When Fantastic Negrito shills, he does it with integrity. The Oakland blues-soul man has released “Root City,” an anthem for Oakland Roots SC, a three-year-old professional soccer team, and there are no sly, subliminal nudges for your custom in his video.
He’s wearing a Puma tracksuit and sneakers in some shots, and he actually points out the label at one point. He plays his guitar and stamps about with the Community Foods Market sign prominently behind him at another point. Community Foods is, of course, an Oakland-based grocery chain.
The Roots team logo shows up plenty, and Negrito sings from a soccer field, sporting a drum major uniform at times. But that field looks gritty, with a train overpass looming behind it. Negrito was born to perform an anthem, with his trademark howl and penchant for visceral choruses. The “Roots” chorus involves a lot of “la la la,” just right for the stadium.
This is an unusual promotion for a pro soccer team, with a Roots player (or a young man wearing the kit) featured just once for a couple of seconds. However, it seems like a good vehicle to push soccer out to working-class people who wouldn’t really gravitate to a traditional highlight reel.
The video also fits the Roots, which just moved from the third-division National Independent Soccer Association to the second-division USL Championship league with a mission to “harness the magic of Oakland and the power of sport as a force for social good.” Former football player and all-time Oakland booster Marshawn Lynch just joined the ownership group last month.
Go ahead, sing along. “I want you to sing it right now… Don’t stop… Don’t stop”
[Editor’s Note: In the video below there is a brief reference to Rod Dibble. This man was not an athlete. He was a beloved Oakland musician who passed away in 2017. https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Rod-Dibble-bar-pianist-at-the-Alley-in-Oakland-12448063.php]
