I've had a fair amount of feedback about my apparent change of heart regarding the 49ers after tossing aside my season tickets, only to pay a premium for playoff tickets the past couple of weeks.
Here's the thing - I never stopped rooting for the 49ers or caring about their performance on the field. You don't write a blog for over a year without having a vested interest in the subject matter. It's not like I'm in it for the money (thanks for nothing, Google adSense).
Some folks have asked if I regret giving up my season tickets just as the team had a complete reversal of fortune.
I don't.
While I didn't expect the 49ers to be hosting the NFC Championship game this season, everything else is going about how I planned: cherry-pick a few choice games to attend each year and purchase tickets on the secondary market above face-value. It just so happens that the "few choice games" (for a variety of circumstances) ended up being played in the postseason.
The total amount of money I've spent on tickets for the playoffs is dwarfed by the amount of money I spent during any of the past several seasons to watch the Niners stumble aimlessly through the abyss of the NFL's bottom-feeders.
By the time I got rid of our season tickets, I had realized that half of the guaranteed games on the home schedule every year (two preseason games plus the three divisional "rivalry" games against the Seahawks, Cardinals and Rams) were matchups I didn't want to waste a Sunday afternoon for. Throw in at least one or two other clunkers on the schedule (for example, the Cleveland Browns this year), and the math just didn't add up.
Watch the game on my 55-inch TV with plenty of beverages and snacks a few feet away in the fridge? Sure. Deal with gameday experience at Candlestick Park? Not so much.
Part of the blame belongs to Candlestick itself, which has become more of a logistical nightmare every year. Part of the blame belongs to the NFL for destroying the old NFC West after the 2001 season. And part of the blame belongs to me for getting older, moving farther away from the stadium and deciding that there are better things to do with half of my weekend than drag my ass up the 101 to see the 49ers face the likes of the aforementioned Seahawks (who still belong in the AFC) and Cardinals (who still belong on the preseason schedule).
I'm a Niner fan - always have been, always will be. But being a fan of the team doesn't mean you have to be a fan of their stadium or give them money for things you don't want to pay for.
But enough about me.
GO NINERS!!!
Nice work!
ReplyDeleteWell said....and exactly what we feel as well--for many of the same reasons. Go NINERS!
ReplyDeleteNice post Meyer.
ReplyDeleteI never doubted your love for the Niners. I also know your beef has been with ownership, and I don't blame you one bit for that. As diehards, I think we can and should accept the new power structure, and that includes 'Lil Jed, but only if he keeps his hands off the stearing wheel.
One thing you aren't is a bandwagoner or hypocrite!
On a side note, I flew down from Anchorage last week for the Saints game, flying down for this one too, only problem is that I'm bringing my Giants fan wife with me. This week has been tough on the marriage. Go Niners!