San Francisco Has a Bad Case of Loser Denial (49ers, that is)

/ Adam Nash

I had an alternate version of the title of this blog:

Diane Feinstein is a loser.

But I  had a problem when I discovered, today, in the San Jose Mercury News, that I would also need to add Carole Migden to the title, as in:

Back off Diane Feinstein & Carole Migden.

Hopefully, I went with the best version.  I hope, however, that Diane and Carole find their way to my blog somehow, to hear this simple message:

The 49ers are moving to Santa Clara.  Get over it.

San Francisco is a beautiful city.  I have a lot of friends who choose to live there, for various reasons.  But there days as the center of the Bay Area are long over.  San Francisco is on the periphery of Silicon Valley – more of a specialized niche for people who will give up weather and land for nightlife and long commutes.

Some basic facts:

  • San Francisco has about 15% of the Bay Area population now.  About 750K out of 5M.  San Mateo & Santa Clara counties are clearly larger.
  • The fans aren’t in San Francisco.  Only 10% of 49ers season ticket holders live in San Francisco.  30% live in Santa Clara or San Mateo counties.  Yes, read that again.  San Francisco is actually under-indexed for season ticket holders, compared to their share of the population.
  • It is very common for a sports team to have a stadium outside the name of the city proper.  Where do the New York Jets play again?

The news about Diane Feinstein really pisses me off.  Last I checked, she was a US Senator from California, not San Francisco.  She has for more constituents who benefit from this move than those that lose out.

I will admit to not being a huge football fan myself.  The truth is, when the 49ers aren’t that good, I just don’t care that much.  I don’t watch college football.

But I grew up watching the Oakland A’s and the San Francisco 49ers, and I’m extremely excited about the fact that within a few years, I’ll be able to take my son to games so close to home.   The design of the Cisco Stadium looks fantastic for the A’s, and I’m assuming the new 49ers stadium will also be impressive.

San Franciscans usually brag about their access to culture – symphony, opera, museums, etc.  Consider losing the 49ers a good way to cleanse your city of the more mundane and brutish elements.

That’s better left to the vast majority of fans here in the Valley.  The study is kicked off, and no new taxes to pay for the stadium.  Now, that’s the Silicon Valley I love.

See you in 2012.