Amidst the East Bay / West Bay sibling rivalry, the Golden State Warriors are the one team that everyone can agree on. They are the only basketball team in the Bay Area, which gives them a larger potential fan base than the A’s, Giants, Raiders, or 49ers. Decades of suckiness however, have tempered widespread vocal support. To this day, you’ll meet Bay Area residents who are Lakers or Bulls fans, but for Warrior die-hards, the dog days of the late 90s and the 2000s built character. That loyalty is being rewarded by Golden State’s return to relevance these past six years. This year the Warriors have shown the league that they will be a force for years to come, but it’s important to remember how rocky the road has been.
An Anecdotal History of The Warriors’ Recent Bootsyness
The Warriors haven’t won an NBA title in almost 40 years. Hell, we haven’t won a division title in almost 40 years! We traded Mitch Richmond for Billy Owens. We drafted Todd Fuller over Kobe Bryant and Adonal Foyle over Tracy McGrady. Our star player (Latrell Sprewell) choked out our head coach! There was even a time when we thought Antawn Jamison was going to be a savior of some sort! It was during that era that the Warriors–seemingly aware of their own ineptitude–started using the marketing slogan, “It’s a great time out!” Do you remember this? The Warriors weren’t advertising the prowess of their team; they were advertising getting out of the house!
And in case that all seems a long time ago, remember that we’re not too far removed from promoting season ticket packages to watch other teams’ star players (The Kobe Package, The Lebron package, etc). Being an Oakland sports fan often feels like being in an abusive relationship. Every year you think things will get better–and there’s always a reason to believe it might–but it rarely does. Thankfully the We Believe team of 2007 gave the franchise some legitimate hope when the underdog Warriors upset the #1 seed Dallas Mavericks. And though they would fall to the Utah Jazz in the next round, no moment better embodied the Warriors ascension quite like Baron Davis’s devastating dunk on AK-47’s military flattop
The Warrior Rebirth
2007 was a warning, but 2013 is the arrival. The young Warriors are back in the limelight and making a surprising run at the conference crown. Curry, Thompson, Barnes, Bogut, and co. are presently in a must win situation going into Game 6, but in an underdog city like Oakland, having our backs against the wall is nothing new. We love shooting the rock in hard places. Thursday night at the arena is going to me maney, so whether you’ve ever been to a Dubs game or not, we recommend forking over the dough, getting juiced, and participating in the madness!
For the uninitiated, here’s what you can expect at a Warriors game:
1. You can feel the electricity before you step into the arena. As you approach Oracle and stand in the long, but relatively swift-moving, line to get in, one of the first things you’ll notice is how diverse the fan base is. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Warriors have the most diverse fans of any basketball franchise in America. At the very least, they seem to have the country’s largest Asian fan base, despite having no Asian players. The teeming crowd of white, black, Asian, and Latino fans of both genders and all ages certainly stands in stark contrast to the sea of white-collar white faces you see on the telecasts of most NBA teams. 
2. You’ll notice hella blue and gold Warriors apparel that denotes the region’s simultaneous respect for the franchise’s storied past, pride in its exciting present, and affection for the dog days in between. By that I mean that you’ll see your fair share of Chris Mullin and Tim Hardaway throwbacks, a bevy of new Stephen Curry shirts and jerseys, AND the occasional homage to the many forgotten Dubs; your Troy Murphys, Jason Richardsons, Joe Smiths, and Chris Webbers.
Whatever you showed up wearing, if it’s the playoffs, it will be drowned out in a XL gold t-shirt. In 2007 it read “WE BELIEVE” and in 2013 it says “WE ARE WARRIORS.” The ‘All Gold Everything’ motif shat upon the bland office attire of the pale faced and quiet Denver fans.
3. That takes us to our next point; Dubs fans get LOUD! There was once a Warriors ad that read something like, “You go to Staples to be seen; you go to Oracle to be heard.” In fact, Oracle Arena is often referred to as Roaracle and is widely regarded as the loudest building in the NBA. We’re all used to the ubiquitous canned chants of “D-Fence” and “Let’s Go _________”, but when the drawn out echoing chants of “WAARRRRIIIOOOORRRRSSSS!” start reverberating around the building, shit gets real for the visiting team. Jarrett Jack had a great year coming off the bench, but the Warriors maniacal and vocal fans should get the Sixth Man award every year.
4. The Warriors are young and exciting ballers! Their stars can be a bit streaky from the arc, and they can be a bit sloppy with the ball, but they play fearless basketball with youthful tenacity. Some say they are too young and inexperienced to win it all, but never question a hungry young team that has already exceeded people’s expectations. Perhaps the most exciting thing about this team is that they’ve commandeered these playoffs without David Lee and with an injured Stephen Curry. Imagine what the Dubs can do next year if that all-star duo remains healthy; if Steph’s Splash Brother Klay Thompson can start creating his own shots; and if Andrew Bogut and Harrison Barnes continue to play like they have in these playoffs! The future can wait though, we have a W to bring home today! No guts, no glory.
We’ll see you tonight!
We hope these four reasons were enough to convince you to attend a Warriors game. We know that playoff tickets are steep, but this is only the second time that the Warriors have reached the post-season. For those of us who have weathered this life-long dry spell, it’s worth the investment. And yes, we said investment, because if you go, you’ll get out what you put in. That means that you’re required to spazz out and get hella loud to rep for your city and motivate your team. If we live to fight another day, buy tickets to the next round like rent isn’t due on the 1st. And if the season ends, start saving up for a season ticket package for next year. Either way, we’ll see you at Roaracle!
