Prominent NFL writer says ‘they lied to you’ about San Francisco
FILE: Downtown San Francisco’s skyline, including the Transamerica Pyramid and Salesforce Tower, are seen at sunset on Jan. 17, 2022.
In the wake of Super Bowl 60, the overriding narrative is clear: San Francisco scored. Hotels cashed in, downtown landmarks like the Ferry Building and Moscone Center saw huge crowds and, for locals who champion their city, the event poked major holes in the plot against San Francisco.
Over 70,000 people attended the game at Levi’s Stadium, but approximately 1.3 million passengers traveled into San Francisco International Airport. As these visitors returned home, they brought with them a clearer sense of what San Francisco is actually like — as opposed to a politically motivated narrative that has derided the city.
“I’m going to tell you: They lied to you about San Francisco,” longtime NFL writer Adam Rank said Tuesday during “The Jim Rome Show.” “They tried to take a run at Frisco, saying it was some terrible place and you needed to be scared. It really was nothing like that. It was a delightful city.”
They lied to you about San Francisco … and other things @AdamRank learned during Super Bowl week. #TheAfterHour pic.twitter.com/DnS6MXwfER
— Jim Rome (@jimrome) February 11, 2026
Rome and Rank proceeded to trade praise for the city. Rank hasn’t always had the most optimistic outlook for the region — he famously predicted the San Francisco 49ers would go 3-13 in the 2019 season, only for the team to make it to the Super Bowl — but the 30-year NFL writer was blown away to find Pliny the Elder on tap at a local bar. “For us mere mortals, we found that to be very fascinating,” Rank said, while calling San Francisco one of the “best host cities in the NFL.”
Rome nodded along, but since he was born in Los Angeles, the host added some context to the ribbing.
“The city itself is beautiful. I poke fun because it’s Frisco, and NorCal hates SoCal. And we just don’t give a damn about you, NorCal, because everyone hates us,” Rome said. “So we don’t really care. In fact, all of California hates SoCal. San Diego hates LA. Frisco hates LA. All the kidding aside, it’s a world-class city. Like any other city, it has its issues. LA has its issues.”
Don’t let Google decide who you trust.
K: just a thought…
