THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: No rest for the weary 49ers this time

I love my job.

But.

There’s a pothole just off the edge of the road, and it’s almost impossible to miss it.

This isn’t about a transmission exploding and leaving metal lying all over Highway 41.

Nah.

It’s just a strange little problem that goes along with our business.

You work it out, and move along.

See, almost all sports reporters and columnists were serious fans at one point.

We grew up with certain teams, and results meant life and death.

Losing a championship game left you physically ill, and not just for a few minutes.

It could be a miserable experience.

On the other hand, being a fan offers a particular type of thrill.

It’s like you’re part of a family, all wearing the same club shirts and spending most of your time in discussions — like, SERIOUS discussions — about whether your team’s lineup needs to change.

This stuff really matters to a fan.

And that brings me to the problem with being in this fascinating biz.

If you’re doing the job honestly, you can’t truly be a fan.

Not all in, not like it used to be.

MY GIG these days is about being objective.

It’s telling the truth, at least as I see it.

A sports columnist who goes home and weeps on his (her) pillow over that 3-pointer that didn’t drop at the buzzer probably won’t be able to share nuances of the game itself.

You can’t do a sharp explanation, maybe adding some clever writing, if the game result left you as a wreck.

On the other hand, and this really matters, I’m reporting for a specific core of readers – mostly folks who ARE fans, and want to see games and follow teams through their own lens.

Most of my readers will be rooting for the Seahawks on Saturday.

Not all of them, but a large majority.

So, my role is to be honest … but to remember that my audience is NOT neutral.

Our readers will want good, objective analysis of the Seahawks banging heads with the 49ers, but most do NOT care what Niners fans think.

The job is a little bit like walking a tightrope.

I can’t be a cheerleader, leaping around like the mayor of Fansville.

However, I do need to tilt coverage toward our local and regional teams, because that’s what the populace of Kootenai County (and surrounding towns) want to read about.

Let me explain why this subject is front and center today.

Maybe you’ve noticed, but the national media are up in arms over the fact that the Seahawks are playing on Saturday — meaning that the 49ers are stuck with one less day of rest.

Not only that, but San Francisco is coming off a road game in Philadelphia.

HOW CAN that be fair?

The 49ers played on Sunday, got stuck with a flight home over three time zones, and now have another road game five days later.

Seattle has been resting all this time, and will play on the friendly turf of Lumen Field come Saturday.

OK, this is where I tell you I believe the NFL got it right, and that the scheduling is entirely fair and correct.

That opinion, naturally, brings out a verbal riot.

Once I type those words and they wander off into print, Lord knows how many people will accuse me of being a “homer,” sticking up for the Seahawks because, well, Seattle is right down the road.

Most of our readers will be rooting for the Seahawks this weekend, sure enough.

That’s not the reasoning behind my opinion, though.

I think the Hawks deserved the bye, the NFC championship, and the slight advantage with that extra day of rest.

Why?

Because they earned it.

The regular season has to mean something.

These teams play 17 games and beat themselves to a pulp because the league has set up a reward system.

If the division champs didn’t earn anything, teams would rest players who had a hangnail.

The NFL is selling a product, and it involves these athletes laying it on the line.

You can’t have the game’s stars “resting” every other week, and then claim that the regular season really means plenty.

The situation SEEMS to burn the 49ers this year.

But, hey, they could have beaten the Hawks on Week 18 and turned this all around.

My opinion would be exactly the same.

So, there.

Email: [email protected]

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press three times each week, normally Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday unless, you know, stuff happens.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On."