As the 2018-19 school year opens, plenty of students will be entering The Golden Knight's Realm when they walk into their classrooms. Teachers from around town are still caught up in VGK Fever, decorating their classrooms with a Vegas Golden Knights theme.
Whether it's simple decorations like banners, jerseys and posters, or full-boat fandom with castles, colors, painting, hall passes and all sorts of VGK-styled arrangements, it's clear the first post-inaugural season has only increased the passion. The Golden Knights have taken over the culture of Southern Nevada.
When student arrived for school last year, the Golden Knights were not the juggernaut of Sin City culture as they are today. It was a "pre-1 October" city, and the Golden Knights were simply some team trying to make headway as it headed into its inaugural season. Fast forward through tragedy, community, a magical season, and a Stanley Cup Final here in Vegas, and you have the Vegas Flu spreading like ebola in a tent.
Of course, some classroom billboards could use a little work.
This is a great example of how major league sports have taken over Las Vegas. I can remember so many of my teachers with Chicago Cubs and Chicago Bears decorations in their classrooms when I was young. It was normal, as the Cubs and Bears dominate Chicago culture. Here in Vegas, you were lucky if a teacher hung a 1990 UNLV Basketball poster, let alone create a classroom with an entire team's theme. The speed at which the Golden Knights love spread throughout the community was something to behold. This year, it's increased 10-fold as teachers look to find new ways to bond with their students. Our community finally has something of its own, on a global scale, that has nothing to do with gaming, travel or dining. We have a major league team that is fresh off finishing second, giving us a tiny taste of what is possible when the stars align but just enough to keep us coming back for more. The first taste is free, but now the heavy lifting begins. One need only to search social media to find some of the most inventive classroom decors.
Teachers are painting castles, integrating the Golden Knights designs onto the walls within their own teaching environment. To see how this permeates Las Vegas culture is exciting. Soon, the Raiders will move to town and the dynamic may change even more. As the Las Vegas Aces continue to draw in local fans, one can envision classrooms adorned with all sorts of major league Las Vegas sports teams covering the walls. When a community embraces something special, like a pro sports team, it ingratiates itself into every aspect of life. You can find Golden Knights wine at almost every liquor store and gas station. Pop-up apparel vendors appear and disappear in hours. VGK jerseys, hats , shirts, folders, backpacks and more, are the popular back-to-school choices here in town.
The overabundance of decorative ideas not only increases the comfort in which a student engages in their learning environment, it connects us all. It's these aspects of a major league sports team the pencil pushers and jock-haters don't understand. In a divided country, nothing brings Las Vegans together more than our Golden Misfits — a symbol of how far our community has come as the new school year begins.
