How Do You Show Your Team Pride?

Colors. When it comes to sports teams, colors can define a team -- and a fandom. The Bay Area has had plenty of reasons to decorate itself in color in the past decade. It’s hard to argue with the success that has blessed the region, and at Monowear, we can speak from experience -- as a Bay Area-based company, we’ve seen it first-hand.

San Francisco’s Winning Teams

The San Francisco Giants may be having a rough season, but their recent even-year success draped the Bay Area in orange. The Golden State Warriors may have a deep blue be the primary color on their jerseys, but the strong yellow of their logo has become synonymous with their team -- and that’s why their arena is draped in yellow t-shirts during playoff time. The San Jose Sharks, who recently had their jersey named the best in hockey history, finally broke through and came within one win of the Stanley Cup -- and though they’re based in Silicon Valley, even San Francisco’s City Hall was lit up in the familiar ocean teal of the Sharks.

Where Did Coloring-Out the Arena Start?

Outside of the Bay Area, there are many ways teams use color to unite their fans, particularly during the playoffs. The tradition to color-out an arena actually started in a somewhat unlikely place, at least when the traditional American sports fan is concerned. They may look at usual sports hotbeds, either professional or college, but the most notable color tradition known as a “White Out” started in the frozen tundra of Winnipeg, Manitoba. In 1987, the Winnipeg Jets encouraged their fans to all wear white during a playoff series against the Calgary Flames, creating an effect that bleached out the arena. The Jets continued this tradition, even when the franchise moved to Phoenix, Arizona.

Today, color-outs happen for many sports teams. Why? Simple -- it’s easy to coordinate (in many cases, teams get sponsored t-shirts and hand towels to distribute for every seat) and in most cases, fans that are paying playoff prices will already have something in the proper color. It also looks extremely cool, both on TV and in the arena, and there’s a certain sense of pride when your team’s fan base unifies in such a way.

Most teams do this during the playoffs, but locally, the San Francisco Giants have had Orange Fridays. The enthusiasm for such a blanket color tends to vary based on the importance of the game and the opponent, but it’s hard to argue with the visual effect it creates. Not only does it look striking, it creates another rallying point for the team -- and in sports, it’s hard to argue with the effect of a deafening crowd on boosting a home team. If you’ve never seen it, here’s a good look at Orange Friday.

These colors are synonymous with team pride. And in just about every case, it starts with just a simple jersey or t-shirt. But when you have Orange Friday on your schedule, sometimes it takes a little creativity to keep rotating your team gear throughout.

What to Wear to Support Your Team?

So how do you show your support for your team? The most basic piece of fan gear is the jersey. Be it the tank-top cut of a basketball jersey or the loose fit of a hockey jersey, the traditional look of a baseball jersey or the internationally recognized shirt of soccer, a jersey is the primary way we say “we stand with you” to our team. It carries the team colors, sometimes a player's name, and is instantly recognizable anywhere you are. So whether you're at the game, watching at a local watering hole, or just going out and handling errands, the jersey signifies your team pride.

However, they can be expensive and for some, not exactly practical in all circumstances. So the next step in showing team pride covers the basics of attire: t-shirts, sweatshirts, jackets, caps, even ties. These are a more casual way to show off your team pride, and they can often be found to fit any price range, any body type, and any situation. As long as the colors and logos are there, then it's still a simple and effective way to communicate team pride.

Jerseys and t-shirts may work for everyday use, but what about taking it to the next level? Let's say you're going to Orange Friday or a Warriors playoff game or a big Sharks battle against their rivals from LA. What are the more creative ways to showcase team pride?

Get Creative!

Sports fans are nothing if not inventive. There's the crude-yet-effective method of body paint. (Often seen on people that should probably keep their shirts on.) For women, there are many ways to bring team colors to their evening's outfit. From jewelry to nail polish, team colors can easily become part of the little details when selecting your outfit. Things can get even more wacky with fans wearing color-coordinated capes and costumes, or even colored full-bodied spandex suits. If the last suggestion is new to you, check out what some ambitious Vancouver Canucks fans did with the spandex suits; their antics were so popular they gained notoriety across North America.

Of course, this is the age of connectivity and mobile devices. In addition to league and team apps, streaming video, and official social media platforms, technology has helped fans express themselves. In fact, just in the past year or two, in-arena presentations have gone high-tech with Bluetooth-enabled wristbands. By distributing these to every fan in the arena, the LEDs in each wristband can be centrally controlled to sync up for light shows during introductions, presentations, and TV time outs.

The one piece of technology that everyone has these days is a smartphone. How can smartphones be part of the home-team experience? The non-tech version is to simply put a phone cover with your team’s colors and logo. Other creative ways to use your smartphone including putting a party light app that can be used to flash team colors on screen, particularly when the lights are off for team intros. Of course, teams and leagues also want to entice you to download their apps for special arena perks -- witness how Levi’s Stadium sought to create specific features for an app that enhanced the stadium experience, such as extra replay angles and special promotions.

That covers smartphones, but what about the most visible piece of wearable tech? Enter the Apple Watch.

Using the Apple Watch To Support Your Team

Wearable tech isn’t just about functionality. It’s a fashion statement, and the industry recognizes this. That’s why you can customize everything from the Apple Watch face to the actual watch bands. So let’s say you’re gearing up for Orange Friday. To get started, you might change elements of your Apple Watch face and screen to sync up with the San Francisco Giants color scheme. Perhaps you can make the background color the team’s signature orange with the font in black, or vice versa. Or you can download one of the many custom-designed backgrounds online and use it on your watch face.

From a non-tech perspective, watch bands are a great way to show your team colors. Going back to the Orange Friday example, let’s say that you wore your Apple Watch as usual to work that day. When you leave the office and head to the game, the quick-release clasp allows you to easily pop off your everyday watch bands and on orange ones with the team colors. Add in an orange Giants jersey and an orange cap and you’re ready to go for Orange Friday.

At Monowear, we think it’s pretty clear from this article that we’re pretty big sports fans, and huge supporters of our local teams. That’s why we’re very excited to announce that we’ll be releasing special watch bands with the colors of the Golden State Warriors for the upcoming 2016-17 NBA season. The watch bands will feature the trademark Royal Blue and Golden Yellow of the Warriors while also still featuring the things that Monowear is known for: high-quality materials, exquisite manufacturing, and a design that’s as stylish as it is durable.

The special Golden State Warriors edition of our Apple Watch watch bands will be available soon. Stay tuned to our Facebook and Twitter accounts for more details regarding price and availability. And who knows -- if Dub Nation loves our watch bands as much as we do, other colors may follow so fans of teams in the Bay Area and beyond can support their team.