It is bad enough that the NFL has the San Francisco 49ers playing Week 1 of the regular season against the Los Angeles Rams in Australia, but just to make matters worse, the game is going to be exclusively broadcast by Netflix.
This news comes via The Athletic and it really is a shame. Bay Area sports fans will have instant flashbacks to the San Francisco Giants beginning their season against the New York Yankees this March and getting trounced on the world’s biggest streaming platform. Not only that, but the Giants are currently one of the worst teams in baseball, so the Netflix curse is very real and it feels like it’s out to get the Niners, too.
Netflix has become more active in the live sports space in recent years. They have had some NFL Christmas games in recent years, and the Giants-Yankees game was the first baseball game on the streamer.
Their live sports coverage has received mixed reviews at best. They usually get announcers and reporters who are usually with other networks to do the game, so it will be interesting to see who they are able to rope into the production.
Everything about this Australia game feels cursed. Head coach Kyle Shanahan understandably resents it and has not exactly tried to hide his lack of enthusiasm. Niner fans will not get to take over SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles like they do every year, which is a pain, and the Niners have to travel halfway around the world to face a team that is arguably the favorite in the NFC.
Injuries are a big concern for the 49ers even if you confined their travels to the United States next season. They didn’t have to leave the country once last season and had so many injuries that they were having to start guys who they had picked up off the street a month prior.
They have one of the oldest rosters in the NFL, and two of their big-free agent acquisitions were wide receiver Mike Evans, who had hamstring issues and was limited to just eight games last season, and linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who has a lengthy injury history.
If the Niners can get out of Melbourne in one piece, that will be a win. But sadly, 49ers fans will have to watch the game through Netflix and hope that the Netflix Curse does not befall another Bay Area team.
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