Kyle Shanahan claims insane Rams conspiracy theory that 49ers fans lapped up

The Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers rivalry is one of the most heated active rivalries in the NFL today. It's retained its headliner status because both teams have remained relevant in postseason competition since 2017. Over that time, the Rams have appeared in three NFL Championship games and two Super Bowls. The 49ers have appeared in four NFC Championship games and two Super Bowls.

The Rams won one Super Bowl. The 49ers remain hopeful.

Both teams have their fair share of detractors. But the 49ers face the embarrassing nickname "The Whiners" from their harshest critics. And head coach Kyle Shanahan is giving those critics a motherlode of laughable fodder to troll them with for years to come. How so? He's whining about his team playing two international games in 2026. And he blames the Rams for opening the season in Australia.

The NFL is not going to send teams across the globe that will not optimize its marketing interest to lock in new fans in new countries. And the fact that Shanahan, who is a good friend of Rams head coach Sean McVay, would toss that tall tale out to the media is a clear indication that this is a marketing effort to draw in fans.

Curiously, the most outspoken protests of the storyline are 49ers fans.

49ers fans are lapping up tale that has nothing to do with LA Rams

Yes, SoFi Stadium has witnessed a huge influx of 49ers fans when they play the Rams in recent years. But that merely adds to LA's coffers. The dramatic outrage publicly demonstrated by Niners fans (see below) makes no sense. A game played in Australia is a showcase of the best NFL teams, not a punishment.

Los Angeles defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars in England last season.

If there is a punitive component at work here, it's against Los Angeles. Rathat than enjoy the comfortable and familiar setting of SoFi Stadium, LA must play the part of the home team thousands of miles from their homes. It's all part of the NFL's international initiative, one that plans to pit all 32 teams in foreign countries each season.

Sure, the 49ers play two international games in 2026. One is Australia, the other is Mexico City. Mexico City is 2200 miles from San Francisco. That's about the same distance as traveling from San Francisco to face the Green Bay Packers.

If Los Angeles can dictate its own schedule, would the team really want to open the season thousands of miles away? Be honest. This is about as authentic an interview as that of WWE wrestlers leading up to a cage match. It's to inspire ticket and merchandise sales.

Ranting and raving about a game before it's even played seems to be the new normal. But it's embarrassing. It's a 'we are victims' strategy that fails to acknowledge that all 32 teams must suffer a challenging schedule. It's an honor to represent the NFL for the first time in Australia, or any country. How about stepping back and acknowledging that? Too tough for you?


But there is a solution.

If the San Francisco 49ers fall to the NFC West Division basement, they will face a last-place team's schedule each season. Better still, no foreign country will want to see them play. How about that?

As always, thanks for reading.