Niner Noise
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49ers’ Levi’s Stadium: How the Niners new home became a bust

By Peter Panacy

A general view of Levi's Stadium during the 49ers offseason (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
A general view of Levi's Stadium during the 49ers offseason (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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SAN FRANCISCO, CA – DECEMBER 23: Fireworks go off after the last regular season game at Candlestick Park where the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Atlanta Falcons 34-24 on December 23, 2013 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – DECEMBER 23: Fireworks go off after the last regular season game at Candlestick Park where the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Atlanta Falcons 34-24 on December 23, 2013 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) /

The Aura at Levi’s Stadium Just Isn’t the Same as Candlestick Park

I remember an article quoting former Niners great, wide receiver Dwight Clark, on how Candlestick Park was both terrible and endearing.

“It was a dump, but it was our dump,” Clark said. “We had a lot of history there, and a lot of success.”

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Yes, Candlestick was pretty bad in many ways, never mind the cold. And being a converted baseball stadium meant the sight lines never looked quite right. Remember those seating areas along the first-base line disappearing behind the eastern concourse? Weird.

Regardless, no one can doubt the history and legacy Candlestick offered. And the Yorks, especially once their “crown jewel” of Levi’s Stadium went up, didn’t want to connect with that.

Just ask Hall of Famer Steve Young, who said such on KNBR 680 earlier this year:

"I think people also need to recognize that when the split happened, when Eddie (DeBartolo) lost the team, and Denise (York) got the team, there was a tremendous acrimony between the parties. And, so the past, that 49er past is gingerly embraced, or, and so — none of us, they’re not looking to bring the past back."

Fine, there’s a museum at Levi’s Stadium. And Jed York, certainly in reaction to this oversight, has let John Lynch, Kyle Shanahan and even those who decorate the facility embrace the Niners’ historic past.

That’s good, but the aura just isn’t the same.

All this hurts San Francisco fans, who have a tough time getting there, a tough time dealing with the heat, can’t afford to get in and are unable to connect the legacy of the team’s past to its present.

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And it’s likely going to stay this way until the Niners start winning again, creating a new aura end era.