The San Francisco 49ers find it inconvenient to play on Christmas.
For the players and coaches, family time is scarce, if it exists at all, throughout the season. Normally, they would have the day off on Christmas, but since they are hosting the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football, they must proceed as usual.
The 49ers have already had to play on Thanksgiving, so this will be their second holiday game of the season. Kyle Shanahan, nevertheless, isn’t at all disappointed that the 49ers must play on Christmas. Here’s what he said about the 49ers having to play on Thanksgiving, reflecting on how much he loved the years when they didn’t have to.
Everybody adores Christmas. While it’s true that we all like spending time with our families, this year we play on Christmas. “It is what it is,” Shanahan remarked. We’ve had a really fortunate few years. We’ve had Christmas off as a building for, I think, the last four years in a row. It’s just the way things have worked out.
“I believe that two years ago, we had a Thursday game on the 23rd and had the entire weekend off. I believe we played on Saturday last year and had the entire day off. We play on Christmas this year. That’s just the way things are. We’re going to take care of business and enjoy ourselves far more in the process.
Watching the 49ers take on the Ravens in primetime, which also happens to fall on Christmas, is an amazing experience. It effectively creates the atmosphere and anticipation for a match that could serve as a preview of the Super Bowl. According to Shanahan, the 49ers are handling things normally. This includes continuing to remain at the team hotel the day before the game, as they had done for the whole season.
“It’s very good that we have a rule that you have to stay in the hotel the night for the game,” stated Shanahan. “Those who will most likely receive a lot of goods from their spouses and everything are the ones I get. However, I’ve had those sleepless nights at home before when you think you’ll finish the dollhouse quickly, but it actually takes three hours, and before you know it, it’s three in the morning.
Thus, it’s fortunate that they are without that choice. I can make people angry with me. Nonetheless, I believe it’s awesome that we have a nighttime game. Those guys do have time to head home and see people quickly as they get up. Therefore, it’s okay if they want to do that and they have some little children and everything. That is beneficial.
