Niners Saved Bay Area Sports This Year
Thinking about how Bay Area pro sports had turned this past year, until this 49 run to the SuperBowl flipped that narative on it’s head, made pause for reflection. We had just witnessed the Warrior Dynasty buckle – KD gone for good, Iggy gone as a result, Klay down for a season and then, Steph breaks his hand. While it’s hard to count a team with a healthy Steph, Klay, Dray and now DLo paired with a top draft pick, nothing’s guaranteed. And a full year in the equavlent of “basketball time-out” has sucked. In baseball, we watched the Giants continue their creative destruction, in hopes that they’ll get back to the top of the mountain as well. But in that process, we’ve said goodbye to Bochy, MadBum and almost all the role players who were part of those 2010-2014 glory years. This turnaround’s gonna take a little more time.
Do we even dare mention the East Bay teams, beyond stating the obvious… that THEY SUCKED? For the A’s, at least there’s hope that a new stadium will get them out of their seemingly permanent “farm system” status. Would a new owner would do more to advance the cause? And for the Raiders, I know they’re half the Bay’s team, and they’re love. But damn, they done did Oakland wrong twice now. Proof, that as far as ownership is concerned, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I know that some will remain loyal, but come on now, Ken Stabler and that crew were like 100 years ago. It’s true. Those pirate jerseys sure do look good. But while Raider’s fans were looking good, almost always the other team was celebrating in the end. And now they’re gone from the Bay Area; again.
And while all that was happening, the 49ers kind of magically stepped into the void. The groundwork that had been laid a couple years prior, surprise, surprise, it all “just worked” big time. The 49ers are fun again.
They’re “the team” worth rooting for. They put in the work with a little bit of that Mamba Mentality. They’re the loveable band of talented but wacky characters (Kittle, Bosa, Mostert, and Sherman), with a handsome QB (Jimmy G) who doesn’t need to pass much… let’s not forget the coaching (Kyle Shanahan, Robert Saleh, etc.) and the front office (led by John Lynch). Thank you Niners. This journey you’ve taken us on has led not only you to the SuperBowl, at least for this year, you’ve saved pro sports in the Bay Area.
Not too big on predictions, the game seems like it will be close – Niners defense pressures Mahomes into two interceptions and take it 38-33. Sound plausible? We’ll see.
If you haven’t already scoured every Bleacher Report “article” out there, here are a few links for more insights into the game itself and all the fun surrounding the game.
Game Breakdown / Predictions
* https://www.si.com/nfl/2020/01/31/super-bowl-liv-bold-predictions-chiefs-49ers
* https://www.espn.com/chalk/story/_/id/28600448/super-bowl-liv-chris-berman-swami-sez-pick-san-francisco-49ers-kansas-city-chiefs
* https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/28582604/barnwell-super-bowl-liv-preview-know-49ers-chiefs-predictions-more
* https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/page/viewersguide200202/what-know-super-bowl-liv-49ers-chiefs-picks-mvp-predictions-prop-bets-more
* http://www.nfl.com/videos/game-theory/0ap3000001098622/Game-Theory-Final-Super-Bowl-LIV-score-projection
49 Player Stories
* https://nypost.com/2020/01/30/shocking-jimmy-garoppolo-trade-set-49ers-on-super-bowl-course/
* http://www.nfl.com/labs/sidelines/george-kittle/george-kittle
* https://www.49ers.com/video/49ers-raheem-mostert-surfing-touchdown-celebration-nfl-network
* http://www.nfl.com/videos/super-bowl-live/0ap3000001100101/Why-Richard-Sherman-wasn-t-afraid-to-take-a-chance-on-himself
Around the Game
* https://people.com/music/jennifer-lopez-shakira-headline-super-bowl-2020-halftime-show/
* https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/Ad-Meter/2020/01/29/super-bowl-commercials-2020-watch-latest-ads-super-bowl-liv/4608394002/
* https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/puppy-bowl-2020-time-tv-channel-live-stream/ghf49sgh83hl1edrz5imnavdj
On my way to the big dance can’t take a chance @off____white let’s bring home the 6th super bowl ring @49ers #questforsix #bangbangninergang pic.twitter.com/lhVB0ydyId
— E40 The Counselor (@E40) January 31, 2020
Main Image Credit: Cpl. Salvador Moreno, U.S. Marines
