Section 415

Seven years after acquiring Emmanuel Sanders ahead of the 2019 NFL trade deadline, the 49ers are again hoping a veteran wide receiver can fortify their offense and bolster their Super Bowl hopes. The 49ers traded a 2027 sixth-round draft pick to the Indianapolis Colts on Tuesday for Keenan Allen, a 14th-year veteran who had 40 receptions for 351 yards and a touchdown in eight games with Indianapol...

Kristaps Porzingis hasn’t been with the Warriors since they opened training camp, and it seems unlikely he’ll return to the team. With the center on indefinite leave because of health issues, Golden State is withholding his pay, and he doesn’t appear to be contesting the decision. What does the uncertainty mean for Porzingis and the Warriors, with three months until the NBA trade deadline? On the...

When the Valkyries played their first WNBA game in May 2025, they looked like any other expansion franchise. In an 84-67 loss that day to the Los Angeles Sparks, they were undersized, overmatched, and disconnected. A year and a half later, the Valkyries capped a remarkable rise to the top of the league Saturday by beating the Atlanta Dream in Game 7 of the Finals, to win the franchise’s first cham...

Stephen Curry went 8 for 8 from the field and 5 for 5 from the free-throw line, scoring 24 points in the Golden State Warriors’ first win of the season. But Curry wasn’t the driving force. That was rookie Yaxel Lendeborg, who, just four games into his NBA career, already looks like a player worth building around. Lendeborg had 31 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists in a dominant performance Monda...

Golden State Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase doesn’t care how other WNBA teams are built. When Nakase was hired in October 2024, she said she wanted her team to be known for defense and selflessness. Two years later, those qualities have the Valkyries one win away from a championship. Led by elite rim protector Kiah Stokes and Gabby Williams, one of the league’s best on-ball defenders, Golden State...

The 49ers are 6-0, quarterback Brock Purdy is playing some of the best football of his career, and a new-look defense is thriving under coordinator Raheem Morris. Despite the impressive start, injuries have wiped out depth at key positions and GM John Lynch is considering ways to upgrade the roster before the NFL’s Nov. 10 trade deadline. With wide receiver Mike Evans managing Achilles tendinitis,...

In their second season, the Golden State Valkyries and their fans have made Chase Center the WNBA’s most intimidating arena for visiting teams. The Valkyries have sold out every home game and led the league in regular-season attendance for the second straight season. Their loud, loyal fan base made such an impression that the WNBA announced in July that San Francisco will host the 2027 All-Star Ga...

It’s Year 18 for Stephen Curry, Year 13 for Steve Kerr, and the start of a new era for the Golden State Warriors. Well, sort of. The roster hasn’t changed much, but Kerr is committed to “reimagining” Golden State’s offense and leaning heavily on rookie Yaxel Lendeborg while veterans Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody recover from injuries. Can the Warriors bounce back from a 37-win season that ended in...

The Golden State Valkyries don’t have an MVP candidate, a dominant post player, or a lineup filled with All-Stars. But coach Natalie Nakase didn’t need a traditional roster to guide her team to the WNBA Finals. Led by Gabby Williams, Veronica Burton, and the league’s deepest rotation, the Valkyries have exceeded expectations and open the best-of-seven series with a chance to win a title in just th...

Before leaving Sept. 28 for training camp in Hawaii, coach Steve Kerr told reporters the Warriors needed to “reimagine” their offense. Golden State didn’t make any marquee free-agent or trade additions and hopes top draft pick Yaxel Lendeborg and a teamwide commitment to reducing turnovers will lead to better results after a 37-45 season. How drastic are the changes? On the “Section 415” podcast,...

After throwing two touchdown passes in the 49ers’ 24-14 win Sunday over the Broncos, Brock Purdy leads the NFL in touchdown passes, passer rating, and Total QBR. Purdy is the first NFL quarterback since Peyton Manning in 2005 to go the first four games of a season without being sacked. He has used his legs to escape pressure in the backfield and scramble for first downs. Now Purdy faces his toughe...

The Giants’ nightmare season is finally over, and every member of the organization is eager to look forward. But Buster Posey and Zack Minasian can’t make any transactions to improve the roster until the World Series ends, so it’s worth evaluating what went wrong, why this year’s team underperformed expectations, and whether the Giants can make meaningful changes. On the “Section 415” podcast, Joh...

The Golden State Valkyries won their first WNBA playoff game in dominant fashion. Spurred by a 37-point second quarter, the Valks set a franchise record for points in a 104-80 win Sunday over the Dallas Wings at Chase Center. Six players hit multiple 3-pointers, including reserves Tiffany Hayes and Kaitlyn Chen, who were among five Valkyries to finish with at least 10 points. Golden State’s 1-0 le...

Shortly after the San Francisco Giants announced a partnership with prediction market platform Kalshi in August, the team posted to X a highlight of a play that boosted its win probability. It was met with immediate backlash. Nearly all of the more than 300 replies were negative. These comments and criticisms haven't discouraged Kalshi. On the “Section 415” podcast, Kalshi’s head of sports partner...

After quarterback Brock Purdy exited a press conference following the 49ers’ 35-13 win Sunday over the Dolphins, Fred Warner stepped up to the podium and said, “MVP.” Running back Christian McCaffrey described Purdy as “special” and said he’s tired of answering questions about whether he’s surprised by his teammate’s excellence. On the “Section 415” podcast, David Lombardi joins host Kerry Crowley...

The 49ers might not look different this season, but changes that have taken place at the top of the organization mean the franchise’s power structure is shifting. Jed York’s move to Ohio earlier this year means the owner is no longer at team headquarters on a daily basis. His August arrest triggered an NFL investigation and will likely result in a suspension, which will prevent him from having con...

The WNBA playoffs haven’t started yet, but Natalie Nakase is already a champion. The Valkyries coach spent the last two weeks in Berlin as an assistant under Kara Lawson as the U.S. beat France to win the FIBA Women’s World Cup. Nakase returns to a Valkyries team that was split up during the FIBA break, as several players — including Gabby Williams, Janelle Salaun, and Cecilia Zandalasini — had st...

When the NFL announced its Global Markets Program in 2022, the Los Angeles Rams were awarded international marketing rights to Australia, where the franchise could build brand awareness and fandom. Four years later, the Rams served as the “home” team for their season opener, but the crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground was overwhelmingly supportive of the 49ers. After arriving in Australia last w...

The San Francisco Giants were supposed to move to Florida. That was the expectation in 1992, when owner Bob Lurie agreed to sell the team to a group that planned to relocate it to St. Petersburg. National League owners voted 9-4 to reject the sale, and 18 San Francisco-area investors stepped in with a $100 million bid to buy the Giants. The Giants haven’t changed hands since then, but the ownershi...

It’s been 20 years since Cal last won 10 games, but expectations are soaring again in Berkeley after the Bears hired coach Tosh Lupoi and retained starting quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. With former NFL coach Ron Rivera entering his second season as GM and a highly regarded transfer class set to make an immediate impact, Cal fans are as optimistic as they’ve been since Aaron Rodgers was han...

The San Francisco Giants were one of five MLB teams last week that announced partnerships with Kalshi, a prediction market platform that calls itself the “world’s next-generation financial exchange.” On the “Section 415” podcast, independent journalist Joon Lee joins host Kerry Crowley to discuss why teams have embraced partnerships with sportsbooks and prediction markets, the dangers these partne...

As the Stanford football GM, Andrew Luck oversees more than 100 players. The odds of any of them having a better college career than Luck are miniscule. In San Francisco, Buster Posey, president of baseball operations for the Giants, manages the 26-man roster and is responsible for a farm system that includes more than 150 prospects. There’s little chance anyone in the organization will enjoy a mo...

Jed York’s arrest Sunday in East Palestine, Ohio, is the latest, most significant development in a 49ers offseason shaped by turmoil. With fewer than three weeks until the start of the season, the owner on Monday pleaded no contest to charges of disorderly conduct and possessing criminal tools. The disorderly conduct charge was amended from an initial charge of engaging in prostitution. On the “Se...

No one can replace Mike Krukow, but the Giants must hire a new color commentator anyway. Krukow, a former Giants pitcher who has worked as the team’s primary TV analyst for more than 30 years, will retire at the end of this season. His partner in the booth, play-by-play voice Duane Kuiper, will continue broadcasting and told The Standard’s John Shea he hopes to be included in discussions as the Gi...

Kyle Shanahan doesn’t like to depend on rookies, but the 49ers may have no other choice this year. After receiver Ricky Pearsall suffered a season-ending PCL injury, top draft pick De’Zhaun Stribling is set to play an important role in Shanahan’s offense. Beyond Stribling, which other rookies have impressed during training camp, and which players must make improvements before they earn the trust o...