and how its evolved over the years
- Speaking with PEOPLE exclusively, Thomas opens up about supporting Hamilton both on and off the field
Amari Thomas, the fiancée of Los Angeles Rams rookie defensive tackle Ty Hamilton, always had mixed emotions about the term “WAG.”
“I used to not love the word. I think it had a negative connotation,” Thomas, 23, tells PEOPLE. “Whenever I’d hear the word, I’d cringe, but I slowly felt like it really is just wives and girlfriends. For me, it’s so much more than that. I think people don’t realize how much we do behind the scenes.”
After years of shying away from the label, the influencer has “full-throttle dove into just a platform of being a WAG.”
Amari
Recently, Thomas created a TikTok series called “Unfiltered WAG Diary,” where she shares insights into her life and relationship.
“I’ve always been such an independent person, and I’m so blessed to have a partner that allows me to be who I am, but we complement each other so well to the point where I can use this platform as my own,” Thomas shares.
Thomas and Hamilton, 23, have been together since they were teenagers. Last year, Hamilton won the College Football Playoff National Championship with Ohio State before being drafted to the Rams.
Amari
New to the Rams community, both Thomas and Hamilton have been adjusting to the switch from college to professional football — and all the challenges that come with it, from new teammates to a naviagting a new city and finding new friends.
“You’re in a community where there are so many different people coming in and out, it’s really not for the weak,” Thomas shares. “You have to be able to meet different people truly and have a social battery of no other because you’re constantly being thrown in different situations.”
Over the years, Thomas has found her WAG style, leaning into customized pieces with Hamilton’s name and number.
“I started to do that and truly fell in love with being able to represent him in a way. And I remember, like, I would go to games, and people would look at me crazy. I was overdressed. And I remember people would be like, ‘Why is she in heels, or why is she wearing his number?’ It was just something that truly made me happy, and it made Ty happy,” she shares.
Thomas notes that it’s nice to “have a sense of self” and a way to “express” herself while also being immersed “in a world that’s so football-driven.”
In fact, she says Hamilton even gets in on the fun, and they often brainstorm outfits together.
Amari
“Then we get together after the game and be like, ‘Well, how do people like your outfit?’ It’s cool to see that come together and pages who track WAG outfits will post me, and he’ll send ’em to me, and it’s really cute to see how supportive he is,” Thomas explains.
“It’s something he’s really passionate about, and I love to watch him have an interest outside of football, which I think is really important,” she adds. “Now that he’s finally found what he likes, he’s driven to find outfits for himself. It’s inspired other big people to realize they can dress too. We get together, we find outfits, and it’s been fun because that’s another bonding moment.”
Both Hamilton and Thomas will surely be wearing their best threads for Sunday’s NFC Championship game against the Seattle Seahawks.
No matter how big the game, Thomas says she always tries to keep “very calm,” noting that “if you keep your nerves intact before the game, you’ll be fine.”
“For me, it consists of getting up, walking my dogs, doing those little things,” she shares. “Then we have a tailgate that everyone goes to, which is a lot of fun. We’ll have a pregame tailgate, hosted by the Rams. We get to see a lot of family members and friends, and that’s our meetup spot.”
Amari
When it comes to the playoffs, however, she admits they “have amped it up a bit.”
“We take party buses and sprinters, and we get ready together, and we do pregaming at the bars that are near the stadiums. We’ve had a lot of fun doing that,” Thomas says.
Regardless of the highs and lows that come with professional sports, Thomas says her bond with Hamilton has been steady through it all.
“We’ve been together for so long, we’ve learned the ins and outs of each other. I feel like I was put in this role specifically to be a great partner for him and vice versa,” she tells PEOPLE. “We balance each other out.”
“In football, I’ve supported him, and he is my biggest fan. With everything going on in the WAG space, he’s constantly told me how proud he is of me.”
