The Super Bowl hype machine has been well underway for the better part
of the past two weeks.
On Sunday, it will be time for good old fashioned football as the San Francisco
49ers and Kansas City Chiefs square off in Super Bowl LIV in Miami. Growing
up a lifelong 49er fan in Napa, CA, it seems like old times. Though there is a
conflicting feeling. My best friend from my college days (Jason Page) at the
University of Nebraska along with Clayton Corbin, who is a family friend, are
Kansas City Chiefs fans. Jason is my Nebraska brother because we formed an
incredible friendship that still exists today despite a 1,500 mile distance. Don’t
worry Jason and Clayton, I’ll still love you like always. It just so happens that our
conflicting allegiances will be colliding on Sunday.
For the Chiefs, this marks their first Super Bowl appearance since 1970, when
they throttled the Minnesota Vikings 23-7 in Super Bowl IV. For the 49ers, this is
their first Super Bowl appearance since 2012, when they lost to the Baltimore
Ravens 34-31. San Francisco, which has five Vince Lombardi trophies to its
resume, last won the Super Bowl in 1994, when they railroaded the San Diego
Chargers 49-26.
Super Bowl Sunday, however, is more than football. Granted, you also have
people watching the game but they are also consuming food like it were
Thanksgiving and drinking adult beverages (for those who partake) as if it were
New Year’s Eve.
The game has become a de facto national holiday in that it is the most watched
television broadcast of the year. You have people watching the game that don’t
care about football. Besides the action on the field, there are the pregame and
halftime ceremonies. I like the pregame feature stories because by that time, my
brain is saturated with game breakdowns.
I’ve had a star-crossed life as a 49er fan. From 1981-1998, I saw them reach the
NFL summit five times. The years they did not, they were always in contention with
the likes of the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Washington Redskins, Chicago
Bears and Los Angeles Rams to name a few. Then, 1999 happened. From that
point until now, the 49ers have had just six winning seasons in 20 years, including
this season’s 13-3 regular-season record.
Steve Mariucci was fired after the 2002 season despite back-to-back postseason appearances. Then came an eight-year run of some pretty wretched football under
Dennis Erickson, Mike Nolan and Mike Singletary. Then came the Jim Harbaugh
four-year oasis that saw three straight trips to the NFC Title Game, including one
Super Bowl appearance (the aforementioned loss to the Ravens).
Despite the on-field success under Harbaugh, there was frequent friction between
he and the powers-that-be that led to his demise and two rancid years under Jim
Tomsula and Chip Kelly.
Then came the coach-general manager duo of Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch.
The first two years were difficult, going 10-22, but watching the team week-by-week,
you sensed a talent and culture change. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect
this season’s success. I thought 10-6 at best, perhaps winning a playoff game. Now
here we are one win away from raising a sixth Lombardi Trophy, which would tie
the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots.
I caught 49er fever at an early age courtesy of my dad (Joe) and older brother
(Mike). I remember being a 9-year-old boy crowded in the living room of my oldest
sister’s apartment as the 49ers beat the Cincinnati Bengals. Three years later,
when the 49ers beat the Miami Dolphins going away 38-16, I remember taking a
family ski trip to Lake Tahoe. It was skiing in the morning and Super Bowl watching
in the afternoon.
In 1988 and 1989, I was at my brother’s house watching the 49ers win in different
fashions, 20-16 over Cincinnati and 55-10 over the Denver Broncos.
Five years later, I was in my college residence hall lounge watching with a few
dorm mates. As for this Sunday, I don’t know where yet, but you can bet your
mortgage I will be planted in front of the TV in my Archie Bunker chair.
The 49ers being back in the Super Bowl brings back great memories for me
because from 1987-1997, my dad had season tickets.
I felt like I was living a dream getting to go to 49er games in their glory years. My
first game I went with my dad was in 1984 against the New Orleans Saints. Matt
Cavanaugh relieved an injured Joe Montana for the 49ers and Ken Stabler, who
was an Oakland Raider legend, was the Saints’ quarterback.
My dad gave up his tickets after 1997 because I had gone away to college and he
was hard-pressed to find people to go with him that were as passionate about it as
I was. Besides the fact that my appreciation for football coincided with the 49er
dynasty, it became easy to root for them because the Oakland Raiders had moved
to L.A.
You see, in these parts we are conditioned to loathe any team from La-La Land.
The Raiders moved back to Oakland in 1995 but I still didn’t like them.
However, in 1999 I had a chance to pick up some freelance writing work with Silver
& Black Illustrated (a Raiders magazine). That was my second income for six years.
Needless to say, I took a lot of needling for that. Mostly good-natured ribbing (which
I don’t mind) but every now and then I’d get a “how could you?” or “you traitor.”
At which point I’d say, “When your dream was to have a taste of covering pro sports,
there is no way in heck you turn it down.”
More than anything, that experience taught me to look at what both teams do
more objectively. So it ended up morphing into supporting both.
I know most people see it as taboo to root for both, but I disagree because the 49ers
and Raiders rivalry is between the fans, not the players.
You listen to some people talking about me liking both, you would think I liked both
the Raiders and Broncos or Giants and Eagles.
Heck, the Niners and Raiders only play every four years in the regular season.
However, with the Raiders moving to Las Vegas, I am done rooting for both.
From that announcement forward, it’s been all about Red & Gold.
I foresee a compelling matchup on Sunday though I’m not going to break the game
down because you’ve probably had enough by now. Kansas City quarterback
Patrick Mahomes is virtuoso talent but I think San Francisco is a more complete
team from A to Z. Though I’m not discounting the Chiefs, I see San Francisco
prevailing, 31-23.
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