They should've rebuilt a stadium at Candlestick Point and played at Stanford or Cal for a couple of years in the interim.

As a long time Niner fan, I can say Levi’s has grown on me over the years. It definitely has much to be desired tho. The one thing I really do hate tho is that the private suites are on one side of the stadium while the the other side gets baked in the sun. I feel like that creates a “division” between the stadium, almost like a rich vs. poor type of feel. I wish they didn’t do that with the design.

They spent 1.2 BILLION to build Levi's, just one question.....where TF did all that money go? You'd think with all that money, they could have made it look better on the outside. It looks like it's still under construction with the scaffolding still in place.

I find it funny that 49ers management says a roof is not possible because of its proximity to San Jose Airport, and yet SoFi is right next to and under the flight paths for LAX (a far busier airport) and still has a roof. Of course, they also built SoFi into the ground in order to achieve this. If 49ers management had done the same with Levi's Stadium, they would be able to add a roof.

Not rebuilding Candlestick into a new modern version was a travesty and crime.

I live in the Silicon Valley. I go to several 49er games each year at Levi's Stadium. It's not a "terrible" stadium. It's just baffling that the Silicon Valley couldn't build a more unique stadium. It's in Santa Clara. With the "microclimates" of the Bay Area, it is often 15-25 degrees WARMER in Santa Clara than in San Francisco. Plus, the sun hits the eastern side of the stands -- and it is relentless until the sun goes down. This makes afternoon games (even on a 60-degree day) feel like an oven. When I visit, I always (seriously, ALWAYS) feel that Levi's Stadium should have cost half as much as AT&T Stadium (home of the Cowboys). Yet, it cost considerably MORE. I just can't help but wonder where the money went. The food is, uh, okay. Nothing really stands out there. However, the food is crazy expensive (as opposed to Oracle Park where the San Francisco Giants play -- where you can even bring outside food into the stadium). Views are great in the stadium. However, Levi's Stadium feels like a good college stadium or low-end NFL stadium. I always wish that the 49ers could have had a new stadium built in San Francisco (either at Candlestick Point or at the Presidio). After all, both the Giants and the Warriors were able to get their places built in the city. Yet, the City politicians balked and Santa Clara decided to build. It's still disappointing -- even if it is closer to my home in Palo Alto. I still go to the games (and I'm not really a 49ers fan -- but a football fan in general). In fact, I take the train and light rail directly to the stadium. It's very easy -- and cheaper than parking. I just always feel that it's the stadium that we got "stuck" with instead of the one that would have better represented the team and area.

The Oakland Raiders played closer to San Francisco than the San Francisco 49ers did for a couple of years

Chargers fan here, went up to Santa Clara for SNF last year and I have to say aside from me, nobody brings the noise like the 49ers fans! They deserve way better than what they have over there.

I went to Sofi and Levi stadium recently and holy crap, Sofi is a thousand times better then Levi stadium in so many ways. How did they F that up so bad?

I think the worst part of Levi Stadium is trying to leave. If there's an emergency or evacuation it's basically designed to crunch the crowd. A giant ditch cuts the stadium off from the town around it with just 2 walking bridges to get over. I was staying at the Hilton, literally one or two blocks away, and it took an hour to leave the stadium because crowding was so bad at those bridges. Plus, they dump you off right in the parking lot so I saw lots of people in cars waiting for a couple hours because they couldn't leave with the crowds around them.

I have attended 3 games there. They did not get their money's worth. The Stanford stadium cost 1/10 of the Levi's Stadium and Levi is nowhere close to 10 times better.

Levi's stadium is a disgrace, when compared to other new NFL stadiums. It has no "wow" factor and is actually ugly. The 49ers Faithful deserve a stadium that would make all other fan base envious. Levi's stadium was quickly forgotten by the NFL world, after it's inaugural season Shame on the York family for catering to corporations over blue collar fans. We should have a stadium that makes a statement!

I guess in their defense, San Jose/Santa Clara County is the most populous city/county in the Bay Area, and that sunshine probably feels good later in the season. But, yeah, I think the 49ers will be back north when this lease expires.

I liked going to games more at Candlestick than at Levi’s. It was a longer drive for me but I just looked at it as part of the experience. It was cool tailgating by the water and not by a bunch of tech companies. I now prefer just watching niner games on tv.

When I heard the 49ers were getting a new stadium, I had two hopes. It would be easy to get in and out of and it would be designed to be loud on the field to give the 49ers as much of a home field advantage as possible. Neither of those things happened... Not to mention it is one of the least aesthetically appealing stadiums in the league. I went to a game at US Bank stadium in Minnesota this year and was blown away. Us 49ers fans deserve better for how much we love this team

I’m not a Niners fans(Rams fan) but truly feel they should’ve built a new stadium on the Candlestick site. There’s was just to much history to walk away from the city of San Francisco. As a football fan today’s stadium need to be fan friendly and especially if a team is asking there fans to dole out a lot of money😉

Fantastic content! It's wild how they just used the same San Francisco design without changing it.

I agree with everything in this video except for only three things: 1. The Light Rail system for Levi’s makes it SO MUCH EASIER to take Bart to the games. Public transport was a nightmare on candlestick considering the fact that we had to take a bus at hunter’s point (one of the notorious neighborhoods of SF) 2. Having Levi’s in Santa Clara isn’t “moving away from the fans” considering that it borders San Jose which is the most populated city in Northern California and a lot of die-hard Niner fans live in SJ (At this rate there are more fans in SJ than SF) 3. You forgot to mention how in Santa Clara you’re a lot less likely to get Bipped (slang for having your car broken into) than in San Francisco. Especially in Bay View/Hunter’s Point

San Francisco has football weather in the summer and baseball weather in the fall. The unintended consequence of these new "corporate" stadiums in SF, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, etc. is the elimination of home-field advantage.

Great video. The stadium isn’t horrible, it’s just bland and doesn’t look like a new stadium. It is one of the worst newest stadium. The location is also awful. There nothing around. You can walk before or after the game to a store, restaurant, bar etc. It is not walkable, traffic is horrible, parking is horrible, transportation is horrible, there is no meaning to the location, no scenery, it gets hot, fans burn, nearby airport problems, it’s very expensive,fans want better than this. It’s just a very disappointing for 1.3 billion dollar stadium, and top 10 for the most expensive stadium in the world. The 49ers deserve better than this, the fans deserve better than this. - Niner fan

As someone who lived close enough to the old Candlestick I could hear the air horn blast whenever they scored I do miss the team not being here, I looked into public transit to get there but an hour+ long ride on a crowded train, and then having to take another light rail that takes another 30+ minutes to get to the stadium, really just says "stay away" to me. The lack of local places really means any "economic impact" that sports teams and politicians like to say a team brings to the city will be relatively inconsequential. Plus the "new stadium tax" for tickets makes going to a game simply out of the question for me, especially if they're doing well.

As someone who’s a pilot, and flew out of Daytona Beach with the race track there, yeh it can be very distracting when your on final and see a huge amount of lights

Thank you for covering the disaster that is Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara. This place is such a pain in the ass for everyone in the area, no matter if you're at a game, a concert, or just trying to drive through the area it just sucks for everyone because of this damned football team.

The stadium was rushed to be finished for superbowl 50

I go every year since it's opened and I sit in the sun. I never thought I'd miss Candlestick as much as I do.

Living in SF I will never go to a "The San Francisco 49ers of Santa Clara" game ever again. 😂

Candlestick park was the only place you could get frostbite and heatstroke in the same game. Levi is the only place you can feel like you got kicked in the balls without actually being kicked in the balls.

As a Rams fan. In my opinion 49er fans are the most loyal and proud fan base in the NFL. They deserve better

You are correct sir. I have been to a hand full of away games and the stadiums are always way better than Levis. Home games are not the same since the stick days.

On point. But should have also talked about the horrible parking too. Different lots spread out for miles. 2+ hours to get out if you stay til the end of the game. Just terrible. My season tickets have gone up 2k+ since 2012. Yorks suck, period.

I worked on it in 2013. I was surprised how bare bones it was.

Greed caused this and fans deserve better! But, if the fans keep attending, then the greed will never end.

The ownership is asking the city to sponsor the build, but are they willing to share their revenue with the city?

I've experienced that heat.

Some of this video is spot on (the heat issues for example). Much of it is complete bullshit. The entire discussion of being "40 miles away from residential centers" reflects a complete disconnect with the realities of the Bay Area. Santa Clara County has 3-4 million people. Santa Clara is actually far closer to the population centers in the Bay Area than any San Francisco location. San Francisco's population of barely 800K never fully supported the 49ers. More importantly the entire discussion of public transportation is completely wrong. Getting into and out of Candlestick point has always been and will always be a disaster. As someone who has been a longtime 49er season ticket holder, my drive to and out of Levi's is now 25 minutes while it was 90+ minutes to Candlestick. The complaint that "there's nothing to do other than attend the game" was ALSO an issue in San Francisco -- and one now, in the post-COVID world, would be even worse. That said, there has been a development plan to create an NFL / 49er themed destination across the street from Levi's on the table for a while now. To circle back to the glaring sun / heat issue, the video doesn't even mention that the 49ers struck a deal that no pre-season home game starts before 5:30 / 7p at night. This largely mitigates the biggest heat issues for 49er fans. For all the complaints and issues that this video raise, there are no solutions or mitigations included at all suggesting that these issues have been ignored and not at least acknowledged.

As a Bay Area local, I can tell you that the majority of Niners fans are NOT from SF proper. The move to Levi's probably made it more convenient for more fans than Candlestick was. Another example that has been made more evident recently is with the proposed move of the A's. Even though it says Oakland on their jersey, most of the fans don't live in Oakland. However, all of the stadium political dealings were done with Oakland itself, despite it affecting far more people than within the city limits. This is the problem with the Bay Area, in that there are so many jurisdictions, whereas somewhere like NYC is still NYC, be it Brooklyn, Bronx. etc.

First and foremost Eddie D loved San Francisco. He had a Staduim deal done in the late 90s. But after he gave up his ownership to his sister the plans went to crap. I hate the Yorks. I wish they would sell the team

I went to my one and only NFL game (on holiday from Ireland) in Levi Stadium and thought it was the most unenjoyable stadium I have ever visited. It was impossible to get to/from, it was absolutely freezing on a Monday night (which was our own fault admittedly). Getting to the stadium was a pain (we had a car) but getting out of the $50 (which seemed insane to us) parking lot was 2 HOURS! Not really knowing the area, it seemed like a stadium in the middle of nowhere with nothing worthwhile even close to it. Myself and now wife wondered if we were missing something, but this video proves everything we thought at the time. In Europe stadiums tend to be built close to cities, with public transport a key focus. I said to wife at the time NFL owners must just take fan support for granted because a stadium built in such a poor location in Europe would have fans up in arms before a sod was turned. Enjoyed the game, but that stadium is terrible. SF fans and the city deserve better than they got here I felt, but I haven't been to other stadiums to compare either.

Yup absolutely correct! Tailgating on gravel, hot as hell with no breeze, basically in the middle of a suburb. Hate it so much

Getting financially booted from our seating area was expected but the lack of shade in the early months is shameful. This year, our parking passes were pulled from us with no explanation or warning. So uncomfortable conditions and no more tailgating is really making us question if it is worth it to continue being season ticket holders as we have been since 1990.

Everytime i go to that stadium i wonder why those chose this place.

At least the Niners stayed close to SF and you can still go to a game and not spend a lot of money for hotel rooms, flights and other stuff, unless you're coming from out of state. As a Raiders fan, fans lost their team to Vegas. There is no home team atmosphere, tail gating, and its super expensive to watch a game in person.

insane quality on your videos, keep it up

Just out of curiosity was this video made based on personal experiences going to any of the NFL Stadiums mentioned, or just Google searches?

The population is significantly higher in the south bay and San Jose than San Francisco. The 49ers actually moved closer to their fan base

Meanwhile, Giants and Warriors stadiums are within walking distance from each other...

I've been a niner fan since John Brodie days. Just when they moved to candlestick, the place was a second home to me. I enjoyed it immensely. It was 20 minutes from where I lived at the time. And it was great and of course that incredible history of the park and the stadium itself. Maybe the location wasn't that great. but the place could have been redone better and of course, building the new place down in Santa Clara. Never really made sense to me. I haven't been there yet. It's so expensive in such a long drive now and everyone I talk to complains about the heat and the access. I have yet to go there. And I'm as big a niner as you can imagine emotionally.

I had season tix at that lovable giant urinal Candlestick Park for years. When they invited me to visit the Santa Clara site to see if I wanted to have season tix there, I took one look at the seat choices offered (in the direct sun) and it was a no brainer not to buy them. No way I'd travel down to Santa Clara from The City 10+ times a season and deal with heatstroke and a commute nightmare.

Well, Houston has a beautiful stadium for the Texans. Should do a stadium about the Ravens. The open air stadiums are the best overall quality, & it can show what the visiting team is made of in unfamiliar conditions.

Great video, Im a rams fan I hate NorCal and the niners but Ill admit the Niners deserve so much better. Look some aspects I really like about Levis stadium but it’s just not good enough for one of the most important historical teams in nfl history. The niners deserve so much better

Thanks for this video! Super informative and condensed into 11 minutes - from a die-hard 49ers fan.

Give Levi's Stadium to the Athletics and go back to SF!

They built under the flight path to SJC and the FAA sensibly won't let them dome it. They wanted money.

They paid 2 Billion dollars for a 10 cent stadium

Playing games in the elements is part of the intrigue of football! In LA, if it is raining, fans will still stay away just so they don’t get wet in the parking lot!

I think they will move back to San Francisco! They're looking for a deal like G.State Warriors!

I hate all the same issues mentioned in this video- even as a Canadian-American originally from New England who's never actually been to one of my 49ers games. But I do love that Levi's is the only simple stadium of the West. Like with Qwest, Levi's is like the Buffalo Bills' stadium of the west. A venue built for football on the west coast, whereas SoFi is like a venue meant to be an entertainment spectacle. I don't really want a super stadium.

You wonder why the 49ers didn't consider the location of the former Southern Pacific Bayshore Yard in Daly City to build a new stadium. It would have been perfect, because there was plenty of land for parking and close access to Caltrain (and even possibly a MUNI Light Rail extension). Maybe the cost of environmental mitigation before construction was way too high?

Interesting video. Thanks for taking the time to make it. Yeah, they got rid of that in-seat ordering perk real quick. Also, I'm not sure how much you can blame DeBartolo since he hasn't been involved with the team this century. Ah, if only you would have added something about the insane ticket price increases! :) Sigh, Levi's.

Been going to Niner games since 87 and I got to say, I miss candlestick. When I go to Levi's I have to sit in the shade so basically half the stadium is cut off for me cause of the heat, unless I go to a night game. It's easier to get free parking at Levi's though since there's a Walmart about a mile away and an apartment complex just over the levy about a quarter mile from the main gate. Went to the Vikings playoff game in 2019 and parked at the apartment complex with no issues. Saved $100 in parking fees which paid for my hotel stay and even got a few steps in.

Lifetime 49ers fan, i was there for the opening game at Levi's Stadium, as well as the third and then the last game of the season that year. At first, the city transport was not ready for the events. Now, its such a great place to go. It's actually easier to get to now than candlestick was, lots of room for talegates, and the stadium has great layout for visuals. I don't know anyone who has any problems with the levi stadium in 2023

I miss candlestick I basically grew up there. I started going to games when I was four years old with my family and we have a season ticket games until the last season. I’ve been to Levi a couple times and for every playoff game that’s there I can say with confidence that has a fan I feel like I wasn’t seen. The new stadium was just a reason for them to make money.

Great video have you figured out how many other teams have made blunders? I loved candlestick way more it had an Ora

I know LA isnt really know for it's public transportation, but the move from the coliseum to Inglewood has made commuting so difficult because there aren't any rail lines close by like there is for the coliseum.

Yeah, I don’t even live in Cali, and I’m sad about Levi. Missed a great opportunity to build a great stadium. I’d have been happier with them playing at Stanford for a couple seasons again and watching them rebuild where candlestick was as opposed to what we got.

I love Levi's, definitely don't want a dome Edit; i did cry when they knocked down Candle Stick 😢

I've seen a lot of relatively short lived stadiums. About 20-25 years. I hope Levi's Stadium is one of them.

Dude your videos are great!!! Do you have any st louis topic related videos ??

York and the architects visited every stadium in the NFL to glean the best ideas. Yet they failed to put a roof on from the blazing sun. The architects said they don’t normally do an environmental study! Talk about stupidity!

very well put together video. its clear 49ers left their hardcore fanbase in favor for rich nerds who know ZERO about the sport.

This why Lumen field did it right. It’s huge, has so many things to do nearby, has amazing views all around, and there’s not one bad seat in the venue.

i dont think they or the league have ever said this, but ive noticed in recent years they have sort of tried to escape the heat by having more away games early in the season and the home games they do have the first half tend to be primetime games which are played at night (well 5 pm) so theres less heat in the evening

I’m a die hard Niners fan. I was super young but I’ve been to candlestick twice loved it right off the bay always perfect weather for me atleast I’m from Central Valley ca were the weather is dry heat all the time. First game at Levi’s I was probably 13 years old and was very disappointed. Over the years I’ve gotten to love Levi’s but it will never compare to candlestick. I’m predicting in about 20 years the 49ers will make the move back to San Fran possibly on the same lot as candlestick since they haven’t built the office builds they’re yet they said. I believe this is the plan after they realized how bad this stadium turned out.

I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with Levi’s, I’ve been there a couple of times. But I do think that as San Francisco is the land of Big tech, and insane wealth, they should’ve done some crazy futuristic and Bay Area inspired stadium. Not a standard advertising unit.

This makes me so happy to be an eagles fans where the owners of broad St teams work together and rep the city for the fans

Thanks for putting this together, as a former season ticket holder at candlestick and San Francisco native. I went to the open house at Levi Stadium and would never go back. I got out of my season tickets and prefer to just watch them on TV now. Congratulations to the greed of the 49er organization. I am a fan of the players however, the ownership can go screw themselves.

A stadium is just a stadium, the fans make it home 🏡😎 THEY give it character.

The biggest drawback to Candlestick was that there was literally no room to navigate on the concourse. its was two lines and was super slow. Levis is way more spacious and very easy walk around without any hassle. the suite for sure is the worst part. they could easily flipped the stadium 180 and have tinted windows for the suites and everyone would have shade. if you gonna pay for catering, tv, and ac then the sun is the last of your worries

The shade from the luxury suite wall does it job. Keep the 49er sideline shaded. The visitor sideline is in direct sunlight the whole game. They did it right. There was a choice - fan comfort or an additional home field advantage.

My son told me once he liked the Candlestick stadium better than the Levi’s stadium. My daughter who is also a Niner faithful likes the SoFi stadium better than Levi’s stadium.

the seahawks may completely suck, but at least we have a good stadium in downtown Seattle

Maybe they can tether a blimp over the stadium during games to block the sun.

Was at that stadium in 2017 for Gold Cup Final and it took two hours to get out of the Parking lot

I attest, east side of the stadium is burning hot during the summer. However, with mostly nice weather an outdoor venue isn't that bad. The best attribute of the new stadium are it's open walkways. Making it much easier to maneuver about. I don't miss pissing in troughs either.

They're stuck with it

Why didn't they just build a joint 9ers-Raiders stadium on Treasure Island? fkin ay

Went to the Rose Bowl to see Michigan play Alabama on Jan 1. So old and so wonderful, though it is very hard to get to. It fits its environment so well. Hope they never chance the "feel" of that place. Sad the SF just "ctrl-c ctrl-v" the stadium meant for a different location. As for our local NFL Team, the Lions have a stadium that is walking distance to everything downtown, has fantastic tailgating at one of the largest farmer's markets in the country, and has the highway infrastructure to enter and exit from multiple highways/exits that are near it. Happy to have a well designed stadium in Detroit.

i think the worst part about Levi’s Stadium was the location. It’s built literally next to a theme park, and it doesn’t help that there is no roof or adequate shading, not even proper parking spaces. If they wanted to build a new NFL stadium for the 49ers, maybe the should have completely rebuilt Candlestick Park at it’s original location and just rename it Candlestick Stadium (with a roof to protect fans better)

Eddie D was/is family. You're probably too young to know that. You missed a few other things too.

It's The San Francisco Bay Area, so the whole argument that they should no longer be called The San Francisco 49ers is just ignorant.

Awesome writing and journalism

After you mentioned the higher temps an old spice ad came on with Dolph sweating from his pits.😂

The stadium itself is great. I don't get all of the hate it gets. I love that it's not a SoFi, Allegiant, or "Jerry World" type stadium. It's football and should be outside in the elements on natural grass. I love the look of Levi's Stadium too. It's very different than all of the others. Yes the weather sucks for games in Sept. But guess what? It sucks for many other teams that time of year too.

Levi’s stadium is classic. We’ve become so sterilized into these overpriced domes that take away all feel of what Sunday football is supposed to be! It’s not all supposed to be about convenience. It’s football for chrissakes!

Live in SF, went to a game there a few years ago. Two hrs to get there using public transit. 3 and a half hr game . Sun was hot and glare made it hard to see the ball. two and a half hrs to get home. Not again

I must've missed something! What's wrong with the site at candlestick point where the old one was

It's Silcon Valley for crying out loud! Are you telling me some smart monkey can't figure out how to shade the stadium without ticking-off the airplane gods?

The owners did not care about the stadium the owners only care was was to get that team out of the black area! I lived in South San Francisco I seen how it went down.

Excellent commentary! Mr. Hop....

I am a season ticket member and I sit on the sunny side of the stadium. The pre-season and early season games are hot as hell!!! Maybe they should be night games early in the season to help with that. Also I drive from Los Angeles to attend the games the lack of anything to do around the stadium after the game is a drag. We try to kill time to let traffic die out before getting back on the highway but there is nothing around.