After years of struggling, the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers are starting to rack up several consecutive and impressive wins – cause for their fans to go wild on social media! Fans have begun sharing photos of themselves lifting their cats into the air to celebrate the team’s victories.
The craze started after one fan was inspired by injured rookie Ben Simmons’ posts about his two F2 Savannah cats on Twitter. According to PEOPLE:
…one Philly fan, Twitter user @GipperGrove, decided to take a cue from Simmons’ social playbook and Tweet photos of his own feline. Soon, after every Sixers win, @GipperGrove was posting a picture with his pet held in the air like baby Simba à la The Lion King, quickly tacking on his own hash tag #RaisetheCat.
Those posts eventually got back to Simmons, who eventually Tweeted:
#RaiseThecat pic.twitter.com/428xMu9bLp
— Ben Simmons (@BenSimmons25) January 21, 2017
Other fans quickly adopted the idea, deciding to lift their cats into the air following Sixers wins, and it eventually caught on!
SIXERS WIN pic.twitter.com/PgYrDbQBWk
— Dennis Grove (@GipperGrove) November 12, 2016
YES YES Y’ALL @SIXERS WIN!! #RaiseTheCat
(I should fix the blinds) pic.twitter.com/wx8xGVKf6l
— Dennis Grove (@GipperGrove) January 25, 2017
Another @Sixers win! You gotta be kitten me! #RaiseTheCat Philadelphia! pic.twitter.com/PuFDEi0gUg
— Keith (@phillyindiefan) January 25, 2017
@GipperGrove Break up the Sixers! #RaiseTheCat #hotdogcat pic.twitter.com/Y09Q2wkYGA
— Dan McQuade (@dhm) January 14, 2017
A photo posted by Bridget McMahon (@birdgetm) on
Well…
This will have to do, she’s part cat anyway #trusttheprocess #raisethecat
A photo posted by B Gold (@bgold826) on
Grove’s idea has even spawned merchandise bearing the slogan, with all profits benefitting local animal welfare group PhillyPAWS, according to The Newcastle Herald.
