49ers vs. Patriots: Making my bones as a fan, at Gillette Stadium

I'd like to open by saying that if a fan proclaims the 49ers fans to be awful and trash, feel free to tell them every fanbase has awful fans. For the first time in my 33 years as a sports fan, I actually got to deal with a hostile reaction to my presence in an opposing stadium. I've been to a fair number of road games for different sports, and while I might occasionally get a look, or some trash talk, I've never been in a situation where somebody took things to another level.

Well, in attending the 49ers-Patriots Sunday Night Football game, I got a chance to experience jackassery at its finest. My dad had bought the tickets and we were sitting on the Patriots side of the field. My dad is originally from the south side of Boston, and while he no longer lives in Massachusetts, he's a life-long Boston sports fan.

We got to our seats at about 7:30, and were basically hanging around until the game started. It was cold and rainy, but I had enough clothing on to keep myself surprisingly comfortable. Of course, all those layers made it take me a minute to realize when two jackasses three rows behind me were throwing coins at my head.

Yes, you read that right, two fans took it upon themselves to flick a mix of pennies and quarters at me. This started up at kickoff, and ended up lasting most of the first quarter. I couldn't figure out who was doing it at first, but then two later-arriving 49ers fans spotted them. I yelled at them a couple times but it continued. I texted security and they sent someone over to "observe" before leaving. They started back up, so I decided instead to call out the random people around the two jackasses and they eventually told the two guys to stop.

I suppose I could have escalated things a little further, but considering it was two useless idiots, I was fine taking pleasure in watching them leave after the 49ers won. The only thing sweeter than a 49ers win, is a 49ers win after two morons are acting like cowards. What are you gonna do though, right?

I will say that most of the Patriots fans were actually pretty chill, and easy to get along with, even before the game got out of hand. And even when the Patriots came back to tie the game, they talked a little smack, but we'd built up enough of a rapport that it was relatively good-natured.

I realize this has little bearing on your lives, but if someone does give you crap about fans at Candlestick Park, remind them that every single fan base in every single sports has their share of bad fans. There are idiots in the world, and while they are not worthing getting too bothered, it is still something to keep in mind.

And of course, you can always just tell those fans where to stick it after the 49ers win!