49ers’ Faithful

Olivia DeGracaThe Santa ClaraOctober 12, 2017I am no fair weather fan, but being a 49ers fan has been a tough pill to swallow over the past five years. After the franchise’s last Conference Championship win in 2012, winning seems to be at a premium for San Francisco. But, despite my team’s record, I still wear my red and gold. As a Bay Area native, I come from a background of die-hard fans devoted to the Golden State Warriors, San Francisco Giants and San Francisco 49ers. But basketball and baseball have not posed an issue for us Bay Area fans, at least not in the same way football has. It is easy to love the skills, swagger and style of Steph Curry, so being a Golden State Warriors fan is a nobrainer. Unless you have been living under a rock, you know the Warriors are undoubtedly the powerhouse NBA team of the decade. The Giants were wildly exciting from 2010-2014, winning the World Series every other year. Our football team is another story. The 49ers have not won a Super Bowl since 1995, which marked the end of their famed winning period in which they won all five of their franchise Super Bowls. Starting with their first Super Bowl win in 1981, the 80s and 90s were a golden age for the red and gold. In 2012, there seemed to be a light at the end of the tunnel when the Niners won their first conference championship in nearly two decades. Unfortunately, they won their way to their first and only Super Bowl loss when they were defeated by the Baltimore Ravens 34-31. True Niners fans are not the ones that only followed Joe Montana, Ronnie Lott, Dwight Clark and Jerry Rice, but rather the ones who have continued to stand behind the recently departed Colin Kaepernick, Carlos Hyde, Joe Staley and the rest of the 2017 roster. Real fans are the ones who kept cheering in last Sunday’s devastating 26-23 overtime loss against the Colts. To be a 49ers fan is to admit that, although our 2016 record was a devastating 2-14, we still promise to wear a Hyde jersey on Sundays. Of course, we would rather be restored to our former glory under Joe Montana and Head Coach Bill Walsh, but until then we will continue to sit in practically empty stands at Levi’s Stadium here in Santa Clara. Our football team may not have a Steph Curry or Buster Posey, but we look forward to the day that we do. We will stay hopeful and hungry and take our wins as they come. No matter the coaching staff or roster changes, the fans of the 2013-2017 49ers team are the true fans. Our commitment to our struggling team is why they call San Francisco 49er fans “The Faithful.” If you gave up after 1995, we call you “fair weather.” Olivia DeGraca is a sophomore communication major.