A Fan From The Town Reflects On The New Warriors Jersey

As the Golden State Warriors speed light years ahead, their new alternate jerseys show they remember where they came from.

The first Golden State Warriors game I ever went to was in 2003. It was a game against the Philadelphia 76ers and Allen Iverson dazzled. The Warriors lost, as they were wont to do back then.

When I was a kid, going to a Warriors game meant going for the experience; the roar of the crowd, the fast paced game, and the monstrous performances from the opposing star player. Before the winning, before the We Believe team, the crowd was always there. Roaracle was always there.

It was 2012 and I was at Oracle Arena watching Golden State host the Brooklyn Nets, an upstart playoff team. It was a tight, back and forth affair. Steph Curry and the Warriors had not proved themselves yet. In the 3rd quarter, the Warriors began to pull away, and with a bang – it was over. Steph had been fouled shooting a three and it had gone in anyways. He counted down with this fingers: 1, 2, 3, 4. Oracle exploded.

Steph made the free throw and Brooklyn called time. The crowd screamed and danced and egged on whoever was dancing  as the man behind me shouted “oh that’s how they do it in Oakland, huh?!?” Brooklyn never made it back in the game.

Things Done Changed

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That game seems ages ago now. The Warriors are no longer a scrappy, underdog team, but rather an immense juggernaut that has thrown the rest of the league into hysterics. Their impending move to San Francisco reverberates in every aspect of the team.

Their owner Joe Lacob is a silicon valley magnate who runs the team like a start up. The players have invested in different tech opportunities. They even sold their jersey advertising to a Japanese company Rakuten for an NBA record $20 million per year. As the Warriors got more successful, tickets got more expensive, and the raucous, diverse Oracle crowd I fell in love with decades ago has slowly morphed into something different.

These are the tradeoffs when the hometown team grows into the best team in the NBA. I’m sure the Oakland Dub Nation wouldn’t trade these last few years for anything. Yet the move still stings – Oakland’s energy created these Warriors and charged their high flying, goofy crowd pleasing antics. Still they want to leave?

The Jerseys

Now, at least, Oakland fans have proof that the Dubs won’t forget about the Town. The Golden State Warriors unveiled their new alternate jerseys last week and they are glorious. It is a meaningful olive branch to the home that bred them into champions. Oakland sports fans are used to scorn.

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They’ve seen all their teams try to pick up and leave. They’ve noticed when TNT or ESPN refuse to show pictures of their city or even mention it by name during a game. That doesn’t matter anymore. The Town jerseys are a beautiful tether to the past, an homage to their home city, and a promise for the future: they won’t forget about Oakland.

They’ll always be the Bay Area’s team, regardless of where they play. Even while they speed light years ahead, they won’t forget about where they came from. It’s something I didn’t know I needed.