The San Francisco 49ers have two international games this upcoming season, and they may not be done playing outside the United States, based on team CEO Al Guido’s recent comments. Guido has been with the Niners for years but was just promoted to the CEO position.
Speaking to The Athletic, Guido said the following, “I believe we are the globe’s team. I can show you a ton of different data and metrics that prove that. That we are the most popular franchise in the NFL across the globe.”
On the one hand, that’s a really good thing. If the Niners have a lot of fans all over the world, that means more money for the franchise, and it also means that the team is going to have a ton of support wherever it plays. The 49ers had an incredible crowd advantage on the road last season, and that can play a huge role, especially when the fans in attendance force the home team to go to a silent count.
It could also have some drawbacks, though.
The 49ers are clearly not thrilled about having to play two international games this season. Head coach Kyle Shanahan has made his feelings very clear on the matter. If the Niners are supposedly the most popular NFL team on the planet, that gives the league a pretty great excuse to start sending them abroad more often.
That wouldn't exactly be ideal. It’s already scary to think of how all of the travel will impact the team this season with all of the veterans they have coming off major injuries. If this becomes a regular annual thing, then the Niners may have to just get used to all of the travel.
To try to put a positive spin on it, maybe the Niners can turn it into motivation this season. The Los Angeles Rams were clearly annoyed at having to play essentially a road game in their home stadium every time they face the 49ers at SoFi, which is why they requested to face the Niners in Australia.
While the Rams are a more talented team on paper, being too afraid to face the Niners in their home stadium doesn’t exactly scream “NFC West favorite.”
The 49ers could actually adopt an underdog mentality this season. There’s a chance they could sort of "fly under the radar" with most of the attention in the division going towards the Rams and Seattle Seahawks.
That’s probably exactly how the Niners want it. If they can just get into the playoffs, even if it’s just as a Wild Card team, and are relatively healthy, then they have to like their chances against pretty much any other team in the NFC.
The travel is annoying and maybe it won’t be going away anytime soon, but if the 49ers can use it as fuel, perhaps they can turn what on paper seems like a pretty distinct disadvantage into something advantageous.
Add us as a preferred source on Google