San Francisco Newspapers, Merchants, Restaurants Strike Gold With the 49ers

The last time, three years ago, the triumph came as a surprise. The San Francisco 49ers, mediocre for many years, were the unexpected champions of the National Football League and a half-million fans poured into the city’s streets to celebrate with a giant parade.

This season, the 49ers won the National Conference West championship that many of their fans expected from the opening day of training camp. Rather than rejoicing with each victory, as they had in 1981, some fans and local sports writers said they were bored by the ease with which the 49ers won this season.

But the team didn’t act cocky, and to some San Franciscans that is part of their allure. Every home game was a sellout as the 49ers went 15-1.

“I think the 49ers have great style and San Francisco has great style and we’re very proud of them,” said Charlotte Mailiard, the city’s deputy chief of protocol.

“Three years ago it may have been a surprise,” she said, “but since then the fans have been following the team more diligently and know each one of those players. They’re not pompous, not big-headed. They’re low-key. They reflect the style of the city.”

Mayor Dianne Feinstein has gone to most of the home games, cheering the players and beating on the railings of her box seat when thing weren’t going quite right. She also has had aides tutor her on the fine points of the game.

“The 49ers embody many of the values that are San Francisco,” the mayor said. “They’re spirited, they love competition, they’re full of surprises. They’ve diversified their game, gained confidence and have the respect of everyone.

“Let’s fact it, to be a city of champions you have to have ability and style. San Francisco and the 49ers have both.”

Mailiard, who is planning a parade in case the 49ers beat the Miami Dolphins in the Super Bowl, said officials were preparing for a million spectators.

Local merchants have profited from the sale of 49ers’ souvenirs. Record shops are hawking an album by a group of the players, and another in the shape of a football sung by wide receiver Freddie Solomon.

The Super Bowl at Stanford Stadium, 35 miles south of San Francisco, is expected to bring more than $100 million to businesses in the Bay area. Hotels and restaurants are bustling as the 60,000 visitors wait for the game to be played.

The San Francisco Chronicle printed a slick, 80-page magazine of the 49ers’ “Super Season”--before the first of the team’s two playoff victories. In thousands of words and full-color photos, every aspect of the regular season was covered.

The SanFrancisco Examiner, San Jose Mercury-News, Oakland Tribune and Peninsula Times-Tribune in Palo Alto have all been printing special 49ers’ sections.

Neither the Democratic National Convention in San Francisco last July, nor the Olympic Games at Los Angeles, received as much coverage in the local newspapers.

Dan McGrath, sports editor of the Chronicle, said one reason the newspapers have given the 49ers and the Super Bowl so much attention is that this is the first Super Bowl in the San Francisco Bay area.

“But really, the 49ers are the only sports team out here that demands any sort of attention,” McGrath said. “The baseball team is poor, the college teams are mediocre. And there’s a built-in loyalty to the 49ers. Other teams like the Giants and the Warriors came from the Eat, but the 49ers started here.”

Another reason the newspapers are packed with 49ers’ stories and photos is that they sell. McGrath said the Chronicle sold about 40,000 extra papers, about 600,000 total, on the Monday after the 49ers beat Chicago in the conference title game.

The Examiner printed a 20-page Super Bowl Week guide for last Sunday and has finished an 84-page color magazine for game day, said sports editor Charles Cooper.

“We sold 100,000 more newspapers than usual the day after the 49ers won Super Bowl XVI and we have to expect even more this time,” Cooper said. “The 49ers sell newspapers.”