As a mass of students walk the halls, many can be seen sporting bright, clearly visible blue and gold T-shirts supporting the Golden State Warriors. But one characteristic of many of these students is not as visible is that many are new to following basketball and first became interested in doing so after the team won the 2015 NBA championship.
The school has even borrowed the Warriors’ slogan, “Strength in Numbers,” which is printed on a large banner that hangs at the top of the Quad steps.
Many students, however, have only recently become fans of the Warriors. One of these new fans, sophomore Andrew Zheng, said that though he had some basic knowledge of the sport, his interest in following the NBA really only developed in the past few months.
“I knew how to play and could shoot hoops,” Zheng said. “But I didn’t start learning the logistics until recently. I also started following different teams and understood what everything in the NBA meant.”
But many longtime Warriors fans fear that some of these students will only stay “fans” of the team as long as the team continues to win.
“All new fans are welcome,” said sophomore Gaurav Mohan, a Warriors fan since his youth. “But it’s the ones that leave once a team isn’t doing that well who annoy me.”
Zheng, however, believes that it was only natural for the Warriors to gain such popularity recently. With their success being the subject of many lunchtime conversations, the team was only recently brought to the attention of those who were not already basketball fans.
“It definitely intrigued me because it’s such a hot topic around campus,” Zheng said.
Mohan said he does not hold anything against new fans such as Zheng. According to Mohan, these students should not be labeled as “bandwagoners” if they know the game of basketball well and are not constantly shifting their loyalty from team to team depending on the team’s success.
But evident in Facebook profile picture changes supporting the Warriors, a banner hanging from the quad steps, and students dressed in the team’s apparel, the Warriors’ fan base has definitely grown on campus.
“It’s great to support a local team because we have pride in where we live and who we are,” Zheng said.