There’s no place like home for the holidays. A look at the outside of State Farm Stadium in Glendale AZ where the San Francisco 49ers will share the building with the Arizona Cardinals for home games for weeks 13 and 14. (azfamily.com file photo)

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

“The San Francisco 49ers has come to an agreement with the National Football League and Arizona Cardinals which allows the 49ers to host their Weeks 13 and 14 home games against the Buffalo Bills and Washington Football Team at State Farm Stadium in Arizona,” the 49ers said in a statement. The future practice facility for the team, to be announced.

Kyle Shanahan, coach of the 49ers was not very happy with Santa Clara County officials; “We’ve been working with them as a partner, just trying to figure it out,” Shanahan said. “For us to be heading out here yesterday and the relationship we have with them, for all of our players and coaches and everyone on that plane and our wives to find that out while we’re getting on a plane and no one to tell us. It was just extremely disappointing.”

The San Francisco 49ers have been playing in Santa Clara’s Levi Stadium since the facility was inaugurated in the 2014 season, now they will be playing in Arizona for a few weeks. This is because Santa Clara’s regulations about covid-19, which has changed much more than the 49ers but the whole sporting scene in the United States. How much have things changed with covid-19 and sports?

The 49ers playing in Arizona is not a big deal. Consider this; the Toronto Blue Jays of major league baseball were banned not only to play in Toronto, but it their own country of Canada! The Arizona Cardinals have allowed between 1,200 to 4,500 fans per game at their Phoenix home during the last few games and that would be the norm, more than likely for the games that the 49ers will play there.

During this covid 2020 crisis, many State and Local governments have been “all over the place” when it came to order and regulations, Governors of California and New York said one thing about the importance of wearing mask, but did the opposite as they were photographed in public.

The Mayor of Denver said that “people should not travel this Thanksgiving weekend” and within 30 minutes he was on a plane going to visit family. Other states and governments have gone as far as to tell people to “rat on their neighbors” if they see too many people going to a party, to call the police. This tactic is a page out of the communist playbook. I saw it first hand in Cuba. And while the big stores are open, a great amount of small businesses (especially small restaurants) are going out of business and may never be able to comeback.

Anybody that had been following the news, knows all experts on this novel virus warned us about this ‘second wave’. This should not have been a surprise, but be as it may, looks like it was to some people, others didn’t care and were tired of staying at home and felt they have all the information necessary to make a decision.

The fact remains that most people that get covid-19 suffer minor symptoms and recover.

Stay tuned and stay well.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Oakland A’s Spanish lead play by play announcer on 1010 KIQI San Francisco and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com