Oakland sports fans are peeved about Golden State Warriors' new jerseys - SF Gate

Sports // Golden State Warriors

Alex Shultz, SFGATE

Nov. 2, 2020Updated: Nov. 2, 2020 3:44 p.m.

The Warriors' new "Oakland Forever" jerseys.

@Warriors

As it turns out, if you leave the city you played your games in for decades, and then release jerseys with the name of said city on them, sports fans will not be appeased. In fact, they'll mostly be angry.

Such is the case for the Golden State Warriors, who made the unpopular decision to move from Oracle Arena in Oakland to the Chase Center in San Francisco. They've attempted a number of olive branch efforts in the years since announcing their relocation plan, which was finalized in 2019. First was the "The Town" alternate jerseys in 2017, and now, jerseys that just straight-up say "Oakland" on them.

Oakland is and will always be a part of our team’s identity.

“Oakland Forever," presented by @Rakuten, is a nod to the We Believe era and its turning point in Oakland’s basketball history.

To honor the Town, we partnered with Nike to put a spin on these classic uniforms. pic.twitter.com/d7nUAJLbzM

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) November 2, 2020

“Oakland is and forever will be part of this franchise’s identity,” Warriors President and Chief Operating Officer Rick Welts said in a press release. “The Oakland Forever campaign, in partnership with Rakuten, will deepen our ties and impact in Oakland through a dedicated focus on community efforts, advancing educational equity, and providing safe access to health and wellness resources.”

Folks in and around the Bay Area aren't so convinced about the Warriors organization's stated interest in staying connected to Oakland. And they made that abundantly clear on Monday.

Exhibit A:

Warriors didn’t put “Oakland” on their uniforms until they moved to San Francisco pic.twitter.com/ou4Arxia2z

— Rashad (@rashadalaiyan) November 2, 2020

An even spicier Exhibit B:

We love Oakland so much we could've built a new stadium there but opted to go to San Francisco instead https://t.co/N5LheCQkTd

— jsherm23 (@jsherm23) November 2, 2020

And another!

This is like when a neighborhood gentrifies and the new businesses keep the signage of the businesses they replaced https://t.co/CgdO0qv40F

— Eric Freeman (@freemaneric) November 2, 2020

One more:

What a slap in the face to East Bay fans. All they wanted was something that said "OAKLAND" for 35 years. A year after they move to San Francisco, this pandering b/s. Give me a break.

— Seejay (@ManusBaldSpot) November 2, 2020

Search for "Warriors" and "San Francisco" on Twitter if you want to bask in more jersey bashing.

Reach Alex on

Alex Shultz is the sports editor for SFGATE. You can reach him at alex.shultz@sfgate.com.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

Sports - Latest - Google News
November 03, 2020 at 06:45AM
https://ift.tt/2JxHcJ1

Oakland sports fans are peeved about Golden State Warriors' new jerseys - SF Gate
Sports - Latest - Google News
https://ift.tt/2Mbsnt7