National/World Editor
I have experienced it all: the highs, the lows, and all that’s in between. I live through days of sorrow and days of pain, with my eyes glued to the screen. I live through wins and losses, but I still cheer loud; with my 49ers jersey on, I will always stand proud.
Every year, from September to February, my happiness depends on the performance of my favorite football team, the San Francisco 49ers. It is my team, and no matter how much it hurts me, I will always love it dearly. My allegiance began in my youth and since then, I have followed my team everywhere, from endzones, to stadiums, to tailgates.
My journey has been long and exhausting. Hot tears rolled down my face after the 2012 season when we lost in the Super Bowl to the Ravens; how naive and innocent I was! That was my first and last time crying though because the next year, my eyes couldn’t even produce tears when Richard Sherman ended our season and humiliated our franchise on live TV. I sent him such a mean instagram DM after that. We then entered the dark years, 2014 – 2018, where we didn’t have a winning record for five straight seasons! We even had Jim Tomsula, a guy who currently coaches AMERICAN football in Germany, as our coach at one point. I mean, what even was that?
But then came our savior coach, Kyle Shanahan. He and wonderboy Jimmy Garappalo turned things around until the latter tore his ACL. I then suffered some more, but with a little reshuffling and healing, the team grew into elite shape by 2019. Seven years after the Ravens loss, we were back in the Super Bowl to play the Chiefs. Yet, as Jimmy G sailed the ball over the hands of his receiver, the magical season ended in yet another heartbreaking Super Bowl loss. Again, we entered a dark age and bounced back just enough to lose in the NFC Championship game to the Rams last year.
So here we are in the 2022-23 season. The Jimmy Garappolo era fizzled into disappointment, and our star first round pick, Trey Lance, fractured his ankle only weeks ago. Garappolo is back on the stage, and I honestly don’t even like the guy anymore. The season isn’t looking good, and not a day goes by that I don’t think about the disappointment of the past. Yet, I remain positive. I remember that for every disappointment there has been a triumph, and though I have suffered greatly, the passion and emotion I feel for my team is a privilege. Nothing makes me feel more human than yelling at professional athletes on my TV. I find strength in my suffering and do not fear for the future because I am strong, I am capable, and I am a 49ers fan.
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