San Francisco 49ers: Nothing Wrong with "Moving" South

Good news for 49ers fans: When it comes to the York family, the most important apple fell far from the tree and landed close to the tree's brother-in-law.

Just over 18 months ago, Denise Debartolo York decided to essentially fire her husband John York as acting owner of the San Francisco 49ers and handed the job to their son, Jed.

In that time, Jed has already proved his willingness to do whatever it takes to change the fortunes of the 49ers franchise.

Gone are the days of Dennis Erickson and Mike Nolan, and beginning are the days of Mike Singletary.

The 49ers faithful can thank Jed for idolizing his Uncle Eddie (Edward Debartolo Jr.), who was the mastermind behind the dynasty that was the 49ers' five Super Bowl Championships during the 80's and 90's.

The latest 49ers owner is not even 30, but having grown up in the 49ers family, he has seen more football greatness than many will see in their lifetime.

Coinciding with that fact is that Jed cares about one thing and one thing only, doing what is best for his team in order to help them win football games.

Now, despite the fact that a new stadium won't be complete until 2014 or later, a new venue is vital to moving the franchise forward.

Fans and players alike will be more drawn to the 49ers at a new park, which will hold numerous advantages for everyone involved.

Players will have the luxuries of a new state-of-the-art locker room, better equipment, and everything in between.

Meanwhile, a new stadium would bring in a wave of a fans buying up tickets which the 49ers organization desperately needs. Over the last few losing seasons in an ageing stadium, fans have been staying away, especially with ticket prices going up.

Now, obviously, tickets at a brand new stadium won't be cheap, but the fact that a new yard will create a huge buzz in the greater bay area, fans will come to fill up the seats.

In fact, one of the prime reasons for "moving" the 49ers south to Santa Clara is because the 49ers have just as big, if not more of a following in the South Bay, than they do in and around San Francisco.

Currently, the 49ers are further than they have ever been in their negotiations with Santa Clara and a potential stadium deal, but a move away from San Francisco has brought criticism from many living in the city.

Awhile back, Senator Dianne Feinstein was quoted as saying she would write legislation in an attempt to block the team from using San Francisco or 49ers in the team name.

The former San Francisco mayor argued that the team was a vital piece to the essence of the city and its important to the people of the city.

However, numerous professional sports franchises don't play their games in the actual city/state that is in their name.

Just to name a few, neither the New York Giants nor the New York Jets play in New York; they share a stadium in New Jersey, and the Tampa Bay Rays play in St. Petersburg.

The 49ers moving to Santa Clara is not a relocation, it is the best option at building a brand new venue where the majority of their fan base has easy access.

Ignoring the fact that the majority of 49ers fans don't actually live in the city of San Francisco and that a good chunk live in the South Bay, Santa Clara is only a whopping 37 miles down Highway 101.

The majority of sports fans worldwide have been traveling much greater distances to see their teams on a regular basis.  

A 49ers stadium in Santa Clara would enable easier access for most of the 49ers faithful, and will create a much better atmosphere in terms of weather. 

In all honesty, it is hard to form a concrete argument for the 49ers to stay in San Francisco, other than the sentimental issue of keeping the team in the city that made the franchise famous.

With Jed York now in charge of football operations, the 49ers are going to do whatever they can to help their team win games, and if a stadium in Santa Clara is the best location, then that is where the stadium is going to be built.