You could write a book about the 49ers Stadium Follies and all the wrong turns the franchise has taken in its quest to get a stadium built. I don’t want to write that book – I’m just saying that you could.
It looks like they made another one, by shoving Andy Dolich out the door.
As I suspected the stadium is at the root of the problem. A source with knowledge of the stadium said Jed York is listening to the wrong people who want to wield influence in the stadium situation and they thought Dolich needed to go.
Here’s what my buddy Dan Brown wrote about the situation yesterday:
Team president Jed York announced Tuesday that the 49ers will eliminate the role of COO and create a new position for a chief marketing officer, with an eye toward corporate sponsorship for a new stadium.
Two problems with that idea: in the quest to hire a “chief marketing officer” they just discarded the best marketing guy in the business. And as far as an “eye toward corporate sponsorship” ? Good luck with that. If Jerry Jones and the combined New York teams still can’t get naming rights for their stadiums, I’m skeptical of the Yorks’ ability.
My source says that the grim reality of the project is causing Jed to make some bad decisions: even if the 49ers win their election (a very big if) they’re still trying to figure out how to come up with about $800 million. Mommy and Daddy probably don’t want to pony over their own money. The league only wants a stadium that will be home to BOTH the Raiders and the 49ers. The whole thing is and always has been, a big, hot mess.
Andy Dolich will be fine. Not so sure about the 49ers’ stadium project.
The only real solution to this whole mess is to rebuild the coliseum, in Oakland, and have both tems play there. perfect for both teams.
The fatal flaw here is that Santa Clara is happy being Santa Clara. They don’t have the critical mass or the burning interest to pull off a stadium. The real estate interests (Lisa Gillmor) can fan the embers but that’s all.
The Niners need a city with low self-esteem (see ‘Oakland’) that’s willing to take off the reality goggles and go ‘all in’ on a project that is more likely to sink than swim. Closest they’re going to come in the Bay Area is San Jose. But SJ is smart enough to realize that they’d rather take the risk on baseball (81 home games a year). I suggest that Jed (who I actually like a lot) get a case of selective amnesia and get Gavin on the phone.
As a longtime 49ers fan I hope the Yorks sell the team. I’m sick of those clowns destroying a once proud franchise.