After years of being on the wrong side of the scoreboard, the Golden State Warriors and their fans have a new attitude.
The Warriors fast pace style, winning record and the motto “We Believe,” that symbolized the Warriors triumphant return to the postseason in 2007, have fans clamoring to support the team.
Since the Warriors postseason return, sellout crowds are coming to the Oracle Arena to cheer for the team. Is the sold-out arena and the “We Believers” just a trend that will fade as soon as the Warriors backslide into postseason oblivion, or are Warriors fans here to stay?
With the Warriors’ excellent play, everyone wants to be part of the atmosphere. After last year’s trip to the playoffs, sales at mall shops have drastically changed.
“Since the playoffs last year, it blew up. It was like Christmas all over again,” said Shawn Lima, a sales associate for three years at Fanzz in
Umer Arif, the Assistant Manager at Shirtique in Oakridge Mall has also seen a difference in Warrior sales.
“The sales were so low when the Warriors weren’t that good before last season,” Arif said. Now,
the store can hardly keep Warriors gear on the shelf. “[Warrior]
During the Warriors’ playoff run, the atmosphere at the Oracle Arena transformed. Jeremy Nadel, a senior Kinesiology Major, and longtime Warrior fan, attended a playoff game against the Dallas Mavericks.
“I caught the fever, the Warrior fever…The atmosphere [at Oracle Arena] was crazy, it was wild. I’ve never seen so much yellow in my life,” Nadel said.
Tanjit Athwal, a junior Kinesiology major, also attended last year's playoff game: “It was really nutty. Everyone is just really loud and yelling. You just got to be there. I don’t have big enough words to describe it.” Since last year’s season, Athwal bought two season tickets to watch the Warriors play.
Some Warriors fans see the addition of “bandwagon” fans as a good thing.
“It’s cool to have the buzz back,” said Jamie Jessup, a senior food science major.
Jess Einsches, a junior, welcomes the addition of new fans. “I think it’s good to have support, and the merchandise they sell is support for the team so I think bandwagon fans are good in a sense,” Einsches said.
Part of the excitement that fans find at Oracle Arena can be contributed to the large amount of new fans rooting for the Warriors.
Some fans are proud of the fact they are a “bandwagon” fan and are not afraid to admit it. Gregg Pratt a third year business management major said he likes the Warriors “because they’re good now, they actually win.”
Pratt was once a Los Angeles Lakers fan and has found a new home rooting for the Golden State Warriors.
However, Pratt said that he believes Lakers games are more fun to go to. “There is something about Lakers games, the fans are loyal,” he said.
Some older fans are not so quick to welcome new fans. Raymond Crisologo, an 18 year Warriors season ticket holder, does not think all the new fans are a good addition to the Warrior family. “I’m all for the Warriors getting more fans, but some of these ‘bandwagon’ fans are just irritating,” Crisologo said.
He explains that many of the new fans once made fun of the Warriors’ fans for liking a bad team, and “now they’re like oh my god did you see the game. Or I always believed in the Warriors.”
Older Warrior fans fear that once the Warriors begin to play poorly the new fans will flee.
According to ESPN.com the Warriors currently see an average attendance of 19,536 which is 100 percent capacity. During the 2004-2005 season, the average attendance was 16,350, which is 84 percent capacity, when the Warriors finished with a 34-48 record.
The success and fall of other teams in
According to ESPN.com in the 2002-2003 season, the Kings had a record of 55-27 with an average attendance of 17,317 which is 100 percent capacity. This season, the Kings currently stand at 31-36, and have an average attendance of 14,019, which is 81 percent capacity.
If the Kings can lose almost 20 percent of their fans due to poor play, it seems possible for the downward spiral of attendance to continue. Plus, the Kings are the only pro sports franchise in the area, while the Warriors have to compete with the San Jose Sharks, San Francisco 49ers, Oakland A’s, Oakland Raiders and San Francisco Giants for attendance.
There is hope from some that this trend in Warrior support is here to stay. “If you have ever been to Warriors games two or three seasons ago, they were still pretty, almost sold out,” Morris Ohlder, a senior History major said.
Stephanie Flowers, a junior Creative Arts major, has another reason to believe why the Warriors failed to sellout in the past: “It’s not entirely their [the fans] fault, they probably didn’t know they had a team in the Bay Area.”
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