Milestones – Unknown to Well Known – Opinion

If Santa Clara ever thought of spending a few dollars to market the location of the City, Sunday’s football game did it. According to press reports about 45.7 MILLION people watched the Dallas Cowboys fall to the SF 49ers. And this wasn’t just a passing mention of Santa Clara. This was full-blown, with multiple displays of the Stadium, the City and the area. Thank you, FOX, for the coverage.

The blimp shot from above was terrific, showing the packed stadium, the vicinity, the parking, ingress, egress and location. How many million dollars would Santa Clara need to spend to obtain this kind of exposure with such a huge audience? The answer…a lot more than the City has.

So, thank you 49ers on two fronts. One, the win was huge for the team, the City and the Bay Area. Two, the exposure for the City of Santa Clara was a terrific bonus.

But there is more. The ancillary support services were the benefactors from the 70,000 fans who rented hotel rooms, ate meals in Santa Clara restaurants and celebrated at many of Santa Clara’s watering holes in and around the Entertainment District.

What a great weekend! What a great game! And just ten weeks ago, who would have thought there was any chance for the 49ers? Their number one quarterback, Trey Lance, went out with an ankle injury. Backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo took over, then he also succumbed to an ankle injury.

That left the 49ers their final backup: third assistant stand-in quarterback who never played even a minute of NFL ball and the very last pick in the draft, Brock Purdy.

Who would have thought?

Purdy has gone from a virtual unknown to a household name in ten weeks.

While Sunday’s battle against the Cowboys was expected to be a challenge, it was a serious test for rookie Purdy. From this perspective, he just took the field, maintained his composure and did his job. A remarkable attitude and we can thank his parents.

Yes, it certainly helps to be surrounded by some of the best offensive and defensive players to ever play the game. That said, Purdy still had to perform…and he did.

The 49ers now head to Philadelphia for the NFC Championship game this Sunday.

Thank you, 49ers, for the exposure, interest, excitement (and money) you have brought to Santa Clara.

Make this trip to Philly a good one and may the ball bounce your way.

On to the “Big Game!”

Go 49ers!