By Drew Garrison

The setting: Community center meeting room. Man standing at the front. He looks scared and slightly irritated.

Drew: Hi my name is Drew and I’m surrounded by 49er andRaider fans.

Group: Hi Drew

Drew: I’m surrounded by all these fans and I’m not a fan of either. I’m a Jets fan. Which is stressful enough but considering I’m usually the only Jets fan people know I have to hear about it constantly when they lose. But I’m ok with that. You should get some shit for your team losing. But those were the good old days. Now I deal with something much worse. I deal with fans that cheer for teams that are actually good. It’s….. well it’s a nightmare. (tear rolls down his cheek)

(End Scene)

Is it really a nightmare? No of course not. But it can beannoying. Before we get too far into this I’d like to point out this is more focused on 49er fans than Raider fans. And don’t think you are getting off easy Raider Nation. I’ve just learned to tune you out after years of annoyance. You can’t tell me that dressing up like a jackass every weekend and only showing up to your teams games when they are winning isn’t annoying. So for the rest of this post we will shift our focus to the 49ers.

To know where you’re going you have to know where you’ve been. The 49ers have 5 Superbowl championships. They have 20 players in thePro Football Hall of Fame. They had the best quarterback in NFL history with Joe Montana. They had the best receiver in NFL history with Jerry Rice and one of the best coaches of all time with Bill Walsh. This has truly been one of the greatest franchises in NFL history.

But they haven’t had a winning record since 2002 and tha thas led many fans astray. It’s hard to remember the good times when you’ve had to deal with one losing team after another for the last 9 years. Quarterbacks like Trent Dilfer, JT O’Sullivan and Giovanni Carmazzi would drive any fan insane. Factor in the Mike Singletary debacle and it’s impossible to stay positive. It’s hard to remember what it’s like to be a winner.

Now let’s focus on the positive. You are 8-1. You have the second best team in the league. You have arguably the best defense and rushing offense in the league. And best of all Alex “baby hands” Smith is no longer making dumbass mistakes and is in fact winning you games. Jim Harbaugh has led you out of the dark ages. You are back. You are a legitimate threat to win a Superbowl. Now act like it.

Recently on Facebook a friend/49er fan complained about how no one gives his 49ers credit for being 8-1 and they always follow a compliment with a “But”. He wanted people to be happy for the 49ers and to give them their credit. Another friend went on to say that they didn’t know cheering on your team was a crime. Again referring to the “hate” they were receiving for being a 49ers fan.

Well guess what? Get used to it. You are a good team now and if a person is not a fan of your team they will not give you full credit unless you win the Superbowl. But 49er fans have forgotten this. They are so used to being losers that they don’t know what it’s like to be a winner anymore. Do you think the 49er fans were getting high fives from Cowboy fans when Joe hit Dwight Clark in the back of the endzone for the win? Hell no! They immediately started talking about why they wouldn’t win the Superbowl. No one hates on a bad team. Can you seriously think of anyone that hates the Los Angeles Clippers? No you can’t because they suck and have pretty much always sucked. The 49ers are good and until they win a championship people will find flaws. You know like the secondary. So don’t take it personal. Take it as a compliment. Kind of like when a guy hits on your girlfriend. That’s a compliment. You have a good looking girlfriend. High Five! If people don’t hit on your girlfriend then you have an ugly girlfriend. That’s a YOU problem! So if no one is tearing down your team that is because your team sucks and doesn’t pose a threat.

So bask in the hate my 49er brothers and sisters. You’ve earned it. Let the critics talk and judge. Yeah it’s true that no one really trust Alex Smith yet but really when it comes down to it…. Defense wins championships.