Fans cheer Wednesday during Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks at the Frost Bank Center. This cultural joy in San Antonio is felt when the stadium adopts Fiesta colors. The bright turquois, pink and orange changes the very essence of the arena.
Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News
Spurs Jackals cheer Wednesday during Game 1 of the NBA Finals at the Frost Bank Center. During home games, our guest columnist says she watches her adopted city shine.
Andrew J. Whitaker/San Antonio Express-News
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama takes a shot Wednesday during Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the New York Knicks at the Frost Bank Center. During this playoff run, our guest columnist says Spurs basketball has been epic to watch.
Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News
My family moved from Romania to San Antonio many years ago, while I was in elementary school.
San Antonio became our home away from home due to the generous Mexican American and Latino American communities that took us under their wing.
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Growing up in San Antonio, I failed to appreciate the city’s unique culture until I left. I came of age not realizing how going to Fiesta, celebrating Mexican independence in September, learning more Spanish before English in ESL classes and dancing at quinceañeras contributed to my unique experience living in San Antonio.
I also grew up falling in love with the Spurs.
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I have cried tears of frustration, sadness, extreme happiness and pride for this team for the past three decades. I know many of us have.
The love for the Spurs is more than a simple fan adoration. This love does not waiver when the team does poorly, nor did this love diminish in the past decade as the team was rebuilding.
This love is a bond, between San Antonians in the city and those away. This love is uniquely tied to the incredible cultural richness of San Antonio.
It is this richness that is felt in every Spurs home game, by the players and the rest of us.
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The cultural atmosphere felt at each game becomes a palpable joy as cumbia cams pan the crowd to show people dancing cumbia in their seats.
This cultural joy is felt when the stadium adopts Fiesta colors. The bright turquoise, pink and orange change the very essence of the arena.
When I hear “Ole, ole, ole, ole. Go Spurs go,” I can feel my heart thump into my stomach, a sensation of butterflies. It’s exciting.
During this playoff run, I have been fascinated by these games.
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Clearly, Spurs basketball has been epic to watch. We’ve witnessed my adopted city shine, even in the face of the political ugliness in the country, especially in Texas.
The games have been a gift, a reminder that solidarity and community have the power to impact change — a reminder that this team, like this beautiful city, exists only because of intricate communities that continue dancing in the face of discrimination and bigotry.
It is your joy that caught the attention of a spectator that could only describe the people around her as “crazy Hispanic fans” in a text that went viral.
It is your joy that has given many of us watching far from home hope, not just for the Spurs to win it all, but hope for our country’s future.
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I am far from my second home watching the NBA Finals in Maine, where I have been living — and freezing — for the past seven years with my two young boys, my partner and our dog.
Luckily my partner, who is from Argentina, was able to immediately adopt the Spurs as his team upon his arrival to the United States because of former Spurs star Manu Ginobili’s influence on the team.
My children had no choice and now are avid Spurs fans.
Living on the East Coast during the NBA Finals is challenging because of game start times. The workday does not stop for anyone, but we still stay awake, watching and hoping.
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So, to all the “crazy Hispanic fans,” thank you. We’re in this together.
Irina Popescu is a current Spurs fan and former San Antonio resident living in Maine.
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