“We get the fans ready, and then the fans get the players ready,” says Megan Cooper, who is responsible for putting 19,596 yellow t-shirts on 19,596 seats Oracle Arena seats before each Golden State Warriors playoff game. (Hey, it’s not that hard — the Warriors tend to sweep the early playoff series!) She’s been making the t-shirt scene since 2012, when she was just an intern, and she says it’s been amazing to watch the team grow since then — from contender to NBA champ and dominator.
[related: NBA: Roaracle Arena in 6th Man Role For Warriors]
During the playoffs, teams do everything they can to incite the crowd, which in turn exhorts them back, just as Cooper says. What good does this “sea of yellow” do? “When you put on the shirts and everybody’s matching, I feel like we’re kind of bonded,” says Cooper. “It’s like we’re all in it together.” The video below — “Golden State’s Homecourt Advantage” — featuring Cooper and her important, mostly unseen role, is part of the “This Is Why We Play” series of videos produced by the NBA. The videos go behind the scenes and show just how far the NBA reaches beyond the lines.
