49ers Now in Bay Area’s Cellar
After reigning over the San Francisco Bay Area’s professional sports landscape for the past three decades, the 49ers now find themselves firmly entrenched in it’s gallows. In a metropolitan with teams in each of the four major sports, including two each in baseball and football, the 49ers have sunk to a level not seen in my lifetime. Falling to this point required once being at the very top of the mountain, a memory now so distant it seems a lifetime ago.
Bill Walsh and Joe Montana ushered in the dynasty which would propel the 49ers to national attention and make them the region’s dominant franchise in the early 1980’s. This rise to prominence came on the heels of a 1970’s that saw the city of Oakland enjoy tremendous sporting success as the Raiders and Athletics combined to win 5 titles in the period from 1972 to 1980.
By 1982, the 49ers had won their first Super Bowl and the Raiders had moved to Los Angeles. As for the rest of the Bay Area, fans had little to pay attention to. With the exception of a magical run in 1989, the San Francisco Giants were a nondescript bunch until Barry Bonds came to the team in 1993. The A’s have enjoyed a couple periods of great success, particularly in the late eighties and early 2000’s, yet won only a single championship in that time. The San Jose Sharks didn’t even exist until 1991, while the Warriors challenged every definition of futility for the greater part of two decades.
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How times have changed by the Bay. The Warriors are a win away from back to back championships. The Giants have won three World Series’ in six years. The Raiders, albeit with the dark cloud of Las Vegas looming overhead, have a franchise quarterback and pass rusher capable of finally leading them out of the NFL cellar. The Sharks just lost in the Stanley Cup finals and the A’s are stuck in Lew Wolff hell for the foreseeable future. What still places the A’s over the 49ers however, is their relative harmony compared with the dysfunctional mess at 49ers headquarters. Throwing even more fuel on the fire are the resurgences of both Stanford’s and U.C. Berkeley’s athletic programs.
To see the day when the San Francisco 49ers are the low water mark of all Bay Area sports teams is a humbling thing to witness. The expectations of winning and Super Bowl contention have long disappeared. The desire to just see a competitive team on the field can be all that 49ers fans wish for today. Simply not being the worst professional team in the Bay Area would be a nice place to start.
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