It has been rough the last few years for the Golden Bay Area as they have recently lost teams to Las Vegas. The Raiders of the NFL and A's of the MLB have both relocated. So now, Oakland area sports fans are once again looking for a new team to attach themselves too.
They seem to be coming out in full force to support the newest organization in the area. Recently, the fan base welcomed the first-ever WNBA draft picks of the expansion Golden State Valkyries. Both Shyanne Sellers and Kaitlyn Chen were welcomed with a raucous ovation as they officially landed in the Bay Area.
Members of the Oakland's Claremount Middle School girls' basketball team were a part of the crowd as the newest members of the organization came off the plane. It signals how the fan base has already embraced the new team.
Chen spoke at a press conference about the atmosphere at Golden State. She and Sellers had recently attended a Warriors game this past week.
"The atmosphere in there was amazing, it was so loud," Chen said. "I think we're so lucky to also be able to play in that exact same atmosphere and we're just looking forward to May 16."
The Valkyries recently announced that they were the first WNBA team to sell 10,000 season tickets
That fact alone shows how excited the city and area are for the team to join the ranks of the WNBA. Sharing the Chase Center with the Warriors should also help their expansion season. The Warriors have been one of the more stable and productive franchises in the NBA over the last decade.
In addition, one game that should drive up attendance and immense popularity for the Bay Area is on June 19. The Golden State faithful will be joined by the legion of sports, basketball and entertainment fans alike as it is the first time that Caitlin Clark will play in the Chase Center against a WNBA franchise.
Clark has been at the forefront of the league's rising popularity, and this game should be an exciting one for any who attend. It will also be on Amazon Prime, which should give the Golden State fans a chance to show off their team's pride to a large audience.
While the Raiders played in Oakland, their fans had a section called "the Black Hole." Maybe the Valkyries fans will develop a new section that will make their presence known at each home game.