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Dear National Sports Media,
Why do you hate San Francisco? I’m sorry to call you out like this directly, but I really need to know what your beef is with Fog City. It seems like it’s downright painful for you to talk about San Francisco sports teams with even a hint of positivity, never mind admiration.
I noticed it first in the 2010 MLB playoffs when Fox Sports took over coverage. The Giants were beating the odds and staying in it. Although we often won by the skin of our teeth, inspiring the motto: “Giants Baseball: Torture,” we were winning games nonetheless. Instead of commending our ability to come back under pressure, we were admonished for continuing to “almost blow it.” Instead of discussing our dream team bullpen, I heard a lot about our lack of solid hitting. Instead of complimenting our gorgeous ballpark, there were myriad remarks on our offbeat fanbase.
And then we won the World Series.
Throughout the season a lot of fans were complaining about bandwagoners hopping on board the Giants victory train, and I thought, “No big deal, let them join the magic, the more the merrier.” Well let me tell you, the national sports media were the biggest bandwagoners out there, and I was mystified at the sudden support for San Francisco. I wanted to tell all those imposters to “GRAB SOME PINE, MEAT!”
Fast forward and here we are in the opening weeks of the NFL season. Admittedly, the 49ers have had some rough years leading up to 2011 which I lamented here. But we have a coach in Jim Harbaugh who, quarterback brain to quarterback brain, has apparently gotten through to Alex Smith. We have a respectable, even impressive 4-1 record. And Sunday we defeated the Buccaneers 48-3. I don’t know if you caught it but that is a FOUR in front of the eight. Not only that, but we were up by so many points, we were able to give our second-string QB some action. It was a beautiful, well-rounded display of football dominance.
During the game, the TV audience was bombarded with abyssmal statistics about the 49ers past performances. I was told that, although the Buccaneers were losing by a 30-points–and-climbing deficit, they were “still looking pretty good out there.” And today, as I’m writing this, I have Googled the top news stories on the 49ers in the last 24 hours and they are:
“49ers lose wideout Joshua Morgan to broken leg”
“Where 49ers, Seahawks should rank”
“Bucs say confidence not shaken by 45-point loss to 49ers”
Um… wherefore art thou “49ers handily defeat Bucs on their way to an impressive comeback season,” pray tell?
To top it all off, a considerable amount of coverage has been given to Michael Vick and the constantly choking, 1-4 Eagles. Seriously?! You’re all haters, and I want an explanation. Or, alternatively, you could cover San Francisco sports teams as if they’re actually legitimate. Either one works for me.
Yours in perpetual exasperation,
Miss MCD
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