The San Francisco 49ers have a game today. Yes, it’s a preseason game, but it is their first game on a football field for the 2026 season. No doubt we have a lot of new faces here on the site, but we, as fans, probably have a lot of new faces in the fanbase. Over on 49ers Reddit, a question popped up from a new member of the 49ers Faithful: What do they need to know as a new fan?
It got me thinking to steal their question and just ask everyone here what you think is the one thing, the absolute most pressing piece of advice every new 49ers fan coming into the 2026 season should have. Rather than give a history or a bandwagoner’s guide, I thought it’d be fun for us to single out one piece of advice we’d give a new fan.
And given the 49ers’ history, there are a lot of things to pick from. And if you are a new fan, welcome!
For me, the one thing I would tell fans will seem a bit more pessimistic. It’s not anticipating injuries or telling them to research sub-station theories before sitting down to a game. It’s just knowing they are a fan of a team that had its glory days in the 80s and early 90s. We’re in 2026 now—those glory days are gone, and with the way the division and the league are trending, they arenever coming back. If you expect the 49ers to compete for a three-peat, you might be in for a bad time. Nowadays, we have what I call The Great Disappointment to look forward to.
So maybe a less facetious way of saying it: make sure you manage your expectations. If you are joining up because of the great history of Joe Montana, Steve Young, Jerry Rice and others, that’s great, because many of us joined during their heyday. In my case, what was a three-year-old to do? But just because they were a powerhouse then doesn’t mean they are a powerhouse now. It’d be like a basketball fan becoming a fan of the Bulls in 2026 because Michael Jordan played there decades ago and they think the Bulls still got championships after his retirement. The 49ers dynasty ended over 30 years ago, and the only holdover we’ve had since the 1994 season is the Quest for Six.
So that’s my advice: curb your expectations. Know you are rooting for a team of good people on and off the field as well as a good coach, but don’t expect them to steamroll everyone for 16 weeks and win a Super Bowl every other year. That said, this is fun. When the 49ers are winning, it’s an incredible high. Welcome to the Faithful.
So what do you think every new fan needs to know? I’m curious: do you think my curbing expectations bit is essential, or is the history of Sourdough Sam more appropriate, or something specific to 2026?