On a warm summers evening more than 43,000 fans packed SBC Park.  From blocks away sports bars were packed with fans waiting on the edge of their seats.  Hundreds flooded McCovey Cove in boats, rafts and anything that would float.  They all were waiting for Barry Lamar Bonds to come to the plate and try to step into baseball’s record books.  They came to see something that has never been seen in Fenway Park, Yankee Stadium, Wrigley Field, or any field for that matter.  With one swing of the bat, Bonds hit number 73 and San Francisco erupted.  With the crowd in full force rooting for the Giants, the moment was so perfect it seemed like a fantasy.  All except for one thing, it is always like this before Giants games.  Albeit the buzz was heightened because of the situation, but the San Francisco faithful pack the stadium, bars, cove and streets on game days.

The fans of San Francisco are what set it apart and make it the greatest sports city around.  Fans line up from around the Bay Area to be a part of San Francisco sports.  Unlike most places, San Francisco fans take an interest in nearly every sport.  From Rugby to NASCAR San Francisco has a strong fan base in virtually every area of sports.

It’s no wonder then, why the sports bar scene in San Francisco is one of the greatest in the country.  Ricky’s Sports Theatre & Grill caters to the hard-core fans of the Bay area.  Ricky’s was ranked the number two sports bar in the nation in the Feb. 7 issue of Sports Illustrated, and once inside Ricky’s you will realize it deserves its ranking with 65 televisions set up to broadcast whatever you want to see.  Whether you are in the mood for an Indy car race, English soccer match, NFL game or a horse race, Ricky’s is guaranteed to have it.

While the fans are diverse and take to any sport, they have a love affair with the Giants.  Since the 2000 season the Giants have been in the top five in Major League Baseball attendance.  On opening day this year, Barry Bonds was presented with his seventh M.V.P. trophy, the most for any player ever.  With Bonds under increasing scrutiny for his off the field actions, fans from around the nation had jumped off of the Bonds bandwagon.  Not the Giants fans, Giants Fans always have their player’s backs. This is not only a reflection of how well the team has been doing the last few years, but also a reflection of the Giants storied past. 

The Giants have won more games than any other major league franchise, and only the Yankees have won a larger percentage of their games. A consistent winner, the Giants played in a World Series in six of the first seven decades of the 20th century. But since their move from New York in 1958, the Giants haven’t won a World Series title.  They have been close, but have never been able to win the big one.

In 1962 the Giants faced the Yankees and lost in 7 games.  With Willie Mays on second base, Willie McCovey hit a line drive that was caught for the final out in the ninth inning, ending the Giants hope for a World Series title.  In 1989 the Giants faced off against Bay Area rival the Oakland A’s.  Prior to introductions of players in Game 3, an earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale hit the Bay Area, and the Giants went on to lose in four games.  Then in 2002 the Giants encountered the Anaheim Angels.  Up three games to two in the series and leading five to two in the game, Dusty Baker took out pitcher Russ Oritz, and gave him the ball as a memento from the presumed World Series title. The Angels, powered by the rally monkey, were none to happy with this move and came back to win, and then capped off the series by winning game seven.  Nonetheless, the San Francisco fans will always support their team and players.  Simply said, they are not fair weather fans.  

Who’s to blame them?  The Giants have one of the best front offices in the country.  When the Giants needed a new ballpark, the owners did not delay.  They wanted to give the fans something back, so unlike many new ballparks, fans were not expected to pay for the new park through taxes.  SBC Park became the first privately financed ballpark in MLB since Dodger Stadium in 1962.  SBC Park was built in one of the most beautiful areas of San Francisco.  The ballpark sits in cozy downtown and overlooks the scenic marina.  When the building of the stadium began to take place, the Giants wanted to recognize their storied past and recognize fan needs, so they dedicated the cove in left field to Hall of Famer Willie McCovey (McCovey Cove).  They then erected a nine-foot statue of the greatest living baseball player, Willie Mays.  If that wasn’t enough, an 80-foot Coca-Cola bottle with slides was built behind left field to accompany the children that come to the ballpark.

Hands down, the Giants have the fan-friendliest front office in the country.  But it should be expected with dedication the fans in San Francisco have for the good ole’ Giants. 

While the Giants play in a new ballpark, another San Francisco team plays in old Candlestick Park (now known as Monster Park).  This is the home of the greatest pro football organization in the history of the National Football League; the last true dynasty in the NFL.  Of course the Dallas Cowboys of the 90s won three championships in four years and the New England Patriots recently did the same, but that doesn’t even compare to what the San Francisco 49ers accomplished.  Consider this, the 49ers won 10 or more games for 16 consecutive seasons from 1983-98.  If that isn’t astounding enough, since 1981, the 49ers have won 13 division titles, five conference championships and five Super Bowl championships.  This is the definition of a dynasty.  The 49ers became the first team to win five Super Bowl tiles (’81,’84, ’88, ’89 and ’94) and did so in dominating fashion.  

The 49ers were not only the last dynasty in the NFL, but they revolutionized the game.  Think about it.  What is the main offense run in the NFL today?  It’s the West Coast Offense of course.  Who is every safety, quarterback and wide receiver compared to?  Do the names Lott, Montana and Rice mean anything?  When Bill Walsh was hired by the 49ers from Stanford in 1979 the 49ers had finished 2-14 the year before.  Walsh instituted his West Coast scheme and brought in elite players, and the rest is history.  Coaches from around the NFL began to imitate Walsh and the 49ers scheme.  Today, most - if not all NFL teams - run the West Coast Offense or a version of it.  The rest of the NFL should thank Coach Walsh and the 49ers for making the NFL the intriguing game that it is today. 

Like the Giants, the fan-base for the 49ers has been superb.  Throughout their title runs, the 49ers sold out every game in old Candlestick Park.  The parking would be filled five hours before game time with Rice, Montana, Taylor, Craig, Haley and Lott jerseys.  Fans in San Francisco were living the dream.  Their team was winning games and championships, but unfortunately all good things must come to an end.  In recent history the 49ers have struggled, finishing 2-14 last year.  They are now in the middle of a rebuilding phase and people would expect the fans to not show up before games as early, not pack the stadium and lose faith in their team.  Except this is San Francisco, and the fan-base has remained.  The 49ers still sold out, or nearly sold out every game last year.  This year there is a buzz in San Francisco with new coach Mike Nolan leading the way.  In fact ‘Rollin’ with Nolan’ shirts are the leading sales of 49ers merchandise.  So like the Giants fans, 49ers fans have a deep desire for their team, a desire that makes them the best fans in the land.

Nothing embodies San Francisco sports like the University of San Francisco. The rest of the country has overlooked the Don’s, and especially their history.  The history the Don’s have rivals that of Kansas, Duke and North Carolina.  I know what you’re thinking, but the USF was really a basketball powerhouse.  In the early 50s the Don’s were led by three future Hall of Famers: Bill Russell (Yeah the same Bill Russell that led the Boston Celtics to 11 championships), K.C. Jones and Coach Phil Woolpert.  USF won back-to-back national championships in 1955 and 1956, going undefeated both seasons.  They held the record of most consecutive games won, 55, until UCLA and some guy named Wooden came along.  They were the premier program in the nation and are often called by some as the greatest college basketball team ever assembled. 

While the Don’s are not as well known now, they still put a team on the court that can compete with anyone in the nation.  This year alone, the Dons defeated Pacific and Gonzaga, both NCAA tournament teams.  They also lost to Gonzaga by two points and to tourney bound St. Mary’s twice by a total of eight points.  Memorial Gymnasium, where the Dons play, is the definition of old school.  It is straight out of “Hoosiers,” and like the Giants and 49ers, boasts some of the best college fans in the nation.

So from Mays to Bonds, to Rice from Montana, San Francisco has bolstered some of the greatest talent this country has ever seen.  But what sets San Francisco on another echelon in sports cities, is its fans—the greatest in the land.  So until next time, remember it is simply not the teams or the players that make New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Cleveland, L.A., Chicago and San Francisco great sports cities, it is us the fans that make each city unique.