Bay Area athletics is very exciting. One team or another keeps Californians on their feet for an entire season at a time–just last year, both the Warriors and the 49ers advanced to their respective conference championships. Unfortunately, the 49ers were defeated by the Los Angeles Rams, who later became the Super Bowl champions. Four months later, however, the Warriors did not disappoint and won the NBA championship for the fourth time in the last eight years. This upcoming season, both of these teams look to repeat their successes.
So far, the 49ers have had a worse season than expected. They won their games against the Seattle Seahawks and the Los Angeles Rams but lost their first three games of the season. One explanation for these losses are injuries, which are a consistent issue for the 49ers. Two defensive players, Jimmie Ward and Azeez Al-Shaair, were injured at the beginning of this season, but they remain hopeful to return soon.
The main concern for the 49ers is their quarterback. The past few seasons, the team has struggled to find a quality quarterback; in 2017, they settled on acquiring Jimmy Garoppolo through a trade with the Patriots. Garoppolo has done well in his tenure since then, leading the 49ers to the NFC Championship in the seasons when injury did not hold him back. However, since Garoppolo was unable to lead the 49ers to the Super Bowl, the 49ers also drafted promising rookie star Trey Lance. But in the second game of the season, Lance broke his ankle, and Garoppolo took over. Although Garoppolo’s performance this season has not been outstanding, his history with coach Kyle Shanahan and the roster’s talent should make this season exciting for the 49ers fanbase.
On the other hand, the Golden State Warriors hope to defend their title and repeat as back-to-back champions in the Curry-Thompson-Green era. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green plan to bring their championship experience to some of the new players looking to make their mark on the Warrior’s season. After losing their newfound gem, Gary Payton II, the Warriors signed Donte DiVincenzo as a replacement. Another replacement the Warriors have signed is JaMychal Green, who replaced power forward Otto Porter. Green had a few good seasons with the Nuggets before signing with the Warriors, this offseason he will bring hope to Warriors fans.
With Andrew Wiggins and Kevon Looney rounding out the starting five, the Warrriors are expected to contend for another title. The return of James Wiseman will only help their case, and the big 3–Curry, Thompson, and Green–will continue to dominate the league. With the highest-paid roster in the league, the Warriors should shred opposing teams this season.
The Warriors and the 49ers are two exciting teams that should entertain Bay Area fans for the next season. It will definitely be a fantastic fall watching these two teams represent the Bay Area in their respective leagues.
