The 49er Problem

People often write us wondering, "why do you hate the 49ers?" or even worse, "how can you hate the 49ers?" Our usual response is that if you don't already hate them, it will be impossible for us to make you fully understand. In addition, every 49er-Hater will have their own personal reasons. That said, here is an outline of the nebulous concepts that form what we call the 49er Problem:

The Fans

The Philosophy

The Media

The Players

The Hype and Spin

49er fans, as a general rule, are the most fickle, the biggest whiners, and the biggest bandwagon fans of any team anywhere.
49er fans often possess little real football knowledge, usually can't name 5 players on their team, yet always talk the loudest.
Anytime you ask a 49er fan when they started liking the 49ers, they respond with some nonsense to try to cover up their bandwagon status. For example, some will say, "I used to watch them at Kezar," even if it's chronologically impossible due to their age.
Because most became 49er fans in 1981, they've never risked, suffered, or invested anything in their team, and thus lack character.
49er fans are fans of winning, not fans of the game of football.

(Note: while obviously not every 49er fan fits this stereotype, we believe it represents the vast majority)

The 49er style of football is boring and has watered down the game. While the 49er fan response is, "It wins, doesn't it?" that isn't the point. The point is that we want exciting football, where running backs actually run the ball and wide receivers run actual patterns, not 2 yard slants.
The organization, headed by Eddie DeBartolo, is often referred to as the class of the NFL in the face of incontrovertible evidence to the contrary.
The 49ers pioneered the reprehensible technique of restructuring contracts to circumvent the salary cap. The 49er fan response is, "they are just smart," but again that is not the point. The point is that all NFL owners agreed in good faith to follow the rules, and the 49ers deliberately exploited loopholes as would a sleazy lawyer.
A huge population of 49er fans are women that merely like the 49ers because it is fashionable. (please note: NHS has the utmost respect for women, we have many women members, and many of the most knowledgeable fans are women. We just do not agree with those women who know nothing about the game and yet loudly cheer for Joe or Steve or whoever is their man of the hour)
The majority of the news media are 49er fans and report with this bias. Not just local S.F. Bay Area media, but nationwide as well (see: Chris Berman).
NFL Referees consistently invent penalties to help the 49ers, ignore penalties made by the 49ers, rule 49er fumbles as "caused by the ground," rule 49er drops as completions, and so on, yet this is never discussed. But when a call, heaven forbid, actually go against the 49ers, you never hear the end of it.
The majority of TV broadcasters are 49er fans (many commentators are actually ex-49ers). When something is blatantly fudged in the 49ers favor, in plain view, often the commentators do not mention it, or the replay is not shown.
The media and agents like Leigh Steinberg have created a fake 49er image that they "treat their players better", so NFL players consistently and unwittingly volunteer to play for the 49ers for less than market value.
Every player on the 49ers is regarded as "the best ever," even if it contradicts; i.e., how can Joe Montana and Steve Young both be "the best QB ever?" Logically, there can be only one (and it's not either of them).
Jerry Rice continues to be regarded as "the best ever" even though:
1. he rarely runs a real pattern where he has to cut -- instead he runs a two yard slant in or goes in motion and catches a two yard out;
2. he takes less than 10 real hits per season, yet is called "tough";
3. his records are mostly the result of not being covered due to the offensive scheme, catching 2 yard touchdowns, and rules changes.
Ronnie Lott is regarded as "the best safety ever," even though he couldn't cover.

There's so much more . . . can we ever get to it all? We'll try our best!

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