I know a few folks on the site will scoff at this idea, but in spite of the fact that the 49ers are struggling on the field, Jed York has done a lot of work to return the franchise to its more fan-friendly days. He's brought back old players to positions with the team (namely Keena Turner). He's been working on the new stadium deal. He's brought in some renovations to Candlestick to make it a slightly more appealing destination (and that's a tough duty for sure).
This continues lately with a couple of interesting notes about the team. You may have noticed it elsewhere, but if not it's worth re-hashing. The 49ers announced former WR Dwight Clark was hired as a business operations consultant. Clark will work with COO Andy Dolich and Football Affairs VP Keena Turner, and focus on special projects relating to sponsorship development, corporate hospitality, community investment, premium seating and the new stadium sales effort. I think the upside to having a guy like Clark as a consultant is if you're trying to close a particularly big sponsorship or ticket deal, you can send Clark over to the client, as opposed to a faceless sales rep. I bet many folks would be more willing to purchase something from a former 49er great over a random rep from the team.
Even more interesting than that at this point is what will be going on this Monday night. Team president Jed York will be hosting a MNF viewing party here in San Francisco at Pete's Tavern down near the Giants ballpark. The event is actually a fundraiser for the Bayview/Hunters Point YMCA, in support of their Youth Sports Programs & Community Service Campaign (York is on the Board of Managers).
Tickets for the event are $25 at the door. The even will include raffle prizes and both silent auction and live auction at halftime, featuring 49ers and Giants game tickets and memorabilia. There are a variety of 49ers prizes, including a box suite for 12 people at the 49ers home game on December 27 against the Detroit Lions.