As he looked out from the top of the double-decker bus, his face was full of surprise. As Thompson’s guest of honor at his 2017 championship parade, G-Eazy — the chart-topping rapper — was mesmerized by an enthusiastic crowd that lined Broadway in downtown Oakland. He couldn’t help but remember a time when he was on a bus down the same street. At the time, he was Gerald Gillam on his 51st line on his AC Transit.
This time, five years ago, on that mid-June day, he was a passenger again. Fans were in awe as the fanatical love for Golden State filled the air. G-Eazy had sold millions of albums by then, played to packed arenas around the world, and were at the end of the fandom business many times. It was home. It was a live demonstration of what his city looked like in the struggle of love and community. It was something I envisioned doing.
“It made a different impression,” he said in a phone interview. It was transcendent because it was everything I dreamed of, so it was crazy to see it happen.
No wonder G-Eazy wants to keep the feel of The Town. More than that, he positions himself to bring his sense of it by becoming one of his owners at Auckland Roots Sports Club. Tuesday’s announcement of his G-Eazy investment in Roots is another boon to Oakland’s burgeoning sports empire.
Not a place like home.#OaklandFirstAlways pic.twitter.com/6keLbzgfUU
— Oakland Roots (@oaklandrootssc) September 19, 2021
roots are “bursting through the seams” This includes a streak of sellouts aimed at the postseason of the USL Championship. They have announced plans to find a larger venue as a temporary solution before building a permanent home. Now they’ve added her one more local star to her G-Eazy. In his own group he joined Marshawn Lynch. The momentum is unstoppable.
The secret sauce is not soccer. football Naan with sauce. The main dish is the community, its diversity and enthusiasm. A treat is accessibility to demographics that have been marked down from major sports.
Indeed, football has always done well in the East Bay. Edreece Arghandival, co-founder and chief marketing officer of Roots and her Auckland native, was in the center of a packed house when major football found its way to Auckland. East His Bay is famous for producing basketball stars and passionately supporting professional teams. But Roots proves that beyond the special moments when the World Cup passes through the region or La Liga teams put on showcases, sports can get on the nerves here.
In a market saturated with major American professional sports, it’s not the most obvious, but the sport that connects people from all walks of life around the world can become a magnet for the local cultures that people have historically emphasized. Attending a Roots game resembles the addictive atmosphere the Warriors attended Oracle in the years before they became juggernauts. This is a more kid-friendly version of the Colosseum’s Raiders tailgate. The chilling, homely atmosphere evokes the old feeling of knowing your guide at an A’s game and moving downstairs without a problem.
In fact, part of the appeal of Roots is its grassroots vibe. It’s affordable and doesn’t make you feel like you’re being exploited by a billionaire. Our commitment to climate, racial justice, and inclusion is evident from the audience to the jersey, adding an element of civic pride to the fun. We’ve already seen players rise to the club’s academy and play professional football for their hometown teams.
“I feel like sports, like music, is the language and culture that connects us,” said G-Eazy. “We don’t agree on everything, but we can agree on everything, like ‘rooted in Auckland.’ We can all agree on Raider Nation. Like “strength in numbers” we can all agree. Sports, music, anything that connects us culturally is very important. “
It’s been a year this week since G-Eazy experienced the Roots game for the first time. He saw people wearing Oakland Roots merchandise (from ‘Townbiz’ t-shirts to hoodies proclaiming ‘Oakland First, Always’) belongs to the football team I didn’t know that. He wore it too, declaring his allegiance to the land. So you can imagine when he stopped by Rainey to attend the game. I received the same revelation when I
G-Eazy is back with a taste of Auckland. E. Fellowship over IPA with rows of food trucks in the middle of 10th Avenue. The bleachers were crammed elbow to elbow. The chants and grumbles of a knowledgeable crowd, even if the game doesn’t have a superstar. He didn’t play soccer growing up. However, he said he realized that football was growing in popularity in America, and that it was now the most popular sport in the world. was a viable avenue for the impact he wanted to have on his homeland.
“I think it’s important for children to be able to see people who are like them, where they come from, doing incredible things.” It’s about bringing them together in a way that gives back to the community through the sport that is, the community, the inspiration, the motivation…so these little moments, whether it’s a sold-out game or G-Eazy are the bricks that build something truly magical that allows people to see the world a little differently, whether or not they’re part of an ownership group.
G-Eazy said part of his motivation for joining was the departure of the Raiders to Las Vegas, the Warriors to San Francisco, and the potential for the Athletics to bolt. There is a move to keep alive the energy that has made the Oakland team so unique.
Who knew the answer might be soccer?
G-Eazy will perform their 2015 hit single “Me, Myself and I” at the Roots’ final home game of the season on October 1. Video game NBA2k17. But instead of Beba Rexha singing the hook, G-Eazy is backed up by the Oakland Symphony Orchestra. The Auckland Symphony Orchestra is a renowned youth orchestra led by the late Michael Morgan, a great conductor and pillar of Auckland’s music scene during his 30 years. G-Eazy and about 85 young people, superstars and futures team up to create magic in town.
From bay to space.
(Photo: NBAE via Jesse D. Gallagrant/Getty Images)
