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49ers fans ask Jed York for shade at Levi's Stadium

The initial design of Levi’s Stadium was commissioned for Candlestick Point nearly a decade before it was built, where the weather is typically cooler than 39 miles south in Santa Clara.

But the 49ers elected to keep the same stadium design for the South Bay when they decided to build their new stadium adjacent to their Santa Clara practice facility.

And perhaps they overlooked the fact it would be much warmer, with fans sitting in the eastern grandstand facing directly into the setting sun with little obstruction.

The suit tower on the west side doesn’t offer much shade, while Candlestick Park had a hill behind the stadium’s west side that brought relief to the majority of seats during warm afternoons.

With the majority of the 68,500 seats in Levi’s facing the sun, fans have voiced their objection to the design. It simply hasn’t been comfortable, which likely plays a role in there being many empty seats in the third quarter of games while patrons seek refuge in cooler areas of the $1.3-billion venue.

In the preseason of 2014, before Levi’s ever hosted a regular season game, fans complained about the heat after just one afternoon game.

From that story via San Jose Mercury News:

Though the temperature was just above 80 degrees in Santa Clara, it felt several degrees hotter in the crowded stands Sunday. Fire Department and team officials said the heat accounted for most of the 60 emergency calls at the stadium, an unusually high number for a 49ers game, and two people were taken to the emergency room.

“Many people just needed to get out of the sun,” said fire Chief Bill Kelly. “For many of them, there was a general feeling of weakness, and (they) just needed to rest and get some water.”

The Miami Dolphins have been renovating Sun Life Stadium for the last two years. In 2016, the latest iteration of changes will include a canopy, providing shade for fans for the first time since the stadium was constructed in 1985. The 49ers will play there Nov. 27.

That Tweet caused a number of fans to react, asking 49ers CEO Jed York to do something similar at Levi’s to provide some relief from the sun. Whether or not York’s organization is willing to foot the bill for a similar canopy remains to be seen. Sun Life Stadium’s total renovation – which goes well beyond the canopy with new seating, suites, and concourses – will cost upwards of $425 million.

The 49ers were named the 10th most valuable sports team in the world by Forbes last week with a valuation of $2.7 billion, up 69 percent from last season.

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