Just as Oaklandish saw Arghandiwal’s vision, so did investors. Mike Geddes, Roots co-founder and chief purpose officer, credits Arghandiwal and his storytelling prowess. “The fact that we can gain visibility for our creative side is a huge advantage we have,” he says. “We want the brand to be more than just soccer. We want it to be about culture, purpose, artistic collaborations, and that’s all him.”
Arghandiwal and his co-founders want the Roots to take on projects that actually make an impact. The team regularly supports youth sports programs and other community service. This month, they unveiled two new soccer fields where anyone can play: Lincoln Square Park in Chinatown and Longfellow Fields in North Oakland.
“Generally, sports teams are vehicles for billionaires to just extract revenue from a community, and then when things don’t work out, you move to a different community,” he notes. “That wasn’t our intent.”
Picture frames made by Oakland Roots players and staff sit on a table at the Oakland Roots Sports Club in Alameda on March 11, 2026. While making the frames, participants were asked to reflect on the question, “What is your purpose?” (Beth LaBerge/KQED)
Arghandiwal’s ethos is the antithesis of this kind of extractive model. “This mythology that you have to be insanely cut-throat and or cold to be successful is falsified because there are so many examples of it in the world.”
Using the Roots’ as a vessel for change, Arghandiwal and his team aspire to create another model — one that puts the people first.
“I live in an apartment downtown overlooking Lincoln Square Park,” he says. “I look out there and I see kids playing, and I’m like, ‘Yep, that’s exactly the affirmation I need.’ … What moves the needle for me is moving the needle for my people.”