Sports Slogan
We Believe
The informant, Ilana, is an avid Golden State Warriors fan. The Golden State Warriors are a traditionally mediocre NBA team. We believe has become the official slogan of the team. However, Ilana reports that the slogan had a much less official beginning. At the close of the 2006-2007 season the Warriors made the NBA playoffs, but were facing a heavily favored Dallas Mavericks team in the first round of playoffs. Ilana reports that a man from Alameda, CA brought a sign to the game that said simply WE BELIEVE. The sign was a hit and all the people in the stands around him picked up on the phrase. The man began making shirts that said we believe on it and the crowd began to use it as a chant. The team then approached the man about taking the slogan over. The man agreed, although Ilana doesnt know if he was given any sort of compensation for creating the slogan. The team then printed signs and made shirts for every fan that attended the rest of the playoff games. Ilana has one of the shirts printed by the team and says it is one of her favorite possessions. The Warriors went on to upset the Dallas Mavericks. Ilana thinks the slogan became so popular because it expresses the sentiments of Warriors fans in a concise manner.
The slogan we believe is obviously a banner under which Warriors fans can unite. The slogan obviously captured a sentiment shared by the fans because of its meteoric rise in popularity. The slogan suggests that although the past may have been rocky, the teams fans have faith in the team right now. It is interesting how quickly the Warriors organization was able to key in on the popularity of the slogan and make it official. The slogan has become the motto of the Warriors because it describes them as a team. The slogan has been featured in many sports articles like this one from ESPN http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory?id=3139200. The articles use the slogan as a way to describe the fans feelings about the teams recent success after many years of mediocrity.