2023: Kickoff Premium Edition

T he Sun never SeTS on The niner S empire

Rabid fans ring the globe, forming a club more than 100 chapters strong

BY JASON MASTRODONATO

Joe and Monica Leonor and their children, Isaac, 14, and Dominic, 11, keep all kinds of Niners memorabilia at their Oakley home, including this football locker used by former 49ers player Jesse Sapolu when they played at Candlestick Park.

JOSE CARLOS FAJARDO/STAFF

For Lawrence Lofts and his mates in London, their 49ers fandom is far less about the city of San Francisco, the franchise’s colors or its NFL history.

Lofts started the “Jimmy G-Unit London Niner Chapter” in the UK for one reason: “The drink.”

Lofts, a London native and the president of one of more than 100 local chapters of the Niner Empire fan club stationed around the world, had no intention of becoming a 49ers supporter. In the 1980s and ’90s, “the 49ers were winning everything,” he said, referring to the team’s five Super Bowl victories in 14 seasons from 198194. Lofts enjoyed cheering for an underdog, like his beloved Fulham Football Club, which was established in 1879 and is still seeking its first major championship.

But when he paid a visit to the Bay Area in 2017 and noticed there was a Thursday night game between the then-struggling 49ers and Rams, Lofts was curious.

In England, he said, tailgating isn’t a thing. Fans can go drinking in a pub designed to host fans of one team — and one team only. Mixing fans together just doesn’t happen. And the idea of driving into a half-empty “car park” on a Thursday afternoon “was crazy.”

But he got in touch with Joe Leonor, the founder of The Niners Empire, for the Thursday night game.

“They treated us like family from the second we got there,” Lofts said. “The drink was flowing. The game itself was crazy, but we lost, 41-39.

“The next day my friend said, ‘you know, you told Joe you’d open a chapter in London.’ I didn’t remember that. I make a

lot of drunk promises. But I keep my promises.”

Over the next two years, as the 49ers went a combined 10-22 and ended up with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 draft, Lofts’ love of the struggling 49ers grew rapidly. He decided to book a ticket to Nashville for the 2019 NFL Draft.

“I went on my own, didn’t know a soul,” he said. “There were a lot of 49ers fans, and I saw on the Facebook page that there was a party going on. I walked down to the bottom of a field, and there were a load of 49ers fans in the corner. They couldn’t have welcomed me more, wouldn’t let me buy a drink, wouldn’t let me provide any food. It was just a pure family.”

When he got back to England, Lofts opened his 49ers chapter and named it after Jimmy Garoppolo, the team’s quarterback at the time.

Since then, Lofts has grown his chapter of the fan club to include 20 people, many who have no idea how American football works but appreciate the tendency to get liquored up while making new friends. They’ve made it across the pond for at least two games each season.

On most Sundays during the NFL season, they watch English football — soccer to most Americans — in the afternoon and catch the 49ers game in the evening.

“It’s an absolute obsession,” said Lofts, who has a 49ers flag draped over his living room window and named his dog Deebo after star wide receiver Deebo Samuel. He’s hoping Deebo will meet his namesake one day, if the Niners ever get to play in London.

Leonor said Lofts is one of his more passionate chapter presidents.

“That dude can drink,” Leonor said. “Lawrence was actually a professional boxer. He brings his son out here once in a while, too. He’s just a really nice guy.”

Opposite page: The Oakley home of Niners fan Joe Leonor is a jackpot of memorabilia, including a replica of the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

Left: The autographs of former San Francisco 49ers head coach Bill Walsh and many other players adorn a a construction helmet and a football locker used by former San Francisco 49ers player Jesse Sapolu when they played at Candlestick Park.

JOSE CARLOS FAJARDO/ STAFF

Leonor started The Niners Empire almost 20 years ago. He was trying to get a group of 49ers fans together by using MySpace, because he wanted to have some buddies to watch the game with if he was traveling outside of the Bay Area and the 49ers were playing.

“Sports is the only thing that brings people from all different walks of life together,” said Leonor, who spent 25 years as part of the gang unit for the San Mateo Police Department but is now retired. “I’ve had people I sent to prison come and tailgate with me. I’ve had my gang unit, people from the task force, tailgate with me. There are never any issues. It’s just about football.”

Leonor now helps anybody from anywhere on the planet find their 49ers family.

Lisa Wertz is a Riverside native who left the Bay Area more than 30 years ago. She grew tired of rooting for the 49ers alone and got connected with Leonor on social media, then started her own chapter in Virginia Beach.

When she moved to Des Moines, Iowa, she brought the chapter with her.

“I moved to Chiefs and Packers territory,” Wertz said. “When I went anywhere with my 49ers gear, they looked at me like I should not be there. I just figured there were more people out there feeling the same way, still supporting our Niners. I wanted to get everybody together.”

Wertz started the fan club with about 15 members,

Today, the Niner Empire has chapters in 40 states and 11 countries, including Mexico, Canada, England, Germany, Switzerland and New Zealand.

“Sports is the only thing that brings people from all different walks of life together.

… There are never any issues. It’s just about football.”

Joe Leonor, creator of The Niners Empire fan club

all of them close friends or relatives. It’s grown to 194 active members.

Each Sunday, about 30 or 40 of them will meet up at a bar or restaurant.

“Any place that has enough space for us,” Wertz said. “We usually call ahead and warn them. We’re a nice friendly bunch, but we’re loud and proud. No matter where we’re at, any 49ers fan who walks in the door comes to us like one big family.”

Leonor said The Niner Empire has chapters in 11 countries, including Mexico, Canada, England, Germany, Switzerland and New Zealand. There are chapters in 40 states in the U.S., including 15 in Texas. He’s also started linking up with fan clubs of other

teams — even the Cowboys — to participate in the tailgate with them.

“We haven’t had one issue,” Leonor said. “All the Cowboys fans were on one side, the Niners fans were on the other side. We all walked in together.

“It’s all about camaraderie. That’s the ultimate thing, is bringing people together. You cater to whoever is from out of town, make sure they have a good time. Then you talk (smack) to each other before and after and have fun.”

On the 49ers official website, there’s a map of the world with pins in each city where a 49ers fan club exists. Most of them are part of The Niner Empire, although they aren’t officially affiliated.

Leonor said there’s been some disconnect since the opening of Levi’s Stadium in 2014. As many as 5,000 people often try to tailgate together on Sundays, he said, but security guards keep kicking them out of parking lots and have since moved them so far away from the stadium that they had to take Ubers to get to the game.

“Tailgating is an event, it’s part of football for the hardcore fans,” he said. “The Niners really seem like they don’t care about it.”

But to Leonor, it’s not just about the drinking.

“Ultimately, we will go there to watch our Niners,” he said. “It keeps growing and growing every year. It’s because we’re all about taking care of each other.”

Shootin’ the breeze with two linemen

Trent Williams and Aaron Banks talk football, fatherhood and golf

BY CAM INMAN

When Trent Williams took a seat near the practice field at training camp, naturally plunking down to his right was Aaron Banks.

Williams is the 49ers’ 10-time All-Pro left tackle. Banks, an Alameda native who went to El Cerrito High, is a second-year starter at left guard. Their cohesion not only anchors the offensive line but protects the blind side of their quarterback.

To better grasp the Williams-Banks bond, we peppered them with questions:

Trent, now that you’ve played a season together, what have you learned about Aaron?

Williams: “I learned a lot about Banks in the last year, a lot more than his (2021) rookie year. It’s his determination and will to just continue to be better, adding IQ to the work ethic, the size and attributes. I’ve just got a different respect for him after this past year.”

Aaron, is there something about playing next to Trent that opened your eyes that you didn’t know from watching on film?

Banks: “It’s awesome. He’s like an encyclopedia of the game. He brought me along a decent amount. Honestly, a lot was just my technique and giving me tips here and there. Just us commu-

nicating and gelling, it’s helped with our relationship. That comes with reps. But he’s going into Year 13 … ”

Williams: “14!”

Banks: “Old.”

Williams: “Seasoned, bro.”

Banks: “Very seasoned.”

Trent, have you always thought you had to be a mentor?

Williams: “I wouldn’t say always. But as I got older, I understood the disparity and the readiness that O-linemen come into the NFL with compared to other positions, because we have one of the hardest positions to play. The college game and the NFL game is night and day. Years back, I had Chris Samuels — when I was in Washington — as a mentor. I always wanted to return that favor.”

Aaron, do you remember a tip he gave you last season?

Banks: “He still tells me all the time, ‘Protect your chest.’ I’m still working with it. He’s full of game. I can ask him any question, and he’ll give me what he knows. If he doesn’t know it, he’ll point me in the right direction on who to ask.”

You both had children last season. (Williams a fourth daughter; Banks’ first child, a son.) Did Trent give you any fatherhood advice?”

Williams: “I told him not to wake up when the baby wakes up, to let his wife do it, because he has to work. He got up, trust me.” Banks: “I took his tip. We have a nice thing going on at home. She definitely does the lion’s share at night. She gets it and knows I’ve got to work to feed the family.”

As parents, does that change your mindset?

Williams: “Yeah. This game is a hurt game. So many days you hurt — and it’s not during the game. The game is the easy part; you have adrenaline pumping. Just the everyday of going through camp, practices, lift weights, cold tub, sit in meetings. Just the grind of it. Home (life) keeps you fighting through all those nicks and pains. It gives you a greater purpose.”

Banks: “I couldn’t say it better. That’s exactly what it is. It keeps you going through all the hard times, ups and downs. You’ve got somebody to provide for, somebody is looking up to you.”

Does Aaron have a habit that’s funny?

Williams: “I laugh at Banks all the time. He doesn’t like speaking in front of crowds. Every time he gives a scouting report on Saturday night, I’m always back there laughing, hearing his voice shake. We spend all day together,

and the guy’s still nervous talking in front of us.”

What about Trent’s habits?

Banks: “I don’t know.”

Williams: “I’m a scratch golfer. No, but I broke 90.”

Why did you take up golf, Trent?

Williams: “We went to Cabo in the offseason with Kyle (Shanahan) and Mike (Shanahan) and Juice (Kyle Juszczyk), and everybody was down there. Everybody knew how to golf but me and Deebo (Samuel). They put a club in my hand. That challenge just sparked a fire in me. Dealing with sports things, I hadn’t really met a bunch of stuff I couldn’t do. Golf was one of them. I couldn’t sleep with that. I had to figure out a way to get better.”

Banks: “I took up golf this offseason, too. I did the same thing. I went to Carmel (for a 49ers event) and Keena Turner’s tournament (for the Boys And Girls Club). I said, ‘Man, I’m tired of being the one that’s trash on my team.’”

How far can you hit it, 300 yards?

Williams: “Yeah, if I don’t slice it, I can hit 280 without straining. But when I get to holes 10 or 12, after I’m nice and oiled up, I can turn it on more and get to 300.”

Banks: “If I hit the ball right, I can put it pretty far.”

Williams: “That’s a big if.”

Aaron, who did you grow up watching?

Banks: “Larry Allen. But the person I really liked to watch was Warren Sapp. I thought I was going to be a D-lineman. I really thought I was going to be a hooper.”

Williams: “Me, too.”

Now you’re both golfers.

Second-year guard Aaron Banks, left, and 10-time Pro Bowl tackle Trent Williams will anchor the left side of the offensive line as the 49ers seek a third straight appearance in the NFC Championship game — and possibly a return to the Super Bowl — in 2023.

CAM INMAN/STAFF

FEARLESS FORECASTS

What lies ahead this NFL season? We looked deep into the crystal ball to glimpse the future, where Christian McCaffrey is the brightest offensive star and a former 49ers coach has the Jets riding high. Could the Bengals and 49ers meet in the Super Bowl for round three? Here’s our forecast.

SUPER BOWL WINNER

Cincinnati Bengals. Third time’s a charm, as the Bengals finally get past the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game and do what they failed to do against the 49ers in Super Bowls XVI (1981 season) and XXIII (1988).

MVP

Joe Burrow, Cincinnati. Burrow has all the weapons needed at his disposal, and the signing of left tackle Orlando Brown to shore up his protection can’t be overlooked. He is proof that pocket passers are not obsolete.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Christian McCaffrey, 49ers. McCaffrey went from an intriguing in-season addition to the 49ers’ most important offensive player a year ago. Now he’s got a whole healthy offseason under his belt. Health permitting, the 27-year-old former Stanford star is a lock for his second 1,000-1,000 season (rushing and receiving yards).

STORY BY JERRY M c DONALD ILLUSTRATION BY DAVIDE BARCO

Look for another magical season in Cincinnati with quarterback Joe Burrow capturing league MVP honors and leading the Bengals to the franchise’s first Super Bowl win.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh. From 2018 through 2021, Watt’s sack totals were 13-14.5-15-22.5. A torn pectoral muscle he suffered in Week 1 wound up limiting him to 5.5 sacks in eight games last season. A healthy Watt was the DPOY in 2021, and he could be again.

OFFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Bijan Robinson, Atlanta. If Desmond Ridder is your quarterback, and you take a running back No. 8 overall, go ahead and assume Robinson will get the rented-mule treatment and upwards of 300 touches. He’ll get handoffs and checkdown passes galore on a team that already was run-oriented.

DEFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Will Anderson Jr., Houston. Anderson is a three-down edge player out of Alabama taken No. 3 overall who will

get a chance for double-digit sacks and highlight reel defensive plays under firstyear coach and defensive whiz DeMeco Ryans.

COACH OF THE YEAR

Robert Saleh, N.Y. Jets. Last year, it was Brian Daboll of the New York Giants; this year, it’s Saleh, another Meadowlands inhabitant. The former 49ers defensive coordinator got longtime Green Bay Packers star Aaron Rodgers as his quarterback and a defense that allowed the fourth-fewest points per game in the NFL last season. Going from 7-10 to 10-7 or better seems assured.

FEARLESS 49ERS FORECAST

There likely isn’t another 10-game win streak on the horizon like last season, when the 49ers didn’t lose a regular season game after Oct. 23 and finished 13-4 overall, but with a loaded roster of star players accumulated under Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch, anything less than 11 wins, a division title and an NFC Championship Game win is a disappointment.

FIRST COACH FIRED

Todd Bowles, Tampa Bay. Look out below. The Buccaneers (8-9 last season) are headed for double-digit losses and a last-place finish in the NFC South, which may be the weakest division in the NFL.

Above: A torn pectoral muscle limited Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end T.J. Watt to just eight games last season, but if he remains healthy, he should return to DPOY form in 2023.

EAKIN HOWARD/ GETTY IMAGES

Right: New York Jets coach Robert Saleh will be solid on both sides of the ball this season after the Green Bay Packers traded quarterback Aaron Rodgers to the Jets during the offseason.

MEGAN BRIGGS/ GETTY IMAGES

GAME OF THE YEAR

The 49ers visit the Philadelphia Eagles on Dec. 3 in Week 12. There was no shortage of excuse-making after the 49ers lost Brock Purdy in Philly and then got pummeled 31-7 in the NFC title game. And the Eagles are sick of hearing about it.

OFFSEASON MOVES THAT WILL MEAN THE MOST

Three quarterbacks to watch which will prove location in football is as important as it is in real estate — Aaron Rodgers going from the Packers to the New York Jets, Derek Carr from the Raiders to New Orleans and Jimmy Garoppolo from the 49ers to the Raiders.

PLAYERS UNDER FULL-TIME INJURY WATCH

Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson just signed the largest contract in NFL history (five years, $260 million) and is off and running, a risky proposition for any quarterback.

Miami QB Tua Tagovailoa will be under increased scrutiny every time his helmet hits the ground after missing five games, including the playoffs, because of multiple concussions.

PACKERS’ LOVE CONNECTION

Green Bay has finally disembarked from the Aaron Rodgers crazy train. The Packers’ immediate future depends on whether Jordan Love, a first-round pick in the 2020 draft, is as ready to take over for Rodgers as Rodgers was to succeed Brett Favre 15 seasons ago.

WORSHIPING A PROFIT

Thursday night games disrespect ticketbuying fans who could be flexed from a Sunday game to a date they may or may not be able to attend. They disrespect the health of the players, who aren’t fully recovered from the previous Sunday. But they increase the profit margin for owners and the NFL in general.

Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick, right, causes a fumble by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy during the NFC Championship on Jan. 29. Purdy tore his UCL on the play and exited the game. SETH WENIG/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is introduced at the Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters on March 17 in Henderson, Nevada. ETHAN MILLER/GETTY IMAGES

The Aaron Rodgers (above) era is officially over in Green Bay. Quarterback Jordan Love, chosen in the 2020 draft, will take over.

ERIC ESPADA// GETTY IMAGES

How the NFL divisional and wild card races shape up in 2023

BY JERRY MCDONALD

NFC WEST

49ers. Imagine being good enough to be a prohibitive division favorite with any one of three quarterbacks on the roster. Either Brock Purdy, Trey Lance or Sam Darnold could — and will — win with this team.

NFC NORTH

Detroit Lions. OK, I’m on board with Detroit after its 8-2 finish last season. We’ll find out right away, as they drew the Thursday night opener. Oh, and quarterback Jared Goff may be better than Matthew Stafford, the man who replaced him with the Rams. Imagine that.

NFC SOUTH

Carolina Panthers. The Panthers are the strongest of the weakest in a division where 9-8 ought to be enough to finish first. No. 1 pick Bryce Young, the former Heisman Trophy winner out of Alabama, is in a good position with Frank Reich as his head coach and a roster that had a strong finish in 2022.

NFC EAST

Philadelphia Eagles. The NFC’s best team a year ago, no matter what the 49ers say. There could be a bit of a dropoff from 14-3 a year ago, but an elite pass rush and do-everything QB Jalen Hurts should be enough to repeat in the division.

WILD CARDS

Dallas Cowboys, Seattle Seahawks, Minnesota Vikings. The Cowboys have too much talent to avoid doubledigit wins, although QB Dak Prescott is being watched closely. The Seahawks upgraded their overall talent and need to

prove QB Geno Smith was not a mirage. The Vikings might reach the postseason, but expect another early playoff exit from Kirk Cousins and Co.

ON THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN

New Orleans Saints. Longtime Raiders QB Derek Carr seldom hits the ground running (or passing) with a new coordinator. Will Jon Gruden get an in-season emergency phone call if the Saints don’t make a move in the NFC South?

Above: Another strong season should be in the cards for San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Danny Gray, who we predict will win the NFC West.

Left: Despite adding former Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr in the offseason, the New Orleans Saints could still miss the playoffs.

JOSE CARLOS FAJARDO/STAFF ARCHIVES

SEAN GARDNER/GETTY IMAGES

Right: Fresh off another Super Bowl win, quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs should remain division favorites in the AFC West.

AFC WEST

Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs are showing no signs of relinquishing division dominance. Patrick Mahomes has had constant reshuffling of his receiving corps other than Travis Kelce, and even that doesn’t seem to matter. He’s that good. And so is coach Andy Reid.

AFC NORTH

Cincinnati Bengals. Quarterback Joe Burrow’s presence should enable the Bengals to hold off the Steelers and the Ravens, provided rookie edge rusher Myles Murphy and cornerback DJ Turner contribute right away.

AFC SOUTH

Jacksonville Jaguars. Even with the hangover of losing a 27-0 lead in the playoffs against the Chargers, the Jaguars’ talent base and another step forward from third-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence should be enough to prevail in a weak division.

AFC EAST

Buffalo Bills. QB Josh Allen needs to make fewer turnovers, and the Bills need to show the ability to grind it out when the weather gets cold. You’d think a team based in Buffalo would prepare for that, but they were outrushed 172-64 by Cincinnati in the division playoffs last season. The defense is fine.

WILD CARDS

New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens. If you got tired of Aaron Rodgers’ act in Green Bay, wait until he takes a New York-based team to the playoffs. Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season in Pittsburgh, and he’s got a team capable of 10-plus wins in 2023. The Ravens have retooled their offense under Todd Monken for a healthy Lamar Jackson.

ON THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN

Denver Broncos. Can Sean Payton rebuild Russell Wilson? The former Seattle Seahawks star will be better in Year 2 with the Broncos but not good enough to get Denver into the playoffs.

The coach conundrum

Many factors figure in forming the great ones — turning to ex-coordinators is not the way to go

BY JERRY MCDONALD

What makes a good NFL head coach?

Teams have looked for that answer since the league was founded 103 years ago.

College coaches — even the most successful ones — are hit and mostly miss. So teams tend to look to former NFL head coaches or, increasingly, hot-shot young coordinators in hopes of taking a losing franchise and leading it to the promised land.

In the end, it’s still a roll of the dice. Myriad factors come into play, from the coach/general manager relationship to ownership interference to injuries to key players.

49ers coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch are six years in and have lost three top assistants to head coaching jobs: former defensive coordinators Robert Saleh and DeMeco Ryans went to the New York Jets and Houston Texans, respectively, and former offensive assistant Mike McDaniel was hired by the Miami Dolphins.

It’s too soon to tell how that trio will fare as head coaches. Saleh is 11-23 with the Jets, though they appear poised to finally reach the playoffs in his third season. McDaniel’s Dolphins went 9-8 in his debut a year ago and lost in the AFC wild-card round, but it was the franchise’s first playoff appearance since 2016. And Ryans inherits a Texans team that is coming off a 3-13-1 season and facing a major rebuild after going 11-38-1 in the past three seasons.

But history suggests hiring hot coordinators isn’t necessarily a road to the Super Bowl and the Lombardi Trophy, either.

Both of Philadelphia’s coordinators became head

coaches after the Eagles beat the 49ers in last year’s NFC Championship Game. Offensive coordinator Shane Steichen was hired by the Indianapolis Colts, and the Arizona Cardinals lured away former defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon.

But Steichen won’t have Eagles star quarterback Jalen Hurts, and Gannon no longer has the NFL’s most dominant front seven, responsible for 70 sacks last season, at his disposal. No amount of pointers Steichen and Gannon picked up from Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni — who was the Colts’ offensive coordinator before he got the head job in Philadelphia — can replace talent and a front office that procures talent.

Still, there is a growing obsession with the influence of coordinators. It’s fool’s gold. It is the leadership of head coaches and their ability to coach their coaches that determines success or failure.

The head coaching role is, after all, a position that is perpetually on the hot seat.

The turnover rate for NFL head coaches is about 25 percent each

season. There are five new head coaches this season, but only 10 of the league’s 32 head coaches were hired by their current teams before 2020.

Even working side by side with some of the NFL’s most established head coaches isn’t a guarantee of future coaching success for their former pupils.

The longest-tenured head coaches in the NFL are New England’s Bill Belichick (23 years), Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin (16 years), Baltimore’s John Harbaugh (15 years), Seattle’s Pete Carroll (13 years) and Kansas City’s Andy Reid (10 years).

is the Raiders general manager, but McDaniels could be out again if he doesn’t turn things around quickly in the desert.

Belichick’s former assistants have produced a winning record just seven times in a combined span of 30 seasons, and O’Brien has five of those. Their combined record as NFL head coaches is 181-263-1 for a .407 winning percentage.

Above: Former San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans cheers a defensive stop in the third quarter against the Washington Commanders in 2022. Following the 2022 season, the Houston Texans hired Ryans as head coach.

Left: New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has seen seven assistants become head coaches without much success.

That coaching Big Five has been associated with 22 offensive coordinators and 20 defensive coordinators, and only two of those have gone on to win the Super Bowl as a head coach.

Belichick has guided the Patriots to six Super Bowl titles. But none of his former assistants who went on to head coaching posts ever had Tom Brady as their quarterback — or flourished calling the shots.

Seven Belichick disciples became NFL head coaches, and only one produced a winning record. The roll call: Romeo Crennel (3263 with Cleveland, Kansas City, Houston), Bill O’Brien (52-48 with Houston), Josh McDaniels (17-28 with Denver, Las Vegas), Matt Patricia (13-29-1 with Detroit), Eric Mangini (33-47 with the Jets and Cleveland), Joe Judge (10-23 with the Giants) and Brian Flores (24-25 with Miami).

McDaniels is the only member of that group still holding a head coaching position. He took over a Raiders team coming off a 10-win season and a playoff appearance and promptly coached it to six wins in 2022. Former New England exec Dave Ziegler

O’Brien, after getting run out of Houston midway through the 2020 season, is back on the New England coach staff with Belichick. He’ll serve as the Patriots’ quarterback coach and offensive coordinator.

Reid and Tomlin are the only Big Five coaches to have a former coordinator win a Lombardi Trophy.

After serving on Reid’s staff from 2013-15 with the Chiefs, Doug Pederson took over in Philadelphia and beat Belichick and the Patriots in the Super Bowl after the 2017 season. Even at that, Pederson, who wasn’t the play-caller or designer under Reid, was fired by the Eagles after the 2020 season. But, in an example of teams giving former head coaches new life, he was hired by Jacksonville last season and guided the Jaguars to the playoffs.

Bruce Arians was Tomlin’s offensive coordinator from 2007 and 2011 and was nine years removed from the Steelers when Tampa Bay won the championship in 2020.

Shanahan’s coaching tree has produced three seemingly strong branches around the rest of the NFL.

That may bode well for Saleh, McDaniel and Ryans, but history suggests it’s well down the list of factors that will ensure success.

KARL MONDON/STAFF

ADAM HUNGER/ ASSOCIATED PRESS

SPORTS BARS

Gather with your buds, hoist a brew or two and cheer your team

BY KATE BRADSHAW, LINDA ZAVORAL AND JOHN METCALFE

Watching your favorite team score as you laze on the couch — or jump up and down on your coffee table — isn’t a bad thing. But isn’t it more fun to cheer on the Niners, the Raiders or the (insert fave team name here) in the company of fellow fans? Perhaps with a cold one and spicy wings in hand?

Here are six great Bay Area sports bars where you can do just that.

The patio at Double D’s Sports Grille in Los Gatos was a pandemic addition that has since become permanent, with four TVs and seating to accommodate 45 customers.

NHAT V. MEYER/STAFF

RICKEY’S SPORTS LOUNGE San Leandro

All you need to know if you’re a current fan, former fan, recovering fan or sometimes fan of the (Las Vegas) Raiders is that Rickey’s is back.

The legendary home of the Raider Nation — lauded by no less than Sports Illustrated as one of the nation’s best sports bars — reopened this spring, three years after beloved founder Ricky Ricardo died. Now, new owner Ramonn Smith is gearing up to host fans for the redesigned sports bar’s first NFL season.

The spirit lives on at this newly sleek venue, even if the walls have been stripped of the jerseys of the greats — Otto, Sistrunk, Plunkett, Blanda, Chester — as well as the historic sideline photo of Madden and Stabler, the “Commitment to Excellence” signs, “JST WIN BBY” license plate and other Oakland Raiders memorabilia.

Silver-and-black superfans will be back in the house Sept. 10 for a season opener tailgate and watch party. Expect some special appearances from Raiders legends and former players, Smith said. The bash starts at 11 a.m., with the Raiders-Broncos kickoff at 1:25 p.m. Admission is free, but reservations are required.

The screens: There are 40 TVs, including two large screens outdoors for big sporting events. In one lounge, 11 screens are mounted for Fantasy League fans to keep an eye on multiple games at once.

The menu: Names of dishes reflect the attitude exemplified by both Ricardo and Smith: Fans of all teams and sports are welcome here. The popular All Bases Sliders ($11 catfish, $10 beef) are joined by Putter’s Prawns & Chips ($20), the

Touchdown Turkey Burger ($16), the Full Court Caesar Salad ($10) and a winner with all, Lemon-Pepper Wings N Things ($12). A breakfast menu will be offered Sunday mornings. There’s a full bar with six taps.

Details: During football season, Rickey’s will be open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday and from noon to 10 p.m. the

rest of the week. 15028 Hesperian Blvd., San Leandro; www.facebook.com/ RickeysSL/.

THE DUTCH GOOSE West Menlo Park

The Midpeninsula has been on a downward streak of losing its

beloved sports bar haunts with the closures of the Oasis, Antonio’s Nut House and The Old Pro all in the last few years. (Though the Old Pro is slated to undergo a makeover and return as a new steakhouse/sports bar concept sometime next year under the management of Zola’s Guillaume Bienaime.)

Right: Patrons sit at the bar at Rickey’s Sports Lounge in San Leandro. The legendary home of the Raider Nation reopened this spring, three years after founder Ricky Ricardo died. New owner Ramonn Smith is gearing up for the redesigned sports bar’s first NFL season.

JANE TYSKA/STAFF

Amidst the recent closures, then, Menlo Park’s The Dutch Goose is all the more impressive for its survival. The bar and restaurant opened in 1966 and in 2015 underwent a series of forced renovations to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. From its quirky, beer-laden goose logo — designed by Barry

Anderson, the same artist who designed the Grateful Dead’s logo in the 1970s — to its long tradition of deviled eggs, the bar serves an eclectic mix of Stanford folks, local residents and regional sports fans. Look around, and you’ll see families eating pizza together in the graffiti-carved wooden booths and outdoor picnic tables along-

side VC bros straight from Sand Hill Road unwinding over sports talk and brewskis.

Grab a spot in the covered outdoor area at the rear of the bar, called the “Duck Blind,” where there’s a second bar, picnic tables and a shady tree with dangling lights for a more atmospheric setting.

The screens: There are 11 TVs scattered across the premises, offering both indoor and outdoor viewing.

The menu: The bar is best known for its deviled eggs ($3.25 each), but also offers guacamole burgers ($11 or $13, if you want a double) and excellent sweet potato fries ($7.75) — and 12 beers on tap.

Details: Open from 11 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Wednesday and until 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday at 3567 Alameda de las Pulgas in Menlo Park; www.dutchgoose.net.

TWISTED TIMES

RESTAURANT SPORTS & SPIRITS Walnut Creek

Sometimes you’re not looking for a sports bar with a crush of fans spilling beer and yelling at Tom Brady. Maybe you want, say, a dimly lit hole where you can enjoy the game in peace and eat good food.

The relatively new Twisted Times meets those requirements. It’s dark and cool — quite a lifesaver in the blistering Walnut Creek summer — and features some of the tastiest pub grub in Walnut Creek. Readers not only picked the place for Diablo Magazine’s 2023’s Best East Bay Sports Bar, but awarded it Best Burger, too, for its half-pound monster ($15.75) of California Angus, melted cheddar and a savory-sweet bourbon-onion relish.

The L-shaped establishment opens into the bar, where you might find staff and customers chatting about beer-filtration

A mango margarita and draft beer are served at Rickey’s Sports Lounge in San Leandro.

JANE TYSKA/STAFF

systems and valves, and segues into a dining area with tables and a children’s play nook. If things do get hectic on game days — folks here seem to like the Niners, Steelers and Ohio State-Michigan — there’s a front patio with TVs and heat lamps for the evening.

The screens: Twenty flat-screens that wallpaper the joint have the ability to each play different channels. With the place subscribing to nearly every sports package, that’s a big plus for football (or gambling) fanatics.

The menu: There are 10 taps heavy on IPAs from local breweries such as Martinez’s Del Cielo and Walnut Creek’s Mike Hess, though you can always get a pilsner or Guinness. The full bar offers specialty cocktails and a little whisky alcove that includes a blackened version from Metallica. And the “twisted” food menu draws influences from around the globe. Aside from various styles of burgers and wings, you’ll find Korean braised pork, Baja grilled-fish tacos and random bites from fried-alligator nuggets

to barbecue-bacon sushi.

Details: Opens at noon on weekdays and 10 a.m. weekends and closes between 8 and 10 p.m., depending on the night, at 2065 N. Broadway, Suite 100, Walnut Creek; twistedtimesrestaurant.com.

DOUBLE D’S SPORTS GRILLE Los Gatos

For 27 years, this bar and grill has held down a corner at the gateway to downtown Los Gatos.

Owners Dean and Darin Devincenzi may win “best sports bar in Silicon Valley” honors year after year, but they consider their place a family-friendly restaurant first, bar second. Like all good sports hangouts, it doubles as a museum, with Joe Montana’s No. 16 jersey and tons of other cool Niners, Sharks, Giants and other sports memorabilia on display.

Some fans may have counted Double D’s out back when a fire

ravaged the place. But Dean and Darin rebuilt the place and made a big comeback. And they’ve been upgrading ever since. The patio configured in the parking lot during the pandemic became permanent last year, with four TVs and tables to accommodate 45 customers. And just a few months ago, a gateway wall was constructed to signify this key location at

Tom and Debbi

Del Conte own

The Draft Sports Pub in Pleasanton.

JANE TYSKA/STAFF

Highway 9 and North Santa Cruz Avenue.

The screens: There are 35 TVs inside and out, including some whoppers — an 85-incher and several 75s. You’ll find the sound on for all 49ers games and other marquee sporting events, manager John Rahbar says.

The menu: Chef Roberto Moreno has

Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana sports paraphernalia is on display inside of Double D’s Sports Grille in Los Gatos. NHAT V. MEYER/STAFF

been the chef since day one, and his recipes explain why the dining room does a brisk business, even on light sports days. Fan favorites include the Philly Cheesesteak made with ribeye ($19, with salad or fries). If you want a switch from game-day fare, try one of the pastas, such as the Cajun Penne Genovese ($24), or the Fish Tacos ($24), with blackened Chilean sea bass and mango pico de gallo. Freshly made soup and

KINGFISH PUB Oakland

There’s a bit of trompe l’oeil in the restroom at Kingfish: A mural makes it appear like you’re looking over the formidable shoulders of the California Golden Bears about to steamroll the terrified Stanford Cardinal.

“This is definitely a Cal bar,” says a bartender, surrounded by yellowed game tickets and wooden benches salvaged from Memorial Stadium.

Oh, but it’s so much more: A 1920s-era Oakland institution that began life as a bait shop, the Kingfish is treasured for its ragged but heart-of-gold character. Inside the ancient walls, you’ll find raucous crowds of regulars and starry-eyed first-timers — maybe it’s bleary-eyed — imbibing stiffas-iron palomas and beer-shot specials and enjoying whatever game is on TV.

The community loves the place so much that when condo development threatened in 2014, they begged the city for landmark status due to its “tree fort” architecture and interior decoration scheme of “sports memorabilia randomly stapled to the walls and ceiling.” When that didn’t work, the owner physically had the bar lifted onto a truck and moved across the street, where it exists today with the same-old weathered shuffleboard table and a new, pet-friendly patio that’s perfect for watching football.

The screens: There are 10 or so flatscreen TVs with nice speakers at the two bars inside and outside, with heat lamps on the patio during colder months.

noon on weekends at 5227 Telegraph Ave., Oakland; kingfishpub.com.

THE DRAFT SPORTS PUB AND GRILL Pleasanton

Tucked into a quiet corner of Pleasanton’s Gateway Square Shopping Center, The Draft Sports Pub and Grill has a versatile vibe that lets visitors go where the game takes them. Its spacious interior leaves room for sizable groups of friends to watch the game over a birthday gathering or casual catch-up.

And if your team wins and you’re eager to celebrate, the restaurant adjoins Mavericks, another bar owned by local couple Tom and Debbi Del Conte, where you’ll already be set up for a night of more raucous fun: The venue features live country music, line dancing lessons and a mechanical bull.

The screens: There are 19 TVs spread out throughout the bar, with easy access to several screens — and games — from every seat. The TVs are muted, and a lively playlist adds to the friendly and casual ambience.

The menu: The Draft offers both full meals and bar bites, from a spicy fried chicken sandwich ($15.50) or Philly cheesesteak ($16.60) to cheesy jalapeño fries ($9) and Buffalo tots ($9). There’s also a selection of flatbreads and tacos plus Basque cheesecake, sopapillas or a brownie sundae for dessert. The Brussels sprouts ($8), seasoned with balsamic, are crisp and flavorful on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside and pair well with a citrusy and refreshing Cali Squeeze Blood Orange hefeweizen.

black bean chili ($7 cup, $12 bowl) are available daily; insiders know to look for Moreno’s creamy Swiss Onion Soup every few weeks. Another pleasant surprise: Cheesecake ($12) is baked in house. At the bar, you’ll find 10 craft brews on tap, along with the tequila-based hit, the Smokey Wildflower.

Details: 354 N. Santa Cruz Ave., Los Gatos; www.doubleds.com

The menu: You like popcorn? It’s free here from a machine that looks warped in from a 1950s movie theater. The hot, salty popcorn can be topped with a mysterious golden flavor oil. There are also snacks for sale, such as empanadas, pretzels, beef jerky and chips, which complement the bar’s taps of mostly California brews, its domestic-beer tallboys and powerful mixed drinks, such as a Painkiller or Fish Punch.

Details: Opens at 3 p.m. weekdays and

The bar also offers 12 beers on tap, including local brews from Livermore’s Altamont Beer Works, with a special that lets visitors upgrade their pints to a “Big Dog” 23-ounce pour for $4.

Details: Open from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and until 1:30 a.m. on Friday; noon to 1:30 a.m. on Saturdays. 4825 Hopyard Road in Pleasanton; thedraftpleasanton.com.

ORDERCHAOS OUT OF

BY ALEX SIMON

Have you ever wondered who decides where the 49ers play their season-opening game? Or why they won’t face division rival Seattle until Week 12 this season or how the Red and Gold play multiple games on the East Coast back-to-back, allowing the team to stay out East for the week in between?

It’s all thanks to a team of people at the NFL offices who spend months building out the perfect schedule, trying to create as many appealing matchups as possible while also trying to keep all 32 teams and fans as happy as possible.

For years, the NFL schedule was created by hand. Tags with team names were plotted — and replotted — across a massive wooden board as each week’s matchups were determined. Schedule makers now input data and run simulations using Amazon Web Services and 4,000 cloud-based computers to cull down the trillions of scheduling possibilities into one 18-week, 17game slate for each team.

The only constant in creating the current NFL schedule is that there will be 272 games utilizing 576 potential time slots. The NFL’s scheduling team — senior vice president of broadcasting Howard Katz, vice president of broadcasting Michael North, senior director of broadcasting Blake Jones, director of broadcasting Charlotte Carey, vice president of broadcasting Onnie Bose and broadcasting senior coordinator Lucy Popko — then must consider myriad and complex factors, leading to what Carey described as “north of 20,000” rules in the scheduling system.

The schedule must get the approval of NFL Commissioner

Thousands of computers run millions of simulations to plot a full and fair NFL season schedule each year

Roger Goodell before it’s released to the fans, an event that has increasingly become a significant event in the NFL offseason.

As a starting point, each team plays six games against divisional opponents (the NFC West in the 49ers’ case), four against teams from two other divisions (one from each conference), two against teams from the two remaining divisions in its own conference and one against a non-conference opponent from a division that the team is not already scheduled to play. Also part of the equation is that each team must face the other 31 at least once every four years.

Then come the variables, including division rankings from the previous season, travel considerations as well as old schedules. There are traditional NFL events to consider, such as the Lions and Cowboys always hosting on Thanksgiving. Schedule makers also incorporate every prior conflict there could be, including concerts and teams sharing their facilities.

For example, Ed Sheeran is playing at Levi’s Stadium on Sept. 16, which will keep the 49ers on the road in Week 2 after their opener in Pittsburgh.

Some NFL teams, including the Raiders, share their stadiums with area college teams for regular season games as well as playoff or bowl games. Several Major League Soccer teams utilize NFL stadiums, including the Sounders in Seattle and Charlotte FC.

Even high school football championships can force NFL schedule makers to get creative. The Dallas Cowboys have to play a mid-December road game while all of Texas’ high school title games are played at AT&T Stadium.

The NFL is, more than anything, a television company, working to find the right matchups and timeslots to get the biggest ratings possible. The schedule is opti-

mized to get the most compelling matchups into the best broadcasting windows possible.

Last season, that included having Russell Wilson’s return to Seattle, after being traded to the Denver Broncos, on Monday Night Football in Week 1 and putting the first 49ers-Rams game after their epic battle in the NFC title game the year before on Monday Night Football in Week 4.

There’s also, famously, the meeting between the Patriots and Tom Brady after he left for the Buccaneers, which was on Sunday Night Football back in 2021.

Of course, there are no shortages of marquee matchups on this year’s schedule. Former Green Bay Packer Aaron Rodgers’ first game with the New York Jets was slotted on Monday Night Football in Week 1 against the Bills. When Buffalo’s Damar Hamlin, who last season during a Monday Night Football game suffered cardiac arrest on the field after making a tackle, returns with the Bills to Cincinnati’s Paycor Stadium in Week 9, that will be the Sunday Night primetime game. Four weeks earlier in the Sunday Night Football slot will

For years, the NFL schedule was created by hand, a task now handled by Amazon Web Services and 4,000 cloudbased computers.

Above, Howard Katz looks over the old NFL scheduling board from offices in New York.

SAM FARMER/LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS

be the 49ers-Cowboys game in San Francisco in a rematch of last season’s second-straight dramatic playoff showdown.

But for all the work that goes into creating the perfect schedule, some developments — breakout players or teams, injuries, late player movement — can’t be predicted. The NFL has a plan for that, too, creating Flex Scheduling parameters that shift games into primetime broadcasting timeslots.

After all the data crunching, will 2023 turn out to be the perfect NFL schedule? You’ll have to follow along to find out.

49ers schedule at a glance

BY CAM INMAN

Sunday, Sept. 10 10 a.m., FOX

PITTSBURGH STEELERS

The Steelers have won the Lombardi Trophy six times, a feat the 49ers are trying to match by season’s end at Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas. The last time the 49ers opened the season in Pittsburgh was 1993, with a 24-13 win.

Sunday, Sept. 17 1:05 p.m., FOX

LOS ANGELES RAMS

It’s technically the Rams’ home opener, but the 49ers Faithful have overtaken SoFi Stadium since its 2020 opening. The 49ers have swept the home-andaway series since 2019.

Thursday, Sept. 21 5:15 p.m. Prime Video

NEW YORK GIANTS

The 49ers debut at Levi’s Stadium and do so in prime time. They’ve gone 12-11 since 2017 under the lights with coach Kyle Shanahan. That includes a 2021 home-opening loss in Week 3 to Green Bay.

Sunday, Oct. 1 1:25 p.m., FOX

ARIZONA CARDINALS

The Cardinals are coming off a 13-loss season, their worst since 2018, when they were coached by Steve Wilks, who has replaced DeMeco Ryans as the 49ers’ defensive coordinator this year.

AWAY HOME BYE

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey rushes against the Seattle Seahawks during the NFC wild-card playoff game Jan. 14.

KARL MONDON/STAFF ARCHIVES

Sunday, Oct. 8 5:20 p.m., NBC

DALLAS COWBOYS

It’s been 40 years since the 49ers hosted the Cowboys in prime time (a 42-17 win), and it’s been nine months since the Niners dispatched the Cowboys in the divisional playoffs (19-12).

Sunday, Oct. 15 10 a.m., FOX

CLEVELAND BROWNS

Cleveland plays host to the 49ers for the first time since 2015. This is the second of four 10 a.m. Pacific Time kickoffs to test the 49ers’ body clocks this season.

Monday, Oct. 23 5:15 p.m., ESPN

MINNESOTA VIKINGS

No team has won more “Monday Night Football” games than the 49ers (52). But they’ve lost their last six visits to Minneapolis.

Sunday, Oct. 29 1:25 p.m., CBS

CINCINNATI BENGALS

The 49ers can’t get caught looking ahead to their bye, not with the AFC contenders coming off their bye and making only their second visit to Levi’s Stadium.

Nov. 5

A midseason recess comes with only four remaining home games, and they play three of the next four on the road.

Sunday, Nov. 12 10 a.m., FOX

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

The 49ers are 3-3 after their regularseason byes under Shanahan. The Jaguars, who’ll also be coming off their bye, have not had a winning record entering Week 10 since 2017.

Sunday, Nov. 19 1:05 p.m., FOX

TAMPA BAY BUCS

The Bucs, even with Tom Brady, lost 35-7 in last season’s visit to Levi’s Stadium. Odds are the 49ers defenders

won’t be seeking autographs on the footballs they intercept this game from whichever Brady successor throws them.

Thursday, Nov. 23 5:20 p.m., NBC

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

Embarrassed at home on 2014 Thanksgiving Night by the Seahawks, the Niners can flip that script nine years later. This is the NFC West rivals’ first meeting since the 49ers won all three of last year’s games, including a comeback win in the NFC wild-card game.

Sunday, Dec. 3 1:25 p.m., FOX

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

It’s quite likely the 49ers will have three quarterbacks available in their return trip to Philly, where Brock Purdy (elbow) and Josh Johnson (concussion) got hurt in last season’s NFC Championship Game defeat to the Eagles. Keep watch of exEagles defensive tackle Javon Hargrave vs. Philadelphia’s offensive line.

Tight end George Kittle caught five passes for 95 yards against the Dallas Cowboys in the San Francisco 49ers’ 19-12 NFC divisional-round playoff game victory at Levi’s Stadium last January. In October, the 49ers host the Cowboys in the regular season on prime time for the first time in 40 years.

Sunday, Dec. 10 1:05 p.m., FOX

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

Don’t forget that the 49ers trailed 1716 at halftime before rallying past the Seahawks for January’s wild-card victory at Levi’s Stadium.

Sunday, Dec. 17 1:05 p.m., CBS

ARIZONA CARDINALS

The Cardinals are the fourth opponent to face the 49ers coming off a bye. Last year’s opponents probably wish their byes came the week after playing the 49ers — all 15 of them lost the games they faced after their battles with San Francisco.

Monday, Dec. 25 5:15 p.m., ABC

BALTIMORE RAVENS

The Ravens ante up with the 2012 season’s Lombardi Trophy! No, not really.

It’s been a decade since these teams’ Super Bowl blackout in New Orleans’ Superdome.

Sunday, Dec. 31 10 a.m., FOX

WASHINGTON COMMANDERS

No better way for the 49ers to celebrate New Year’s Eve than do what their 2019 Super Bowl-bound team did at FedEx Field — win, then rejoice with belly slides on the sloppy field.

Saturday/Sunday Jan. 6/7

Time/TV TBD

LOS ANGELES RAMS

Look for the 49ers to rest most of their starters, because they’ll have secured the NFC’s No. 1 seed by kickoff, right? The 49ers are 6-0 since 2009 when facing the Rams to end the regular season.

RAY CHAVEZ/ STAFF ARCHIVES

Who will stand atop the NFC West?

BY CAM INMAN

San Francisco 49ers

Coach: Kyle Shanahan (7th year)

Last season: 13-4, first place; NFC runner-up

Arrivals: DT Javon Hargrave (Eagles), QB Sam Darnold (Panthers), QB Brandon Allen (Bengals), CB Isaiah Oliver (Falcons), DE Clelin Ferrell (Raiders), OT Matt Pryor (Colts), OL Jon Feliciano (Giants), DL Austin Bryant (Lions), K Zane Gonzalez (Panthers), DL Darryl Johnson Jr. (Seahawks), DB Myles Hartsfield (Panthers), S Ji’Ayir Brown (second round), K Jake Moody (third round), TE Cameron Latu (third round).

Departures: QB Jimmy Garoppolo, RT Mike McGlinchey, DB Jimmie Ward, K Robbie Gould, LB Azeez Al-Shaair, DE Samson Ebukam, DE Charles Omenihu, DE Jordan Willis, DT Hassan Ridgeway, CB Emmanuel Moseley, OL Daniel Brunskill, DB Tarvarius Moore, TE Tyler Kroft, DL Maurice Hurst, QB Josh Johnson.

Analysis: Perpetual quarterback mystery hasn’t derailed Kyle Shanahan from choreographing a high-scoring, yard-chewing offense, which is doable, thanks to top-tier talent such as Trent Williams, Christian McCaffrey, Kyle Juszczyk, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and George Kittle.

New defensive coordinator Steve Wilks inherits the league’s top-ranked unit in terms of points and yards allowed last season, when it was led by NFL Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa and fellow All-Pros Fred Warner and Talanoa Hufanga. One of the biggest changes comes at kicker, with rookie Jake Moody replacing playoff-perfect Robbie Gould.

Predicted finish: 13-4, Super Bowl champions (33-17 over Bengals)

Los Angeles Rams

Coach: Sean McVay (7th year)

Last season: 5-12, third place

Arrivals: G Steve Avila (second round), DE Byron Young (third round), TE Hunter Long (Dolphins), QB Brett Rypien (Broncos), WR Demarcus Robinson.

Departures: CB Jalen Ramsey, K Matt Gay, DE Leonard Floyd, WR Allen Robinson, LB Bobby Wagner, DL A’Shawn Robinson, QB Baker Mayfield, S Nick Scott, S Taylor Rapp. (19 FA signed elsewhere)

Analysis: After sinking to 5-12 last year as reigning Super Bowl champs, the Rams haven’t made drastic upgrades. Their defense bid farewell to big-time talent this offseason but still touts three-time NFL defensive player of the year Aaron Donald. Offensively, they’ll squeeze as much more as they can out of Matthew Stafford’s arm (Stetson Bennett is the backup) and the feeble supporting cast led by former Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp, who is coming off ankle surgery.

Predicted finish: 8-9, third place

Seattle Seahawks

Coach: Pete Carroll (14th year)

Last season: 9-8, second place; lost in wild-card playoffs to 49ers (41-23)

Arrivals: LB Bobby Wagner (Rams), DL Jarran Reed (Packers), LB Devin Bush (Steelers), CB Devon Witherspoon (first round), WR Jaxson Smith-Njigba (first round), DE Derick Hall (second round), RB Zach Charbonnet (second round), DL Dre’Mont Jones (Broncos), S Julian Love (Giants), DL Mario Edwards Jr. (Titans)

Departures: RB Rashaad Penny, RB Travis Homer, LB Cody Barton, G Phil Haynes, DL Quinton Jefferson, DL Poona Ford, DL Al Woods, S Ryan Neal, WR Marquise Goodwin, DL L.J. Collier, DE Darryl Johnson Jr.

Analysis: The draft brought more skill-position talent (WR Smith-Njigba, RB Charbonnet) to complement D.K. Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Kenneth Walker. Seattle invested in an encore from quarterback Geno Smith, who won NFL Comeback Player of the Year (but went 0-3 vs. the 49ers). Defensively, the young secondary is resembling Legion of Boom 2.0, and the linebacker corps brings back Wagner to pair with Jordyn Brooks. But the overhauled defensive line must prove it can stop the run better than last year’s unit, which yielded more than 170 rushing yards in each of the three losses to the 49ers.

Predicted finish: 9-8, second place

Arizona Cardinals

Coach: Jonathan Gannon (first year)

Last season: 4-13, fourth place

Arrivals: LB Kyzir White (Eagles), OT Paris Johnson Jr. (first round), OLB B.J. Ojulari (second round), WR Michael Wilson (third round; Stanford), WR Zach Pascal (Eagles), G Hjalte Froholdt (Browns), OT Elijah Wilkinson (Falcons).

Departures: DL J.J. Watt, WR DeAndre Hopkins, DL Zach Allen, CB Byron Murphy, WR A.J. Green, WR Chosen Anderson, DE Markus Golden, C Rodney Hudson.

Analysis: Kyler Murray likely won’t be recovered from an ACL tear by the start of the season, which isn’t helping the Cardinals’ long-shot chances. The new regime of Gannon and general manager Monti Ossenfort inherited a dearth of talent, and they jettisoned their best receiver, Hopkins, with nothing in return. This moribund franchise has seven playoff wins in 104 seasons; the 49ers have six since 2019.

Predicted finish: 3-14, fourth place

Aonprize the horizon?

Kyle Shanahan, in year seven as coach, lays eyes on the Lombardi as he always has

BY CAM INMAN

Kyle Shanahan is entering his seventh season as the 49ers coach, making him their longest-tenured man in charge since the Super Bowl-winning days under Bill Walsh (1979-88) and George Seifert (1989-96).

Is Shanahan snakebit, however, from following in those coaches’ footsteps and adding a sixth Lombardi Trophy to the 49ers’ cache?

Each of the past two seasons has ended with frustrating NFC Championship Game defeats for the 49ers. Two seasons ago, they saw a 10-point fourth-quarter lead slip away to the Los Angeles Rams, who went on to beat the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI. Last season, they saw quarterback Brock Purdy tear the UCL in the elbow of his throwing arm early in a 31-7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, who were edged 38-35 in the Super Bowl by Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.

“Almost every guy on our team has felt that passion getting that close (to a Super Bowl win), and that’s to me what makes the offseason so much better,” Shanahan told reporters as the 49ers opened training camp for what they hope will lead to a third straight trip to the NFC title game and, finally, a return to the Super Bowl.

“When you get close, that usually makes you stronger,” he added. “It’s a long road to get there, and you usually get stronger if you can handle it the right way. ... To sit there and make some mental thing out of stuff. I don’t think it has been a mental thing. We’ve had our opportunities.”

How does Shanahan cope with those close-butno-cigar finishes, to say nothing of the greater disappointments that came via a pair of Super Bowl collapses (in 2016 as the Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator, in 2019 as the 49ers’ third-year coach)?

“We don’t make too much of a deal about that

stuff,” Shanahan said. “There are so many people in our building that have been in an NFC Championship Game or a Super Bowl, and once you do do that, you know how different (it) is.”

Shanahan, 43, is one of the longest-tenured coaches in the NFL. Only Bill Belichick (with the Patriots since 2000), the Steelers’ Mike Tomlin (since 2007), the Ravens’ John Harbaugh (since 2008), the Seahawks’ Pete Carroll (since 2010) and the Chiefs’ Andy Reid (since 2013) have been with their teams longer. The Bills’ Sean McDermott and the Rams’ Sean McVay also are starting their seventh seasons.

But everyone in that group has won a Super Bowl, except for Shanahan and McDermott.

And the 49ers are no ordinary franchise. Only the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers, with six each, have won more Super Bowls than San Francisco. The 49ers’ seven appearances in the Big Game are fifth-most in NFL history, behind only the Patriots (11) and the Steelers, Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos, who all have appeared in the Super Bowl eight times.

The 49ers’ first Super Bowl appearance — and win — came in 1981, the first of the franchise’s four titles in the 1980s, including back-to-back championships in 1988 and ‘89. The 49ers’ most recent Super Bowl appearance was four seasons ago, and they haven’t hoisted the Lombardi Trophy since 1994.

Returning the franchise to its Super Bowl glory is always the ultimate goal.

“That’s one of the reasons we came here,” said Shanahan, who was hired before the start of the 2017 season and recalls the interview process vividly. “When we talked to Jed (49ers owner and CEO York) and everything, just the commitment to do everything the right way — every year to try to give yourself a chance.”

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan leaves the field after their 33-17 NFL win over the Miami Dolphins at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara on Dec. 4, 2022. JANE TYSKA/STAFF ARCHIVES

TURF WARS

NFL players and owners are at odds over replacing artificial surfaces with grass

BY LAURENCE MIEDEMA

On TV or from the stands, it’s nearly impossible to tell one NFL field from another without the colorful team logos painted in the end zones.

But an increasing number of players and coaches, including the 49ers’ George Kittle and Nick Bosa, are asking the NFL to take a closer look into the league’s growing turf war.

The merits and safety concerns of artificial turf vs. natural grass have been debated since the Philadelphia Eagles became the first NFL team to play on AstroTurf in 1969 — three years after it made its debut in the Houston Astrodome. But with salaries and team values continuing to skyrocket, the stakes have never been higher for the players or the league.

“No one knows the beating that our bodies take on turf more than us — the players,” former 49ers defensive end Solomon Thomas posted on Twitter late last season. “The sport is violent enough. We shouldn’t be taking more damage from the field, too.”

There have been improvements to synthetic turf over the years to make the surfaces safer. But they are harder than natural grass and

The issues with the grass at Levi’s Stadium when it opened in 2014 and for several seasons after made headlines. But the surface at the 49ers’ home field is now considered one of the best in the league.

NOAH GRAHAM/GETTY IMAGES

don’t provide as much give to ankles, knees and other body parts.

Of the 30 NFL stadiums, 16 have natural grass. The two shared stadiums (MetLife Stadium by the Giants and the Jets, and SoFi Stadium by the Rams and the Chargers) both have synthetic turf, so half the teams in the NFL play on artificial surfaces in their home stadiums.

Grass fields, of course, won’t eliminate injuries or be completely headache-free. The issues with the grass at Levi’s Stadium when it opened in 2014 and for several seasons after made headlines. But the surface at the 49ers’ home field is now considered one of the best in the league, even getting a thumbs up from “The Sodfather,” George Toma, the legendary groundskeeper who has helped prepare the field for every Super Bowl.

Before Super Bowl LVI a year and a half ago, Kittle shared a petition from Change.org calling for the NFL to switch to natural surfaces in all its stadiums.

“I’ve been saying, artificial turf feels like playing on cement. It’s time to play smarter, not harder! Help us #FlipTheTurf by signing the petition” Kittle wrote.

The game was played on artificial turf at SoFi Stadium, the Rams’ new $5 billion facility in Inglewood. During the game, Rams star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. tore his ACL when his leg caught on the surface. The injury prompted many NFL players to reach out on social media.

Niners wide receiver Deebo Samuel tagged the NFL in a tweet that said, “Turf should be banned.” And Bosa linked to the petition and shared some of his own injury horror story, saying in a tweet, “Every player is one play away from altering their career forever when playing on turf. I experienced the bad side of this, and it could have been avoided.”

Bosa’s only Twitter activity since he suffered a season-ending torn ACL in the second game of

the 2020 season on the MetLife Stadium turf has been related to stadium surfaces.

Technological advances have made turf safer over the years and more similar to grass than carpet. But natural grass is overwhelmingly the surface preferred by the players, who say they feel more fatigued and sore after playing on synthetic surfaces. The NFL Players Association also points to a poll it conducted in which 90 percent of the players who responded said playing on turf would likely shorten their careers.

The NFL has pushed back on the call for surface changes, saying recent data shows the difference in injuries on grass and artificial surfaces is minimal. But the players scored a minor victory heading into this season.

Two stadiums — MetLife Stadium (shared by the New York Giants and New York Jets) and Ford Field (Detroit Lions) have replaced slit film turf, considered the most potentially dangerous of the synthetic surfaces because of gaps in the material that can catch players’ cleats, with different synthetic surfaces.

Former Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. lies on the turf after suffering an injury during Super Bowl LVI against the Cincinnati Bengals. The game, held on Feb. 13 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, was played on artificial turf.

That still leaves four NFL stadiums using slit film turf — Paycor Stadium (Cincinnati Bengals), Caesars Superdome (New Orleans Saints), Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis Colts) and U.S. Bank Stadium (Minnesota Vikings).

The 49ers play the Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on Oct. 23.

NFLPA president JC Tretter has been outspoken about the players’ desire for the NFL to mandate natural grass surfaces for all of its facilities.

A switch to grass would be expensive. Some estimates suggest it would cost nearly a billion dollars for a stadium that uses artificial turf to go natural. Teams playing in cold weather or enclosed stadiums would have to resod multiple times during the season.

The 49ers have been among the most vocal teams in the drive to go natural, in large part because of injuries the team has suffered on turf over the years.

San Francisco’s 2020 season was seriously impacted after backto-back visits to MetLife Stadium in New Jersey resulted in injuries to more than a half-dozen key players on what the 49ers later

called “sticky” turf.

In a Week 2 game against the Jets, Bosa and Thomas suffered season-ending knee injuries, while quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (ankle) and running backs Raheem Mostert (knee) and Tevin Coleman (knee) also got hurt. A week later against the Giants, tight end Jordan Reed (knee and ankle) and cornerback Emmanuel Moseley (concussion) were injured on the same turf. The 49ers didn’t even risk playing Kittle, who was recovering from a previous ankle injury.

A year later, in the 2021 opener, cornerback Jason Verrett tore his ACL on the turf at Detroit. And last season, Moseley suffered a season-ending injury when his knee buckled on the turf at Carolina’s Bank of America Stadium.

“Turf is turf. It is what it is,” Kittle told reporters after Moseley’s injury in Carolina. “I’d much rather play on grass. That’s why I love (49ers CEO) Jed York. We have the nicest grass field in the NFL. Week in and week out, our practice fields are the nicest grass fields. And we have the nicest game field.”

It’s not just the players calling for change. Seattle Seahawks head coach Peter Carroll suggested the NFL “seriously” consider a switch to grass after star receiver D.K. Metcalf suffered a noncontact knee injury on SoFi Stadium’s turf.

“We’ve got to do what’s right, and we’ve got to do what’s safest for the players, and we’ve got to make those choices,” Carroll told reporters. “I would pound on the drum for that.”

Time will tell if owners will listen to those calls for change. But for now, the 49ers are more than happy to let the grass grow at Levi’s Stadium.

“I know how much everyone prefers grass,” 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters last season. “... I can’t tell you how big of a difference it makes for us. I’m glad that we don’t have to deal with that stuff in our stadium.”

DOUG BENC/ ASSOCIATED PRESS

How

stadium savvy are you?

Take the Levi’s knowledge test

BY JOAN MORRIS

For the 49er Faithful, Levi’s Stadium has become a mecca, a shining salute to everything that makes the Silicon Valley what it is as well as a place to create new legends in football. But how well do you know the 1.85-million square foot stadium? Huddle up and take our trivia quiz to see.

Do you know how many seats are in Levi’s Stadium?

JIM GENSHEIMER/ STAFF ARCHIVES

1. Let’s start with the basics. How many seats are available to fans at Levi’s?

a) 50,000

b) 65,000

c) 75,000

d) 100,000 when the Niners are playing the Seattle Seahawks

2. Levi’s is celebrated for all its high tech goodies, including free WiFi. How many miles of data cable does Levi’s contain, and how many of them are dedicated to WiFi?

a) 9,000 miles of cable, 550 for WiFi

b) 900 miles of cable, 400 for WiFi

c) 400 miles of cable, 70 for WiFi

d) 1,200 miles cable, 300 for WiFi

3. If you were to go to the top of the SAP Tower at Levi’s, what would you find there?

a) A 27,000-square-foot “green roof” planted with 16 species of native plants

b) A pool and spa that players use between games and after practices

c) A private suite and residence for the 49ers owners, the York Family

d) It’s a secret

4. What is the Faithful Farm, and where is it?

a) A private cemetery in Colma for the deceased pets of 49er players, coaches and staff

b) The 49ers’ Stockton training camp in Stockton until 2003.

c) A 9,000-square foot vegetable garden planted atop the NRG Solar Terrace

d.) A metaphor for where old 49er players go after retirement

5. Levi’s isn’t just the home of the 49ers. It’s also a venue for concerts and events, including some that require more seats. In 2015, a record 76,796 attendees crowded into Levi’s to watch ... what?

a) The first vice-presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Mike Pence

b) A Metallica concert

c) WrestleMania 31

d) Monster Truck Mash-a-thon

6. The 49ers crowd has a white wine and sushi reputation, but hot dogs remain the biggest seller at a venue with no shortage of options. If Joey Chestnut isn’t in attendance, how many hot dogs are sold at an average game?

a) 50,000

b) 40,000

c) 70,000

d) 120,000

7. Which two teams played the very first game at Levi’s?

a) 49ers vs. Carolina

b) 49ers vs. Dallas

c) 49ers vs. Chicago

d) None of the above

8. The Niners have their own app, which assists fans in several ways. What can’t the app do?

a) Help fans find their seats

b) Identify the shortest bathroom lines

c) Order food delivered to your seat

d) Flash a photo on one of the giant screens

9. Fans have no excuse for missing kickoff. What happens three times

— at the 90 minute, 1 hour and 30 minute mark — before the start of each game?

a) The stadium lights flicker on and off, just like at theaters

b) The 49 cheerleaders, the Gold Rush, race around the field carrying signs that mark the time until kickoff

c) A foghorn sounds

d) Text alerts are sent out

10. The stadium has 165 suites. What’s special about the wood inside the Citrix Owners Suites?

a) It was taken from Candlestick Park

b) It’s reclaimed wood from a local airplane hangar

c) It’s from an ancient redwood grove, harvested when a tree fell during a severe storm

d) It’s not wood; it’s a resin that looks like wood

11. The 49ers museum is not to be missed, with 10 unique “rooms,” including a re-creation of legendary Bill Walsh’s office. How many Lombardi Super Bowl trophies are on display?

a) None. The Lombardi Trophy is symbolically awarded to each winning Super Bowl team and then returned to the National Football Hall of Fame for safekeeping.

b) Three

c) Four

d) Five

Top: Miles of water pipes and cables snake along back corridors at Levi’s Stadium. But just how many miles?

Above: Where can you find these decorative grasses at Levi’s Stadium?

Left: One of the many field lights at Levi’s Stadium waits for its chance to shine.

JIM GENSHEIMER/ STAFF ARCHIVES

12. One of the museum’s most popular displays is of life-sized statues of players re-creating famous events. Which one is the fan favorite?

a.) John Walsh being carried on the shoulders of players after his first Super Bowl win

b) Dwight Clark making “the catch”

c) Terrell Owens grandstanding on the Dallas Cowboys “star”

d) Steve Young stumbling across the goal line

Flip to page 41 to check your score on the Levi’s Stadium-savvy scale.

Every NFL football takes shape in a tiny Ohio town

BY JOAN MORRIS

In the 154 years since Princeton and Rutgers played what became known as the first official collegiate football game, the sport has become a billion-dollar industry that enraptures millions of fans every season. But without 150 people working in a small Ohio factory, the game would be a nonstarter.

The Wilson Sporting Goods factory in Ada, Ohio, produces roughly 700,000 footballs — including 480,000 for the NFL — each year. By hand.

Each and every football used during any professional or college football game is produced at the factory, the exclusive supplier since 1955. The balls, made from stamped cowhide — no pigskin here — are cut, sewn, manipulated and stitched by the workers who define devotion to their craft, many who have worked 40-plus years at the factory.

“Our employees are dedicated and hardworking, show a passion for sports and are committed to upholding the excellence in craftsmanship that Wilson has become known for over its 100-plus year history,” says Sarah Houseknecht, Wilson spokeswoman. “And strong fingers definitely help.”

The now-familiar shape of the ball didn’t always look like that. When Americans first started playing football, the game was a combination of soccer and rugby, played with a round ball made from a pig bladder, hence the now outdated nickname. The ball could be kicked but not touched with the hands and certainly never thrown.

Wilson historians say changes to football rules led to the development of the passing game, which in turn required a differently shaped ball. The first elliptical-shaped ball was introduced in 1897 and refined in 1912 —

Top: Loyd Conley cuts leather from the Horween Leather Co. factory into quarter panels for an NFL football in 2017.

Middle: The ball is first placed into a container where it is steamed and then reversed with the use of a steel bar.

CHARLES REX ARBOGAST/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Bottom: Aaron Plummer laces a Super Bowl football in 2011. AMY

SANCETTA/ ASSOCIATED PRESS

and hasn’t changed in 111 years.

Wilson began making official footballs for the league in 1941. Some 14 years later, the company opened the factory in Ada, a town of 5,256, give or take a few, located about 69 miles southwest of Toledo. Each football consists of four panels of cowhide leather, tanned in Chicago. The panels are cut to size, then stamped with logos and emblems. All the official game balls have “The Duke” insignia stamped on them, a salute to New York Giants owner Wellington Mara, who was named after the Duke of Wellington and given the Duke nickname when he started as a ball boy for the team in 1925. Wilson began naming its balls “The Duke” after getting the league contract.

The Ada factory assembles the balls, using steaming equipment and sewing machines that are older than some of the workers. Each ball requires several hands to complete, from the workers who sew the panels together to the crews who steam the leather to make it supple enough to turn right-side-out to the lacers who meticulously work the white leather laces

Trivia answers

from page 39

1. a. 65,000 seats are available, whether the hated Seahawks are in town or not.

2. b. Levi’s is wired for action. The miles of cable support all the technical advantages offered at Levi’s.

3. a. The green roof, irrigated with reclaimed water, helps cool the stadium with its plantings of native flora.

4. c. The Faithful Farm is a vegetable garden that produces 7,500 pounds of crops each year, supplying tomatoes, summer squash, eggplants, herbs and other seasonal vegetables used to prepare food during games. Surplus produce is donated to help feed the hungry.

5. c. Although WrestleMania lists the attendance as 180 more than the stadium’s tally, the event was a hit by any standard and remains the largest Levi’s has ever hosted.

6. a. Fans consume around 50,000 each home game.

7. d. It was a football game — just not American football. The San Jose Earthquakes defeated the Seattle Sounders.

8. d. Nope, the app is not connected to that.

9. c. A foghorn sounds each half hour before kickoff. It also blasts for each touchdown and announces the start of the second half.

10. b. The wood was reclaimed from an airplane hangar at Moffett Field.

11. d. The 49ers have won five Super Bowl championships and have a trophy for each.

on top.

Many workers are football fans themselves, Houseknecht says, whether they follow a particular pro team, a college squad or the local Ada Bulldogs high school team. The footballs are all identical, so they can’t identify their own particular hand in crafting a specific ball, but they recognize their joint contributions.

Since 1969, the factory has produced all the Super Bowls footballs — about 100 balls for each game. Workers wait until the last championship game has been decided, then stamp the two winning teams into the leather and get to work.

12.b. Dwight Clark’s gravity-defying catch from Joe Montana in the 1981 NFC Championship game is one of the most popular statues at the museum. The score put the Niners one point up with less than a minute to play against the Dallas Cowboys. A sack and fumble recovery sealed the victory and sent the Niners to their first Super Bowl and the start of a dynasty.

RANKINGS

0-4 correct: You have heard of football, haven’t you?

5-8: Your spot on the bench is waiting.

9-12: Suit up. You’re ready to play.

The Wilson Sporting Goods factory in Ada, Ohio, produces roughly 700,000 footballs — including 480,000 for the NFL — each year. By hand.

Footballs wait to be stamped with the opponents names for Super Bowl XLVIII at the Wilson Sporting Goods football factory in 2014 in Ada, Ohio. Since 1969, the factory has produced all the Super Bowl footballs — about 100 balls for each game. MATT SULLIVAN/GETTY IMAGES

Levi’s Stadium’s soundscape is the work of Game Presentation & Live Events senior director Laura Johnson and her team of five, who assemble a playlist rich in Bay Area talent. JOSE CARLOS FAJARDO/STAFF

The Levi’s Stadium playlist is a bonanza of Bay Area music

BY JIM HARRINGTON

Stadium music is as much a part of the game-going atmosphere as what happens on the gridiron and in the stands. At Santa Clara’s Levi’s Stadium, the 49ers differentiate the musical experience by embracing songs by Bay Area artists — and a certain, distinctive local sound effect.

It’s the call of a foghorn, a throwback to the team’s days in foggy San Francisco. You’ll hear the iconic sound three times before kickoff — and again every time George Kittle or another Niner lands in the end zone with the ball.

“It doesn’t matter where you are in the building,” says Laura Johnson, the 49ers’ senior director of game presentation and live events. “When you hear the foghorn sound, you’ll know there has been a scoring play here at the stadium.”

That sound is quickly followed by Vallejo rapper E-40’s 2006 hyphy classic, “Tell Me When to Go,” complete with the “Yay Area” intro, to celebrate the touchdown.

“It’s fun. It’s hip,” Johnson says. “Anybody can really just vibe with that song, which I think is very cool. It’s very cross-generational.”

E-40 is a big supporter of the red and gold — “He’s often at our home games,” Johnson says — but it’s more than that.

“You will hear quite a bit of Bay Area music when you come to a 49ers game,” Johnson says. “It’s a part of our brand. It’s a part of our identity. We think it’s important to be authentic to the Bay itself and to pay homage to the great music scene we have here as well.”

That homage begins as the players enter the field to the sound of Metallica’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls.” The Bay Area’s best-selling band ranks among the most-played at stadiums across the country.

“I think it just fits the hype of sports in those moments — those crescendo moments,” Johnson says. “I feel like it matches the drama that you need.”

The stadium soundscape is the work of Johnson and her team of five, who assemble a playlist rich in Bay Area talent, from 1980s hitmakers Huey Lewis and the News to country star Jon Pardi to hip-hop talent P-Lo.

“There is music playing from the moment gates open until the

moment we close down shop at the end of the night,” Johnson says. “When (fans) are walking in, you really want to have that cross-cultural type of playlist going. We want to make sure that we have something for everyone throughout the course of the day.”

Another E-40 cut — the raucous “Niner Gang” — is another victory tune in regular rotation. And the classic rock power ballad, “Lights,” from Bay Area Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Journey, is also a celebratory favorite.

“It really resonates with fans,” Johnson says of “Lights.” “What’s really cool is that as (fans) make their way out of the building, you can hear them singing along to it. So, it’s really fun and engaging, again, because of that tie to Bay Area culture.”

Bay Area-centric songs like “For Whom the Bell Tolls” and “Tell Me When to Go” get the most love, but tried-and-true stadium anthems by Ozzy Osbourne, for example, or Guns N’ Roses, still have a place at Levi’s.

There’s just one category of music that does not: the opponent’s favorite tunes — and not just because there’s a difference between, say, Bay Area hip hop and L.A. hip hop. (Although there is.)

“If we are playing the Rams, we will veer away from anything related to L.A. — because we want to focus on the Bay,” Johnson says. “It’s our experience and our home field advantage we’re creating.”

BAY AREA ARTISTS ON THE 49ERS PLAYLIST

Introduction of the Team: “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” Metallica Touchdown: “Yay Area” into “Tell Me When to Go,” E-40

Scored extra point/field goal: “Seek & Destroy,” Metallica

Win song: “Niner Gang,” E-40 Last song after a win: “Lights,” Journey

OTHER CELEBRATORY SONGS FROM LOCAL ARTISTS

“Big Steppin (49ers Remix),” Stunnaman02

“Welcome to Paradise,” Green Day “Put Me on Somethin’,” P-Lo

PART OF THE IN-GAME SOUND

“San Francisco Anthem,” San Quinn “Long Train Runnin’,” Doobie Brothers

“Oye Como Va,” Santana

“Welcome to the Bay,” Mac Dre, Luniz, Messy Marv

MORE BAY AREA ARTISTS PLAYED AT GAMES

Journey

Santana

Doobie Brothers

Grateful Dead

Huey Lewis & the News

Steve Miller Band

Eddie Money

Greg Kihn

Jon Pardi

Tyler Rich

Nate Smith

Devin Dawson

Cam

Tower Of Power

Sly and The Family Stone

Sheila E.

E-40

Saweetie

P-Lo

Rappin 4-Tay

Mac Dre

Metallica

Green Day

Rancid

“It’s our experience and our home field advantage we’re creating.”

Laura Johnson, 49ers’ senior director of game presentation and live events

Body-painted, banjo-plucking bring extra energy to 49ers games

Frank Roldan, left, and Paul Roach cheer for the Niners during one of the last games of the 2022 season at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.

STORY BY JOHN METCALFE PHOTOGRAPHS BY SHAE HAMMOND

The booming sound of drums fills Levi’s Stadium, as fireworks shoot off and jets scream overhead. Cheering it on from a high perch is Frank Roldan, a firefighter from Roseville who’s dressed in a red leather jacket, red shirt, red gloves and gold cowboy hat.

Roldan is here to support the team he’s rooted for since his parents took him to the big San Francisco victory parade in 1982. “It got to the point where you automatically assumed they were going to make it in the playoffs or Super Bowl every year,” he recalls. “How could they not win? It was just a joy to watch, because they were so dominant.”

It’s those formative memories that turned Roldan into the person he is today — a full-grown adult strutting in public like a glam-metal version of Deadpool. “My favorite time was probably watching Joe Montana when he had 34 seconds left against the Bengals in ’89, and they stormed down the field,” he says. “My dad was crying, my mom was screaming, and all around San Francisco, you heard people honking their horns and yelling out windows.”

Some folks are content to watch the 49ers at a sports bar or get stadium seats one or two times a year. Others take their fandom more as a directive from the supreme being, attending games for unbroken, decades-long stretches in full-on regalia and makeup that takes forever to apply (and even more time to scrub off in the shower). And for this, we salute them: No matter how the team’s doing on the field, these superfans bring energy that’s just as entertaining and contagious as watching them nail

It’s the beginning of the San Francisco 49ers game against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in late 2022.

Salvador Lopez, a San Francisco 49ers fan, knows who’s number one.

Above: Sourdough Sam hangs from the hat of San Francisco 49ers fan Frank Roldan.

Right: San Francisco 49ers fan Ruben Herrera displays his various oversized 49ers necklaces.

a touchdown.

Mark Castanon is a San Jose aerospace systems engineer who on game day morphs into “49erMark,” rooting from the stands in red face paint, a hat shaped like a Super Bowl diamond ring and a kilt paying tribute to 49ers coach Jim Tomsula’s stint with NFL Europe’s Scottish Claymores.

“Everything I wear is 49ers,” he says. “I’ve got my 49ers tennis shoes, my 49ers socks. I’ve got my red kilt with gold-and-black stripes. I do wear underwear under my kilt, because there are those crazy types of fans who are always willing to take a look. So I have a pair of 49ers boxers.”

Castanon started his journey to superfandom when he applied to do marketing for the team during the 2011 NFL lockout. “I wrote them a letter saying something about my children not being able to say the word ‘Raiders’ in my house,” he says. He was selected and met with the team reps in a warehouse. “They said, ‘Can we do something with you?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ They went, ‘You don’t want to hear what it is?’ I said, ‘I don’t care — I want to be on the ticket.’ So they put body paint all over me.”

Castanon has gone on to attend three Super Bowls as “49erMark” and even pulled the foghorn for the first preseason game in 2019 — the blaring instrument

announces kickoff time and is reportedly the same model as the foghorns used on the Golden Gate Bridge. When he’s not instigating eardrum-shaking honks and looking like a grinning tomato, Castanon simmers in a warm team environment in his home “fan cave.”

“I’ve got photos of the last game at Candlestick Park against Atlanta. I’ve got my Montana jersey and paraphernalia that 95 percent I got signed myself — footballs and helmets and hats,” he says. “Probably my favorite artifact is a picture of me standing with Dwight Clark, Ronnie Lott, Jerry Rice, Roger Craig and Joe Montana with Super Bowl trophies in front of us.”

Of course, the room is painted in gold with a red wall. “My wife told me I was only allowed one wall, and now I have the whole

room taken over, including the bed that has 49ers-colored sheets and pillows. I think she’s given up.”

When you’re navigating the stands at Levi’s, you’ll sometimes hear the twanging of bluegrass and look over to see a bearded man in a propeller beanie and Superman-style 49ers cape. This is Stacy Samuels, aka “Banjo Man,” a fan and musician from Fairfax who’s attended every game since 1981 and is known for his energetic plucking of Earl Scruggs’ “Foggy Mountain Breakdown.”

“I play that over and over. I’ve played it for 40 years, probably thousands and thousands of times” — including in at least 10 Super Bowls, he says. “One year at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, I got to go backstage because I’m friends with Steve Earle — and when Earl Scruggs was playing,

Marlena Segi, a San Francisco 49ers fan, dons a foam finger, beads and a garland crown to support the team at a game at Levi’s Stadium on Dec. 11, 2022.

No matter how the team’s doing on the field, these superfans bring energy that’s just as entertaining and contagious as watching them nail a touchdown.

I went in his tent and talked to him. I explained, I’m the world-record holder for the number of performances of ‘Foggy Mountain Breakdown.’”

Like, officially? “Well, unless there’s somebody in an insane asylum who can’t stop playing it, I’m pretty sure it’s me.”

Samuels runs a Berkeley business called Interstellar Propeller that makes multicolored, flying-propeller beanie hats — it’s sold more than two million beanies to people as far away as Europe and Japan — but his heart is really wherever the 49ers are playing.

“I would say my favorite moment over the years was 1989 at the Super Bowl in Miami, where they came back, and John Taylor caught the pass from Montana to win the game,” he says. “I actually got interviewed in the end zone by (legendary Bay Area sportscaster) Gary Radnich. And I got to scoop up a little piece of the end zone, which I saved for many years, but it disintegrated.”

Like many superfans, Samuels isn’t getting paid by the team. It’s just a labor of love.

“It gives you a way to be part of the game more. You get to root for your team, and you do a good thing for the community,” he says. “It’s hard to believe I’ve done this now for 43 years, but it’s great. It’s just been an incredible career to have.”

Banjo Man – Niners superfan Stacy Samuels, of Fairfax – is a Levi’s Stadium legend.

Black history on a roll

STORY BY JOSEPH DYCUS

PHOTOS BY KARL MONDON

Carolyn Hoskins has been educating — and entertaining — Bay Area residents for decades with a traveling museum dedicated to all sorts of Black history.

Hoskins’ home, however, is something right out of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

“Our family room is a shrine to football; signed jerseys on the walls and memorabilia everywhere,” the longtime Bay Area resident said. “I’ve just kind of run out of space.”

But the impressive array of football relics barely scratches the surface of a massive treasure trove of history that Hoskins has accumulated for a far greater purpose than just being a collector.

What became Hoskins’ life work started with a question more than 20 years ago.

One February day, Hoskins’ grandson, Domini, came home from Central Elementary School in Belmont, lamenting being assigned projects on only Martin Luther King Jr. for Black History month.

“His powerful question to me was ‘Are there any other famous black people that did anything?’”

Hoskins recalls.

What began as research for a small school project continues decades later in the form of the Domini Hoskins Black History Museum and Learning Center, a traveling tribute in the Bay Area with hundreds of exhibits and thousands of items. Hoskins says don’t even ask her how large her collection is, because it’s grown

too enormous to count.

Among the many exhibits are displays devoted to inventors, musicians, athletes and political leaders, among others. Football has a special place in the exhibits as well as in Hoskins’ heart. She is the widow of Bob Hoskins, who played for the 49ers from 19691975. Carolyn said Bob, who died in 1980 after suffering a heart attack, always had an interest in history and would have loved and supported the museum.

Among her many red-and-gold collectibles are a litany of rare items donated by Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice.

“One of the things that I treasure dearly is a jacket from when he first started out, and everyone called him ‘Flash,’” said Hoskins, who has been friends with Rice’s

Jerry Rice memorabilia makes up a large percentage of the Domini Hoskins Black History Museum and Learning Center at Carolyn Hoskins’ home in Belmont. Hoskins is godmother to the children of the San Francisco 49ers Hall of Fame wide receiver.

family for years and is the godmother to Jerry’s children. “That jacket has ‘Flash’ on it.”

Hoskins often has children and classes come through her museum on field trips, some of them talented athletes.

“To me, when we’re talking about sports, I think it’s so important for these young players to understand what these other players went through,” said Hoskins, who has served on the NFL Alumni Association’s board of directors for nearly two decades.

Among those who have visited the museum is Dr. Clayborne Carson, a professor at Stanford who has devoted his life to studying Martin Luther King Jr. and his writings.

“Sports have often been a site of racial distinction, but also an area where people could be judged by different standards,” Dr. Carson told the Bay Area News Group.

There is no shortage of sports memorabilia in the Domini Hoskins museum, but Hoskins says her favorite exhibits are the ones that highlight the hundreds of inventions African-Americans have provided the world.

“The refrigerator system, the traffic light, the hairbrush, the potato chip and the elevator,” Hoskins said, listing off a few of the 200-plus African-American inventions in her museum.

After three decades, the museum has had its fair share of famous visitors, some of whom remind Hoskins of the current-day connections to her museum displays.

“(A lady) asked me ‘Do you have any information on Emmett Till,’ and I said I do, and that when we have students come in, I have a video on him and we

What began as research for a small school project continues decades later in the form of the Domini Hoskins Black History Museum and Learning Center.

do talk about him,” Hoskins said of Till, whose racially motivated murder in Mississippi in 1955 at the age of 14 was a galvanizing force in the civil rights movement. “I showed her the exhibit. She said, “That was my nephew.”

“It was just chills that went through me, to know that I was that close to someone related to him.”

Hoskins’ museum has popped up in Belmont, Oakland, Richmond, San Francisco, Redwood City, San Mateo and other Bay Area cities over the years. The

museum was most recently on display at the San Mateo County Fair this summer.

Between showings, all the relics reside in several storage units around the Bay Area. Hoskins receives donations, but she also works part-time at the Dollar Tree in San Carlos to help pay for the storage costs.

“We pay for it ourselves to keep these stories going,” said Hoskins, “to keep the museum going.”

Soon, however, Hoskins may achieve her ultimate goal and find the museum a permanent home.

Carolyn Hoskins, with her daughter Kate, shows off her collection of sports memorabilia at her home in Belmont. One of her favorite items is a photo of her late husband, Bob Hoskins, during his days with the San Francisco 49ers.

The museum recently received $2 million in funding in the 2023-24 state budget after State Sen. Josh Becker, D-San Mateo, advocated for Hoskins.

Hoskins says she is currently negotiating for a location in Redwood City. Once that building is secured, she hopes she can begin to host speakers who will bring the history to life. Hoskins is already looking ahead to 2026, when the Super Bowl returns to the Bay Area and she can use the museum to help tell the story about Black players in the NFL.

“My goal is to reach out to these people and have them come in and tell their story,” Hoskins said.

Hoskins welcomes everyone to her museum, with a simple goal: That people around the Bay Area won’t leave the museum asking the same question her grandson, now 32, did two decades ago.

“I want people to understand how important and rich the history is and all of the great contributions that African Americans have given and all of the struggles that they have gone through to still be here and standing strong.”

On the road with the Niners

What to eat, drink,

see and do for fans

who follow the team out of town

BY CAM INMAN

Each year, more 49ers fans are making a pilgrimage into enemy territory, turning a Niners away game into a weekend retreat. The 49ers Faithful spans coast to coast, so those who travel certainly won’t find themselves alone. The sea of red jerseys turns some stadiums downright bipartisan.

The 2023 season itinerary offers an eclectic mix of stadiums, cities and nearby attractions to visit. The preseason opened Aug. 13 in Las Vegas. The 49ers hope their postseason ends there, too — at Super Bowl LVIII on Feb. 11. But we don’t want to jinx anything. So here’s a travel guide, based on two decades of experience crisscrossing NFL cities, along with some fan suggestions, for nine stops on the regular season tour.

Pittsburgh + Steelers

The game: 10 a.m. Sept. 10 at the Pittsburgh Steelers’s Acrisure Stadium. Rebranded last season from Heinz Field, this 22-year-old gem abuts three rivers — the Ohio, Allegheny, Monongahela — and is an easy stroll from downtown across the Roberto Clemente Bridge. The 68,400-seat stadium is awash in memorabilia from the six-time Super Bowl champion team.

Transit: The stadium is about a 20-minute ride from the airport by car — or twice that by the much cheaper bus route. The train is not an option.

Grub + brews: The Strip District and Market Square are hot spots, and both offer Primanti Bros. hefty sandwiches stuffed

San Francisco 49ers fans check out Seattle’s Pike Place Market before the 2014 NFC Championship game against the Seattle Seahawks.

Fans who travel to Pittsburgh for the Niners-Steelers game on Sept. 10 can feast on a roast beef sandwich from Primanti Bros.

with fries. Roland’s Seafood and Peppi’s are also worth checking out. Stock up at Mancini’s Bakery for your tailgate. Be sure to order an IC (Iron City) beer, then tune in to Ben Roethlisberger’s Footbahlin podcast for beer (and football) reviews.

More things to do: Check out the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden and Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Head to the other side of the Monongahela to the Duquesne Incline, where a 19th-century cable car takes you up Mount Washington for breathtaking views.

Sports detour: Don’t fly back right away. On Sept. 11, the Pirates will host the Nationals at PNC Park, where you can see how that stadium rates against the Giants’ Oracle Park.

Los Angeles + Rams

The game: 1:05 p.m. Sept. 17 against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. Some call this Levi’s South — or the 49ers’ in-season vacation home. The lighting and airflow give it the windows-down feel of a convertible. Niners fans have packed the 70,000-seat stadium since its 2020 opening.

Transit: A good option for those flying into LAX is to anchor north in Santa Monica or Marina del Rey or south among the beach towns — and allow plenty of drive time for everything.

Grub + brews: All due respect to Costco hot dogs, but the stadium’s Inglewood location doesn’t offer much in the way of nearby food options. One Niners fan recommends Tito’s Tacos and Johnnie’s Pastrami in Culver City, seven miles from the stadium. Brews at El Segundo Brewery, Highland Park, Monkish, Three Weavers and Golden Road are all good options. Craft beer lovers can hit the L.A. Beer Fest on Sept. 16, too.

Above: SoFi Stadium has been called Levi’s South, an excellent moniker to take note of when the Niners come to Los Angeles to face the Rams on Sept. 17

Right: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio, is only a 5-minute walk from the Cleveland Browns Stadium, where the 49ers play Oct. 15.

JOSE CARLOS FAJARDO/STAFF ARCHIVE; CAM INMAN/STAFF

More things to do: Arguably the best running or bike-cruiser path on the NFL beat is The Strand, particularly the stretch from Manhattan Beach to Redondo Beach.

Sports detour: UCLA plays North Carolina Central at the Rose Bowl on Sept. 16.

KEITH SRAKOCIC/ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE

Cleveland + Browns

The game: 10 a.m. Oct 15 at Cleveland Browns Stadium. In 1999, the Browns moved into this lakeside downtown home, where the 49ers lost on their 2007 and 2015 visits with quarterbacks Chris Weinke and Blaine Gabbert.

Transit: Stadium parking is limited. Public transit, such as RTA, will be your best bet.

Grub + brews: Mabel’s BBQ, chef Michael Symon’s barbecue hot spot, is the place to go, according to one fan’s tip. And you’ll find several sports bars and breweries — Whistle & Keg, City Tap, The Clevelander, Butcher and the Brewer and the Corner Alley — six blocks from the stadium.

More things to do: The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame located next to the Great Lakes Science Center across from the football stadium is a must-visit.

Sports detour: The Pro Football Hall of Fame is an hour south in Canton.

Minneapolis + Vikings

The game: 5:15 p.m. Oct. 23 at the Minnesota Vikings’ U.S. Bank Stadium. This prime-time affair might offer the NFL’s best stadium experience, with its location (downtown), noise (“Skol!” chants) and skyline view beyond one end zone’s glass doors.

Transit: Light rail can zip you from the airport to town, and the stadium is walkable from downtown hotels.

Grub + brews: So many choices — try Bar la Grassa for Italian food by a James Beard award-winning chef, J.D. Hoyt’s Supper Club for steak and seafood, The Butcher’s Tale (ditto on the steak), Black Sheep for pizza and The Loon Cafe, which is known for its chili. You’ll find Summit Brewing’s popular extra pale ale on drinks menus across the city.

More things to do: Run, bike or walk along the Mississippi River. Other options include a stop at The Mall of America or a ramble along St. Paul’s Summit Avenue to see the longest stretch of Victorian-era homes in the country. If you drive out to Lake Minnetonka, be sure to eat dockside at Maynards.

U.S. Bank Stadium offers skyline views for fans who travel to Minneapolis for the Vikings-49ers game on Oct. 23

BRUCE KLUCKHOHN/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Jacksonville + Jaguars

The game: 10 a.m. Nov. 12 against the Jacksonville Jaguars at TIAA Bank Field. This is only the fifth visit by the 49ers since the Jaguars joined the league in 1995 as an expansion team. It’s the site of the old Gator Bowl Stadium. (Plans for renovation to the facility and an entertainment district could run $2 billion.)

Transit: There are no direct flights from the Bay Area, so manage your time and book your connections wisely, then grab a rental car to get around.

Grub + brews: Cowford Chophouse, along with Spliff’s Gastropub and the brewery Bold City Downtown are about 10 blocks from the stadium.

More things to do: You’ll find more than 20 miles of white sand beaches just a couple of bridges and 25 minutes away from downtown. Disney World is about a 2½-hour drive south in Orlando. Some of the nation’s finest golf courses are within a 90 minute drive, including TPC Sawgrass with its famous 17th-hole island green in Ponte Vedra Beach. The World Golf Hall of Fame lies 30 minutes south of Jacksonville. Play the course there or head for historic St. Augustine for lunch at Prohibition Kitchen or the Roosevelt Room.

Seattle + Seahawks

The game: 5:20 p.m. Nov. 23 at the Seattle Seahawks’ Lumen Field. The 49ers clinched the NFC West on their last visit on Dec. 15; now they can exact further revenge for the Seahawks spoiling Thanksgiving 2014 at Levi’s Stadium. This downtown locale offers arguably the NFL’s most electric and loudest environment, especially in prime time.

Transit: The light-rail line can whisk you from airport to downtown in about 35 minutes. Seattle is walkable, if you can handle the hills.

Grub + brews: Wild Ginger has long been in this sportswriter’s regular rotation, but other great hot spots include Sushi Kashiba, The Pie Bar, Barolo Ristorante, Le Panier and The Walrus and Carpenter. Beer lovers should check out the Georgetown Brewery, (south Seattle), Fremont Brewing, Reuben’s, Stoup and Old Stove.

More things to do: The Space Needle, Pike Place Market, the original Starbucks, Lake Union, and the University of Washington

are all reachable via foot or light rail. Look out your airplane (or hotel) window for views of snow-capped Mount Rainier. Spend an extra day or two touring Bainbridge Island and Seattle’s neighborhoods, including Alki Beach and Ballard.

Philadelphia + Eagles

The game: 1:25 p.m. Dec. 3 at Lincoln Financial Field. Perhaps no greater hostile environment exists, according to wild tales from 49ers fans who attended last season’s NFC Championship Game. So there’s no shame in going incognito.

Transit: Grab an Uber or the Broad Street subway line to reach the South Philly stadium, which is more than seven miles from downtown.

Grub + hopes: There’s something to please any appetite at Reading Terminal Market (see: DiNic’s). Other options include Dalessandro’s for cheesesteaks, Dante & Luigi’s for classic Italian, The Dandelion for modern British pub fare, Parc for French bistro-style dishes and Franklin Fountain, if you’re craving a sundae. And Monk’s Café serves some of the nation’s best beer, including California brews, if you’re homesick.

More things to do: Philadelphia is rich with history and culture — and pop culture. Run up the steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where a plaque commemorates Rocky Balboa’s famous run. Check out Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell for a dose of American history and Walnut Street for shopping.

Sports detour: U Penn’s historic Palestra — known as the Cathedral of College Basketball — is five minutes from downtown.

Fans can watch games from a swimming pool above the field at Jacksonville’s TIAA Bank Field, as they did when the Jaguars faced the Tennessee Titans in 2017. SAM GREENWOOD/GETTY IMAGES

Tourists enjoy coffee at Seattle’s original Starbucks, which lies walking distance – 1.2 miles – from Lumen Field, where the 49ers will play on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 23.

GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

Glendale + Cardinals

The game: 1:05 p.m. Dec. 17 against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. The town of Glendale is enshrined in 49ers lore as their COVID home in December 2020, when the team couldn’t play in Santa Clara County.

Transit: Rent a car or rely on a ride-share service — then look for the spaceship in the desert. That’s the stadium. (The Valley of the Sun’s light-rail line links Phoenix with Tempe and Mesa, but not Glendale.)

Grub + brews: You have your choice of home bases when you’re here, so pick the area to bunk that works best for you. Tempe should be clear of Arizona State students on winter break. Old Town Scottsdale is a tourist hub, while northeast Scottsdale is classy but a haul from State Farm Stadium. If you opt for Phoenix, good dining possibilities include Chelsea’s Kitchen, The Macintosh — known for modern American fare, craft brews and cocktails — and Snooze A.M. Eatery. The Mission in Old Town Scottsdale serves up modern Latin cuisine, and Oregano’s in Glendale does Chicago-style pizza and pasta.

Sports detour: If golfing in northeast Scottsdale is out of the question because of budget or weather constraints, keep an eye on the college and pro basketball schedule.

Washington, D.C. + Commanders

The game: 10 a.m. Dec. 31 at the Washington Commanders’ FedEx Field in Maryland. This remote, outdated joint is hopefully in its final seasons, until the club’s new ownership can make a happier home. But tailgating room is plentiful. And if you happen to be staying at the White House, the stadium is a 30-minute drive away.

Transit: You’ll want to rent a car — or hoof it from the nearest Metro station, 1.1 miles away.

Grub + brews: Across the street from the White House, the Old Ebbitt Grill dubs itself as “Washington’s oldest saloon.” Other spots to grab a bite in D.C. include the St. Anselm tavern, RPM Italian, 2 Amy’s Neapolitan Pizzeria, Pearl Dive Oyster Palace, the Spanish-centric Del Mar and the Call Your Mother Deli. For drinks, head for the ChurchKey craft beer bar, the Bier Baron Tavern or the Off the Record, which was ranked one of the world’s best hotel bars by Forbes.

More things to do: Who needs a New Year’s Eve date, when you can visit the National Mall, the 21 museums of the Smithsonian Institution — the most popular include the Natural History, American History, African American History and Culture and Air and Space museums — and see the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument and other memorials. Want to take a Capitol tour? Book that now through the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center or your Congressional representative.

Left: Writer Cam Inman stands next to the Rocky statue outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art. You could run from the famous statue to Lincoln Field, home of the Philadelphia Eagles, if you’re up for a 5.1-mile run. Otherwise take a car or subway.

STAFF ARCHIVES

FEEDING THE FAITHFUL

BY LINDA ZAVORAL

The Faithful are also foodies, so Levi’s Stadium and its hospitality partner, Levy, make a concerted effort every year to offer craveable culinary experiences for those devoted Niner fans.

For the 2023-24 season, the new offerings include slowsmoked meats from Peninsula and South Bay pitmasters making their first appearances at Niners games; the return of a chef’s elevated, house-brined pastrami sandwich; a new pizza creation from Tony Gemignani; plus dishes from other locally owned enterprises.

And there will be more when the stadium’s new executive chef, Alvin Kabiling, unveils his inaugural menu this month.

Here’s just a sampling:

NEW DISHES, RETURNING FAVORITES

Tony G’s Slice House: The Bay Area’s global pizza champion, Tony Gemignani, has created a new themed pizza with a wild array of toppings. Called the Bootlegger, this pie layers cupn-char sausage (that’s the trendy new topping in the industry, Tony G says), cup-n-char pepperoni, applewood-smoked bacon and mozzarella on tomato-vodka sauce. The finishing touches are basil, oregano, grated Romano, hot honey and garlic oil. He’ll

Game day will be a gourmet delight for fans of the 49ers

Puesto will be bringing its array of tacos — stuffed with braised chicken al pastor, carnitas and veggie medleys — back to Levi’s Stadium this season.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PUESTO

have several Slice House stands at the stadium.

Breakwater BBQ: Chef-pitmaster Wyatt Fields, who just a few years ago achieved his long-held dream to open a barbecue joint in his San Mateo County coastal hometown of El Granada, will be featured at 49ers games for the first time. If you like your smoked meats saucy, his concoction is an Ancho Coffee BBQ Sauce.

The Shop by Chef Baca: This San Jose chef, a comfort-food specialist, is bringing back his signature Baca Pastrami sandwich, the one that made his reputation. Chef Rodney brines and smokes the meat, then slices it thickly and layers it on a bun with pineapple molasses mustard, coleslaw, housemade pickles and caramelized onions. Fans may also see the East Side Burger return to the menu. That’s topped with candied bacon, red relish, jalapenos and cheese.

Hula Bar and Kitchen: The Gorospe family has expanded their Pacific Island/NorCal fusion lineup to include a San Jose restaurant, their first brick-andmortar. But they’re not too busy to feed the Faithful. For this season at Levi’s, think Poke Nachos, gluten-free Poke Rice Bowls and the secret-recipe My Mama’s Lumpia, filled with ground pork, shrimp and water chestnuts. Finish off the meal with Dole Whip or Spiked Dole Whip, as in Malibu rum.

Mesquite and Oak Bar-B-Que: This San Jose restaurant specializes in Texas-style barbecue, particularly a black pepper-crusted brisket. Look for these pitmasters to make their debut at Levi’s.

The Chairman: What’s better than Curtis Lam’s popular Pork Belly Bao stuffed with miso-glazed pork and pickled daikon? A bigger bao! In addition, look for the chef’s San Francisco-based Asian street food truck to offer its best-selling Loaded Fries with pulled pork or (new this season)

karaage chicken. Lam also has a new snack treat in the works: Mongolian Beef Cheeseburger Egg Rolls.

Konjoe Burger Bar: Joey Camacho’s enterprise, now located at the State Street Market in Los Altos, will be back in Santa Clara with his customers’ favorites: His Classic Cheeseburger, Hot Chicken Tenders and Savory Fries. The burger comes with grilled onions, pickles and Konjoe Sauce.

ChurWaffle: The Burgess Brothers of Sacramento are amping up their offerings with a First Alarm Spicy Hot Link, BBQ Chicken Tenders with fries and a Smokehouse Burger with fried crispy onions and housemade barbecue sauce. Naturally, they’ll be serving their signature Cinnamon & Sugar ChurWaffles, made from the treasured family cornbread recipe.

Starbird: Since launching on the fried chicken scene in 2016 in Sunnyvale, this restaurant group has expanded throughout the Bay Area and to Los Angeles. They’ll be serving Crispy Chicken Tenders and Fries, which are cooked in non-GMO rice bran oil and accompanied by housemade sauces: Star Sauce, Greek Yogurt Ranch, Honey Mustard and Honey Chipotle BBQ. Quenchers include housemade Classic and Strawberry Lemonades.

Puesto: Expect chef-inspired offerings from this artisanal restaurant located not far from Levi’s Stadium. Last year, there were potato taquitos with a zesty tomatillo salsa and tacos stuffed with marinated, braised chicken al pastor, carnitas or a mushroom-veggie medley.

COMING SOON

Levy chefs at Levi’s: The menu isn’t quite ready for prime time, but Kabiling and his Levy staff have spent the summer creating new dishes starring farm-fresh produce and herbs from the Faithful Farm on the stadium’s roof.

The Burgess Brothers will be back at Levi’s Stadium this season with their signature ChurWaffles as well as several savory options. KARL MONDON/STAFF

Joey Camacho’s classic cheeseburger served with grilled onions, pickles and Konjoe sauce is back to tempt 49ers Faithful fans this season. NHAT V. MEYER/STAFF

A full plate

BY CAM INMAN

Training camp’s first practice was over, so the 49ers hit their refueling station: a fully stocked cafeteria located between their practice fields and Levi’s Stadium.

More than 90 fillets of grilled salmon were devoured at dinner that night. This, however, is not a fish tale. All due respect to salmon, but broccoli and brown rice are players’ most popular meal in a routine-oriented world.

There is not much uniformity when it comes to player-specific diets for a roster that starts with 90 athletes in camp (plus coaches and staff) before whittling to 53 players for the regular season.

“Our goal is to provide the highest quality and as much as we can for them, to take the guesswork out for them when they leave this building,” said Jordan Mazur, the 49ers’ director of nutrition.

When Mazur joined the 49ers seven years ago, only a third of the NFL teams had a full-time dietitian, starting with the New England Patriots. Now, 30 of 32 are on board, with others relying on a consultant.

“In the last five to 10 years, it’s grown a ton,” Mazur said. “Nutrition isn’t anything new. We all eat. But the nutritional sciences

For a 49er, plenty of eating is just part of the job

emerged, and we’re understanding the importance.”

To help explain the dietary restrictions and demands of a 49ers’ player, Mazur mapped out what’s involved in their program, while respecting players’ privacy and not divulging specific meal plans.

TEAMS WITHIN TEAMS

Different body types come with different positions, a team-within-the-team scenario. What a 180-pound wide receiver needs to consume is obviously different than a 315-pound offensive lineman, and their energy needs are different. Receivers and defensive backs must sprint, whereas linemen don’t move relatively as much but must be strong.

“We start by looking at their lean body mass, their body composition, how much muscle mass they have, how much body fat they have,” Mazur said. “That can help calculate their needs. Everybody is different.”

CALORIC INTAKE

Skill-position players such as wide receivers typically require 2,500 to 4,000 calories daily to maintain their ideal weight. Some may struggle to gain weight, so more calories are needed.

“Then you have linemen that can have upward of 6,000 calories per day,” Mazur said. “If you think about the volume of food, that becomes part of their job. It becomes difficult. You have to spread it out as much as possible.”

For example, a defensive lineman comes in at 6:30 a.m. for his first breakfast, returns not long after for breakfast No. 2, then has a pre-practice snack, a post-practice snack, lunch, dinner and “then afterward, you can call it a snack, but in reality, it’s another dinner,” Mazur added.

PROTEIN SHAKES

The 49ers produce seemingly nonstop protein shakes, each designed for a specific player. There’s a smoothie station but also a mobile app where players can build a custom drink.

“I use smoothies as supplements. It’s never really a replacement for food,” Mazur cautioned.

“I want them to eat whole, real foods as much as possible. If a guy is getting 6,000 calories a day, the volume of food is hard to (reach) that much. We have to supplement with liquid calories.”

A PB Gainz shake comes packed with 950 calories, not to mention protein and clean ingredients. Some players drink two a day.

PERSONAL CHEFS?

Multimillionaires can afford personal chefs, but not very many 49ers take that route, especially when the 49ers offer breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks at their Santa Clara headquarters.

Jordan Mazur is in his seventh season in the NFL and second as the 49ers director of nutrition after serving the previous four seasons as the team’s coordinator of nutrition. Prior to joining the 49ers, Mazur served as the director of sports nutrition at the University of California, where he was responsible for overseeing all nutrition and dietitian related services for student-athletes.

“Our goal is to provide the highest quality and as much as we can for them, to take the guessing work out for them when they leave this building,” Mazur said. “I’m not naïve to think that guys aren’t eating what they want to or leaving here and getting what they want. But I’m not going to provide it for them.”

Even if he draws up a meal plan for them, players might not strictly comply with it if that means they have to grocery shop or meal prep on their own.

CHEAT CODE

Professional athletes cheat … on their diets. Ice cream and chicken wings are their most popular comfort food.

“There’s a time and place for that. Food is meant to be enjoyed,” Mazur said. “These guys think of food as their job. Imagine having a direct impact on your work. This is their livelihood. Their health is their biggest wealth. They can control what they can

put in their body in terms of food.”

WHO GETS IT

While proper nutrition is in vogue, rookies typically are the most challenged. Some come from big universities with a nutrition foundation. Others hail from small schools and must be taught the basics of what’s a carbohydrate, what’s a protein, what’s a fat and what do you do for your body. Cue: Veterans can advocate on Mazur’s behalf.

“Once you get the buy-in and convince guys and educate guys to adopt it as a habit,” Mazur said, “maybe they’ll have better energy at practice, better hydrated so cramping might not be an issue. Maybe they gain lean body mass, and all of a sudden, they pay attention to what they need; maybe they cut out fast foods, sugars and candies.”

Add it up, and it all can yield the sweetest taste of all: victory, and maybe even the 49ers’ first Lombardi Trophy in 29 years.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

ON THE GRIDIRON GLORY&DRAMA

BY CHUCK BARNEY

Ah, football season — the time of year when Americans spend countless hours observing super-sized men pummel each other on the grass, phony or real.

But, hey, we all need something to do while we’re not watching the sport. Why not read about it?

We’ve tracked down some of the best football books with a Northern California bent. For the sake of conciseness (and our sanity), we have, for the most part, avoided single-subject biographies (there are a million of them) and X’s-and-O’s instructionals.

Instead, the following books are more focused on capturing the history, passion, glory, craziness and drama of the game.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Dwight Clark pulls down the go-ahead touchdown over Dallas Cowboys defensive back Everson Walls in the NFC championship at Candlestick Park January 10, 1982.

These ten books capture it with panache

‘Five Laterals and a Trombone: Cal, Stanford, and the Wildest Finish in College Football History’

by Tyler Bridges

In the immortal — and breathless — words of radio sportscaster Joe Starkey, it was “the most amazing, sensational, dramatic, heartrending, exciting finish in the history of college football!”

By now, one would think that college football junkies would know everything there is to know about the last-second kickoff return that Cal deployed to stun Stanford in the 1982 Big Game: The ecstasy, the controversy, the musical accomplices (“The band is on the field!”).

But Bridges, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and Stanford grad, has a great nose for detail. And he deftly taps into an ultra wide range of perspectives to deliver the most thorough exploration of the madcap game and its aftermath ever written.

Included: Fun nuggets like the harebrained (and botched) plot by four Stanford sore losers who tried to vandalize the Cal field the day after the game.

‘San Francisco 49ers: From Kezar to Levi’s Stadium’

by Brian Murphy

The only true coffee table book on our list, this bulky volume is packed with more than 300 photographs and 70 years of history. When not perusing its 250 pages, you can use it to do arm curls.

Murphy, the host of KNBR’s popular morning radio show and former 49ers beat writer, enthusiastically ushers readers across the 49ers timeline — from their first season at rough and rowdy Kezar Stadium through the dynastic years at windswept Candlestick

Park to the move into new, hightech digs in Santa Clara. Along the way, he provides vivid insights into the teams, players and games that have defined the legacy of one of the NFL’s most storied franchises.

The book features a forward by Jerry Rice and an introduction by 49ers CEO Jed York.

‘Goodbye Oakland: Winning, Wanderlust, and a Sports Town’s Fight for Survival”

by Dave Newhouse, Andy Dolich

“Oakland is America’s most abused sports city, and there is no

On Nov. 25, 1982, in the wackiest four seconds in college football history, Kevin Moen scored for Cal on a gameending, fivelateral kickoff return, while the Stanford band ran to get out of his way.

ROBERT STINNETT/ STAFF ARCHIVES

TRIUMPH BOOKS

close second,” claim the authors of this mournful, but timely tome that explores how and why grassis-greener team owners continue to find reasons to ditch the East Bay.

As the title implies, “Goodbye Oakland” covers much more than football — with the recent battle over the A’s proposed move to Las Vegas a prime topic. If the A’s do flee, Newhouse and Dolich point out, it would represent an unprecedented “hat trick” of departures.

But, of course, Oakland is the only U.S. city to be abandoned twice by the same team, and so the nomadic Raiders draw plenty of attention — and plenty of ire. Al and Mark Davis are described as a “traitorous father and son duo — Benedict Arnold and Benedict Arnold Jr.”

Fortunately, it’s not all greed and grimness. Also recalled are Oakland’s glory days, when the city was home to championship teams and shining stars. An entire chapter, for example, is devoted to Raiders’ legend Jim Otto, “the ironman of ironmen.”

‘Badasses: The Legend of Snake, Foo, Dr. Death, and John Madden’s Oakland Raiders’ by Peter Richmond

The Raiders may now reside in Sin City, but it’s a good bet they will never throttle foes and seize imaginations quite the way they did under Madden in Oakland.

Led by their excitable coach, those 1970s-era Raiders not only won with regularity — and captured Super Bowl XI — but pulled it off with a rowdy cast of colorful characters, or “lovable rogues,” as quarterback Ken “The Snake” Stabler described them.

No team, writes Richmond, “was so routinely dominant as the Raiders. Or so unusual. Or so damned fun and entertaining to watch.”

Richmond provides a highlight reel of fantastic silver-and-black

Coach John Madden of the Oakland Raiders is carried from the field by his players after his team defeated the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XIl in Pasadena, Jan. 9, 1977. ASSOCIATED PRESS

moments, along with ribald tales of off-the-field shenanigans. Even better: He crisscrossed the country, going directly to the sources, rather than relying on second-hand rehashing. Now that we’ve lost several members of those old Oakland Raiders, including Madden and Stabler, his book — first published in 2011 — takes on extra weight as a treasured keepsake.

‘Paradise

Found: A High School Football Team’s Rise from the Ashes’ by Bill Plaschke

One of the best things about sports is its power to inspire. This profoundly moving story, described by a reviewer as “‘Friday Night Lights” meets ‘Unbroken,’” does exactly that.

Plaschke, a Los Angeles Times columnist, follows the Paradise High Bobcats through an extremely trying season after the deadly 2018 Camp Fire ravaged their tiny foothill town. Consider the tremendous obstacles: Most of the team’s players lost their

homes and had to scramble to find makeshift living quarters. The varsity roster was down from 76 to 22 kids, many of them severely traumatized. Their equipment had melted, their uniforms burned. The early practices were held on a field strewn with rocks, glass and potholes.

Still, their passionate coach, Rick Prinz, fervently believed that football could help the town recover and provide some hope. What ensued was a rousing demonstration of human resilience.

‘Undefeated, Untied and Uninvited: A Documentary of the 1951 University of San Francisco Dons Football Team’ by Kristine

Setting Clark

HARPER

The Paradise High School football team runs onto the field for their home opener against Williams on Friday, Aug. 23, 2019, in Paradise. It was the first game for the Bobcats following the Camp Fire on Nov. 8, 2018.

MATT BATES/ STAFF ARCHIVES

Unless you’re of a certain age, you might not know that the University of San Francisco once had a football program. And the school’s best season by far came in 1951, when the Dons compiled a 9-0 record and outscored opponents by a total of 338 points to 86.

Yet, despite that dominance, they weren’t invited to play in the Orange Bowl because two of their players — Ollie Matson and Burl Toler — were Black. The team was offered the chance to compete without Matson and Toler, but they unanimously refused on principle.

Clark, a USF grad, brings that legendary squad back to life. The ’51 Dons, once proclaimed as “the best team you never heard of,” have gained more attention in recent years, thanks to her work, a Sports Illustrated profile and a 2015 ESPN documentary.

Eight players from that team went on to play in the NFL and four of them — Matson, Bob St. Clair, Gino Marchetti and Dick Stanfel — are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

‘ The Incredible Slip Madigan: The Flamboyant Coach Who Modernized Football’ by Dave Newhouse

They also used to play football at tiny St. Mary’s College in Moraga. That’s where, in the 1920s and ’30s, the P.T. Barnum-like Madigan built the Galloping Gaels into a national power and made a name for himself.

Edward Patrick (“Slip”) Madigan, who had played for Knute Rockne at Notre Dame, was a visionary, raconteur and entrepreneur. His Gaels were the first West Coast team to travel to Hawaii and the East Coast. They drew record crowds and used imaginative strategies to knock off bigger, more prestigious colleges.

He dressed his teams in flashy silk jerseys and wisely worked out a deal to take a percentage of ticket sales.

All the while, Madigan courted the media and Hollywood stars. Yet, he’s a largely forgotten figure.

Enter Newhouse, the former Oakland Tribune and Contra Costa Times sports columnist who specializes in unearthing discarded history. Readers of this colorful tale will be grateful he did.

‘If These Walls Could Talk: San Francisco 49ers: Stories from the San Francisco 49ers Sideline, Locker Room, and Press Box’ by

Matt Barrows

Beat writers — the reporters paid to spend endless days and nights shadowing their teams — are often the best sources of

inside intel.

Barrows, who has covered the 49ers since 2003, is a senior writer for The Athletic. Here, he takes us behind the scenes through the team’s highs and lows and periods of reinvention. One chapter, for example, covers the scouting logic that went into the 49ers’ controversial decision to draft quarterback Alex Smith over Cal standout Aaron Rodgers in 2005. Readers should be aware that the book doesn’t backtrack all the way to the Super Bowl triumphs of the 1980s and early ’90s. As former offensive lineman Joe Staley points out in his foreword, “It’s about the emotional roller coasters the 49ers have been on in recent years.”

‘Tales from the San Francisco 49ers Sideline: A Collection

of the Greatest 49ers Stories

Ever Told’ by Roger Craig, Matt Maiocco, Daniel Brown

Here’s one more collection of 49ers memories, produced with the help of an ace beat writer (Maiocco). These concise “tales” are presented through the eyes of standout running back Roger Craig, who played under Bill Walsh and alongside all the Super Bowl greats, including Joe Montana, Steve Young, Jerry Rice and Ronnie Lott.

Craig commendably doesn’t take a self-centered approach — spreading the love around. But, of course, he has plenty to say about his own career, including how it was affected by Walsh’s departure. “When he retired, a part of me died,” he writes. “I wasn’t the same running back after he stepped down.”

‘When the Game Stands Tall: The Story of the De La Salle Spartans and Football’s Longest Winning Streak’

by Neil Hayes

The historic 151-game winning streak compiled by the Concord powerhouse between 1992 and 2004 under coach Bob Ladouceur is the stuff of legend. No high school football squad has come close to even sniffing that record. The Spartans’ success even drew the attention — and respect — of luminaries in professional sports. Hayes had unrestricted access to the DLS program while writing his book, first published in 2003. He then caught up with the lives of the principals for a revised edition in 2014 that accompanied a movie based on the story. It remains an exceptional read — one that isn’t merely a rote rundown of gridiron invincibility or how-to coaching tactics but a riveting coming-of-age story full of life lessons and unexpected turns.

SAINT JOHANN PRESS

TRIUMPH BOOKS

NORTH ATLANTIC BOOKS

SPORTS PUBLISHING

Ever-evolving video games preserve football’s past and keep pace with its present

STORY BY GIESON CACHO ILLUSTRATION BY DAVIDE BARCO

Sports video games are like time capsules — or portals to the past. With their rosters, playbooks and features, they capture and preserve a season in ones and zeros, and at a press of a button, they bring that past to life.

Since Nintendo’s release of 1989’s Tecmo Bowl, games have come to change how fans understand and interact with America’s favorite sport.

The first great football game didn’t even have the NFL license when it was released. Tecmo Bowl’s teams were named by city, not team, but featured the colors of the respective NFL team. What they did have, though, was the NFL Players Association license, and that was enough. Fans could play as Joe Montana and throw to Jerry Rice.

The first breakout star in NFL video games was the then-Los Angeles Raiders’ Bo Jackson. The running back was an unstoppable force in the game, and the way experts used him to outrun tacklers made him look otherworldly. Although his football career was cut short because of injuries, Jackson’s greatness lives on for a whole generation of fans who know him more for his “Tecmo Bowl” feats than his football ones.

ENTER JOHN MADDEN

Of course, one of the issues with those early-generation games was that the visuals, cutting-edge tech at the time, were still rudimentary. The pixels onscreen were a step above stick figures, and the genre was still finding itself. Developers tried different perspectives

Football video games took a leap forward in realism with the “Madden NFL” game produced by Electronic Arts in Redwood City. JOHN GREEN/STAFF ARCHIVES

and experimented by adding play-by-play announcers in “Joe Montana II: Sports Talk Football.”

But it didn’t all click until Electronic Arts’ “John Madden Football” really got going in the 1990s. The popularity of the title echoed his enormous presence in the broadcasting booth he shared with Pat Summerall. It created a memorable synergy. Fans would watch the the two call the games in real life — and later, fire up the console and hear them talk about the plays unfolding in the video game. The legendary duo have since passed on, but their voices live on: Pick up a vintage copy of an early “Madden NFL” game, and you can still hear them calling plays.

MADDEN VS NFL 2K

With the introduction of 3D polygon graphics, football video games took a leap in realism, so much so that at a certain point, if you glanced from a distance, you couldn’t tell if a fan on the couch was watching the gridiron or playing on it. “Madden NFL” wasn’t always the only game in town. It had a rival in Visual Concepts’ “NFL 2K” series, as the two companies constantly tried to one-up each other.

Starting with “NFL 2K3,” the game added an ESPN-style presentation, complete with logos and halftime reports. It even had Dan Patrick in the intro. If you ever wanted to see what the sports network looked like in its golden age, this is the series to check out.

The last version of the franchise is beloved among fans because it was an honest-to-goodness better game and gave “Madden” a run for its money, at least until the following year, when EA bought the exclusive rights to use the NFL teams and players. But the competition of those five years propelled the genre forward, pushing innovations that made the games more realistic and reflecting trends unfolding on the real gridiron.

VICK CHANGES THE GAME IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE

When Michael Vick came to the NFL, he essentially broke “Madden NFL 2004” with his astounding speed and throwing power. If younger fans ever wondered how good he was on the field, this game — along with the thennew Playmaker Controls — let them absolutely dominate teams. (Check out his fantasy football performance against Washington’s football team in 2010, too.)

Although he was a transcendent talent, Vick’s legal trouble with a dogfighting ring saw him removed from “Madden NFL 08.” One of the first times that had ever happened, it was a reminder of the growing reality of modern video game football: With online

updates and living rosters, athletes could be removed and their stats updated over the season.

On the flip side, as much as scandal could remove a player, athletes have been added for positive reasons. In 2021, EA announced that former 49er quarterback Colin Kaepernick would return to the series as a top free agent in “Madden NFL 21.” His silent protest over police brutality and racism had erased him from the series since 2016. His reintroduction followed a year when athletes spotlighted law enforcement officers’ use of force after the death of George Floyd.

Sports don’t happen in a vacuum. They reflect the messiness and vibrancy of real life. As video games push the envelope on realism, reality seeps into those ones

and zeroes. They reflect trends that range from the popularity of the Wildcat offense in “Madden NFL 10” to the 100-rated speed of Devin Hester at the height of his powers.

Over the years, football video games have become not just a pastime but a teaching tool for those who want to learn more about the sport. The games allow fans to further appreciate what they’re watching on the field. It lets them enjoy football as it’s played in 2023 — and how it was played in 2009, too. Find an old copy of “Madden,” and you’ll find yourself back in a time when Brett Favre was on the Vikings and Chris Johnson was setting records for the Titans. It’s a time capsule that feels more alive with a controller in hand.

Above: A virtual Brett Favre donned a Minnesota Vikings uniform to dominate the digital gridiron in “Madden NFL 10.”

EA SPORTS/ ASSOCIATED PRESS

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Danny Gray reaches for a pass in a preseason game against the Green Bay Packers at Levi’s Stadium on Aug. 12, 2022.

JOSE CARLOS FAJARDO/STAFF ARCHIVES