Sunday’s Super Bowl kept Mission residents in a state of anxiety until the bitter end. The 49ers, for the second time, could not hold a 10-point Super Bowl lead against the Kansas City Chiefs. A punt was muffed, an extra point was missed, and, in overtime, the Chiefs scored a touchdown to win it all.
At the bar, directly beneath the TV screen, sat Marie, 86, who lives upstairs and comes down to the bar every afternoon for a glass of wine. When asked if she liked football, she responded “Oh God no. Tonight it’s finally over.” She walked out at the end of the first quarter. “I’m just trying to pretend I’m interested in the things he’s interested in,” Ronnie said, pointing to his husband, Dave. Both Ronnie and Dave shouted and clapped when the 49ers scored. At one of the tables, another regular, Matthew was interpreting the game to Nadia, a woman from France, who was watching American football for the first time. “That was a trick play,” Matthew said, after Ed McCaffey scored the game’s first touchdown on a nifty pass from wideout Jauan Jennings.
“We’re groovin’ and cruisin’ now,” said Steven Gallardo. “Now we’ve just got to close out and finish the game.”Some 50 family members and neighbors gathered at the Gallardo household on Alabama Street near 21st Street to watch the game. A 49ers flag adorned the front door and almost everyone was dressed in red.