Additional Reporting by Isaiah Heredia
Remember the 2013-2015 Oakland A’s with Josh Donaldson and Yoenis Cespedes, or the “every other year” dynasty the San Francisco Giants had with the World Series Championships in 2010, 2012, 2014? Or even the 2016 Oakland Raiders, who made a playoff run. There is so much greatness here in the Bay Area. But even with the major accomplishments and the playoff runs we have had in all different sports in the Bay Area, there are fewer and fewer people whose favorite teams are in the Bay Area.
“There’s no loyalty with Bay Area teams, no one likes them until they can win a championship,” Junior Luis Negrete said. This “bandwagon” mindset is prevalent in major metropolitan areas where people move for work. Loyalty is usually developed after years of growing up with and rooting for a team.
Being from an area doesn’t always lead to loyalty, however.
“I just never had a connection with teams in our area,” teacher Tomas Mijares said. “When I was growing up I would always root against the teams that my brother liked.” Often times, if many people like something, some others tend to be contrarians – rooting against a team because everyone else likes them.
Sophomore Jaylen Higgins sees loyalty as a key component of team popularity and support.
“I like teams because of their culture and their fan bases, unlike the Bay Area, my teams have a ride or die fan base,” Higgins said.
The Bay Area has won a total of 6 championships and had 18 playoff and postseason appearances since 2012. That doesn’t sound too bad with the amount of success that the Bay Area sports teams have had beyond the 2012 mark.
“My parents are a big influence to me on which sports teams that I like; I also have many role models on the teams that I follow,” Negrete said.
Role models, or favorite players, seems to be a primary reason for why someone might follow a specific team.
“I’m a Spurs fan because I’ve always been a fan of Shawn Elliott and David Robinson,” Mijares said. “I’ve felt so lucky to be a Spurs fan because over the last 20 years we have been able to win five championships.”
There can be many different reasons why locals don’t like teams from the Bay Area. For some, it’s the unfaithfulness of a team’s fan base. There are also reasons like the team’s culture; for example, if a certain player is cocky or things of that nature.
