The San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs are headed to the Big Game, and Niners fans are liking their chances. It’s the first time the Red & Gold have gone to the Super Bowl since the devastating “Harbowl” of 2013, when then head-coach Jim Harbaugh’s squad narrowly lost to his brother’s team—John Harbaugh’s Baltimore Ravens. If you don’t already have tickets and a plan to get out to Miami, you better prepare to shell out. Tickets, as usual, are quite pricey. Fortunately, the game will be broadcast on Fox and shown in bars and pubs all over Silicon Valley.

Super Bowl
Sun, 3:30pm
Hard Rock Stadium, Miami

This week’s Thursday Night Football is a Bay Area battle royale, as the Raiders go head-to-head with the Niners at Levi’s Stadium. It hasn’t been a great year for either organization. Both teams have only one win each and are coming off yet another loss. Still, the 49er Faithful and the Raider Nation can take solace in knowing that their respective clubs have little to lose and plenty of bragging rights to gain. When it comes to water cooler banter, few things more precious than a win over one’s regional rivals.

Raiders vs. Niners
Thu, 5:20pm, $195+
Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara

The 49ers Draft Bash at San Pedro Square proved that there’s no off-season for the 49ers faithful who kept the square packed for a day-long pigskin party.

Metro photographer Aron Cooperman was there for full coverage.

Featuring hand-drawn designs by artist Joey Mirandilla,  SDR Clothing Company (Seize x Defend x Rule) held a launch party Friday at Pagoda Lounge in downtown San Jose. The event featured a red carpet, several DJs and a surprise appearance by 49ers tight end Delaney Walker.

Metro photographer Annalisa Hackleman was there to catch the action.

See the complete gallery.

Fan is short for fanatic, and to be a true fan you have to go above and beyond for your team. Sometimes this means painting yourself, or your car—or your infant. In the South Bay, there is much variety in expressing that fanatical passion; our fire engines have shark fins, for example. For a group of talented 49ers fans, this fanaticism turned into a rally song now on YouTube.

Produced by Ben Araiza, and featuring his vocal talents, alongside Marcus “Lel” Daniels, “Back in the Bay/49ers Faithful Anthem” harks back to the team’s prior glory days as it looks forward to hopes for this year’s Super Bowl. The video has been picking up quite a bit of steam and has been recognized by Brandon Tierney from Sports Radio 95.7 “The Game.” Tierney’s wise words to the fans were, “49er fans need to crank this up right now, and be heard … rock that cubicle, screw your boss!”

The production of the song has been a long road for Araiza’s crew. Even though he has put considerable time and money into the project, Araiza says, “I want to make it 100 percent free for the fans.” It was originally conceived to pump up the fans for last year’s season.

The first incarnation of “Faithful Anthem/Back in the Bay” featured Pfife Dawg from A Tribe Called Quest, but after the less-than-spectacular beginning to the season, the Niners shelved the track. It was a blow to all fans, but especially to Araiza, who had invested his time, money and heart in the project. The new season erased bad memories, however, and brought a new fervor to the crew and an updated rally anthem for the faithful. As Araiza puts it, “You gotta live and die with your team.”

This incarnation of “Faithful Anthem/Back in the Bay” replaces Phife Dawg’s performance on the second verse with Araiza’s. Conflicts in scheduling forced Araiza to step to the mic. With the season heating up, the group decided to release the track for the benefit of the fans rather than not participate in their team’s drive to dominance. The video was shot in two days. Araiza’s cousin Marcus St. Marcus heard the track and decided to do the video immediately. The tailgate footage was pulled from Gabriel Masinas’ collection of fan videos. Araiza has never met Masinas, but it’s a great example of how two fans brought their passion together to create something all the team’s followers can appreciate.