The new Sixers #raisethecat shirts are awesome

For fans of the Sixers, #raisethecat has become a rallying cry, and now an awesome t-shirt

For fans of the Philadelphia 76ers, the last few years have been a long and painful “process.” The Sixers have won only 64 games over the past four seasons, including only 10 last year. However, things are definitely turning around thanks to the presence of Joel Embiid, and the team has won 10 of its last 13 games. This resurgence has spawned a massive upswing in Sixers enthusiasm in the city of Philadelphia, leading to a celebratory hashtag following victories.

#raisethecat

The hashtag stems from top draft pick Ben Simmons’ major love for felines. Simmons frequently posts pictures of his cats on Instagram. One epic picture, however, has captured the hearts of the now rabid Sixers fanbase.

This picture spawned a phenomenon with Sixers fans lifting their cats spawned by Dennis Grove (@GipperGrove on Twitter) in the air after big wins, and has been embraced by players on the team, members of the media, and even the team itself. #raisethecat appears to have some real staying power in the here-today-gone-tomorrow world of Internet memes.

The feline love in the City of Brotherly Love has now left the virtual world, and official t-shirts bearing Simmons’ likeness (wearing a Joel Embiid shirt, no less) and a cat on his shoulder are being sold online. Grove designed the t-shirts and all proceeds will be donated to the Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society. The design is available on everything ranging from a classic t-shirt, to a baseball 3/4 tee, to a hoodie or cell-phone case.

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Who can say for sure whether or not the Sixers are actually good now (hint: they actually might be). One thing that is not debatable, however, is that they have become one of the sneaky-fun teams in the NBA right now. There will certainly be many more cat raisings (especially with Simmons set to debut fairly soon) in the future for the city of Philadelphia.