Stop Whining, Bay Area Sports Fans

Mick Graham, owner of Marry McGarry’s bar on Grant Ave in San Francisco, cannot bear to watch the final tense moments of the San Francisco 49ers failed comeback attempt in the Super Bowl on Sunday Feb. 3, 2013. (Karl Mondon/ Contra Costa Times)

Stop whining. Stop blaming the refs. Stop accusing Ray Lewis of using PEDs. Stop ripping Chris Culliver.

Just stop, Mr. Overconfident 49er fan who thought they would blow out the Ravens in the Super Bowl.

Yeah, I said it. Going into this game, how many people predicted the Niners would win? With the gazelle-like Colin Kaepernick, the number-one defense, and Jim Harbaugh at the helm, who could go against them?

I cannot tell you how many times I heard the following phrases in the weeks leading up to the game:

• The Ravens are a good team, but I just don’t see how they can stop Colin Kaepernick and the Niners’ offense.
• Ray Lewis is overrated, and the Ravens defense is too old.
• This game isn’t going to be close. Who is Joe Flacco again?

Don’t tell me you weren’t thinking these exact thoughts before the game began, because I sure was.

Well guess what? Not only did the Ravens prove all three of those points wrong, they won the Super Bowl. Yes, they beat the 49ers and won the whole God damn thing.

And what do you Niner fans do? Blame the refs.

Feb 3, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree (rear) is unable to catch a pass on fourth down against Baltimore Ravens free safety Ed Reed (20) in the fourth quarter in Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Without even thinking of anything else that occurred in the entire game, you jump right to the conclusion and accuse the referees of failing to call a holding penalty on Jimmy Smith.

Was it even a hold? Looking at the replays, it does appear that Smith had a hold of Michael Crabtree’s jersey as Crabtree attempted to make a move.

Obviously, it wasn’t enough for the referees to throw the flag, and they were right not to. It was a ticky-tack call at best, and did they want the outcome of the Super Bowl to be decided by a questionable call?

Maybe it was a hold, or maybe it wasn’t. It doesn’t matter. The game never came down to one play, or one missed call.

If Kaepernick hadn’t thrown the interception to Ed Reed, or if Culliver decided to play some real defense in coverage, we probably wouldn’t even be talking about this right now.

But being the classy and respectful Niner faithful that you all are, you immediately start piling on the refs simply because they are easiest to target and their “blown call” was made during a pivotal point in the game. If you don’t believe me, read through this inappropriately-titled thread on Reddit.

Larry Krueger said it best during the KNBR postgame show (I’m paraphrasing):

"You don’t lose these games because of bad calls, you lose them because you’re just not good enough."

The 49ers were not good enough on Sunday night. They played a horrible first half, regained their composure thanks to a power outage, and ran out of time in the end.

I don’t know if it is because Bay Area sports fans are spoiled by their teams’ success, but seriously, stop whining.

The Giants won the World Series, the A’s won the AL West, the Warriors seem like a lock for the playoffs, the Sharks began the season 7-0, the Cardinal won at the Rose Bowl, San Jose State finished the year nationally ranked in the BCS standings, and the Quakes were the best team in all of MLS.

Oh, and the 49ers made it to the Super Bowl with a quarterback who had started only nine previous games.

Want me to repeat that again?

Learn to accept defeat just like you would celebrate victory. The game is over, and the outcome will not be changed. The NFL will not call a holding penalty on Smith and make the two teams replay the game from that point. What’s done is done, and the best you can do is be gracious and respectful in defeat.

But you probably won’t care. You’ll probably start whining again about why Stephen Curry deserves to be an All-Star.