The San Francisco Standard
SSan Francisco 49ers

Super Bowl fever is about to sweep through the Bay. Most 49ers fans are already sick

  • January 30, 2026

This column is an excerpt from our Section 415 newsletter, where we cover the biggest stories in Bay Area sports each Monday and Friday. To sign up, visit The Standard’s newsletter page and select Section 415. It’s free to subscribe!

Super Bowl fever is about to spread throughout the Bay Area, and if you’re like most 49ers fans, you’re already sick.

Ahead of Super Bowl 60 at Levi’s Stadium, the Bay Area will roll out the red carpet for everyone from A-list celebrities to fans making a once-in-a-lifetime splurge to see the Patriots and Seahawks live. It’s a long carpet, too, stretching 43 miles from the Super Bowl Experience taking over Moscone Center all the way to the midfield in Santa Clara, where Bad Bunny will perform at halftime. 

There are block parties, restaurant pop-ups, and concerts. There are tailgates, DJ sets, and, for locals who don’t care about football, a San Francisco dog to support in this year’s Puppy Bowl.

And for the people who tuned in from the start of training camp through the 49ers’ sloppy, soul-crushing, and season-ending loss to the Seahawks, there’s … nothing.

2 days ago

A basketball player in a white "The Town" Warriors jersey with number 30 looks down, with a collage of basketball and jersey images on the left.

6 days ago

A man in a blue suit and tie smiles while speaking into a microphone at a press conference with a backdrop that reads "Oracle Park."

Tuesday, Jan. 20

A basketball player wearing a Golden State Warriors jersey lies on the court, appearing injured or exhausted, with his arm raised slightly.

Sure, plenty of 49ers fans will don their George Kittle or Fred Warner jerseys and hunt for autographs from NFL legends inside Moscone Center. They’ll enjoy the sounds of Post Malone and Shaboozey, and they’ll almost all tune in Feb. 8 when New England and Seattle meet down at Santa Clara. 

But if this Super Bowl matchup gives you chills, it’s probably not the good kind.

It’s not that the 49ers were ever likely to play in the championship, but after they won six consecutive games to set up a Week 18 showdown with the Seahawks, fans started to dream. Despite a 13-3 loss to Seattle, the last-minute wild-card round win over Philadelphia injected hope into a fan base that believes it’s due.

The 49ers have been stuck at five Super Bowl titles for 31 years. Generations of kids who can’t remember watching Joe Montana or Steve Young play now have kids of their own but no championships to cherish.Â