Sports
Cal Berkeley’s Calgorithm — social media and self-awareness in ‘the people’s program’
BERKELEY, Calif. — Speckled throughout the mass of overjoyed fans scrunched together at the epicenter of the Cal Berkeley campus Saturday morning were the ambassadors who played specific parts in making this once inconceivable scene materialize.
They raised their phones high, capturing a 360-degree view of the madness of ESPN’s “College GameDay,” and hit record. They embraced the emotion of the moment as the sun began to peek over the Berkeley hills.
Without them, Nick Saban isn’t tearing off his crimson tie at the behest of the fans who couldn’t bear seeing even a tinge of something close to Stanford Cardinal red in front of the sea of exultant California blue and gold. Without them, program legend Marshawn Lynch isn’t flown in to be the celebrity guest picker, taking his rightful place in a golf cart and later placing Kirk Herbstreit in a very friendly headlock.
And without them, the seats inside California Memorial Stadium aren’t packed more than 12 hours later to digest an agonizing last-minute 39-38 loss to No. 8 Miami.
Behold, the ballooning cultural clout of the Calgorithm, a guerilla-like social media movement that leans into sarcasm, stereotypes and self-awareness through photoshopped and AI-generated memes that embrace the absurdity of perception.
Calgorithm was easy to spot on Saturday in Berkeley. (Christopher Kamrani / The Athletic)
On Saturday, as GameDay’s Pat McAfee constantly roused the crowd, it was clear the Calgorithm had achieved its objective: to prove that Cal, associated with one of the most liberal communities in America, does, in fact, have a beloved fan base happily obsessed with Golden Bears football.
Punch in the hashtag online, and you’ll be awash in memes of grizzly bears wearing masks and stepping off an airplane called “Stop Climate Change Airlines” in Florida prior to Cal’s game earlier this season at Florida State. Or grizzly bears welcoming Miami Hurricanes on the tarmac with a “Critical Race Theory” book in hand.
“There’s a certain joy and a certain absurdity,” said Nam Le, who graduated from Cal in 2012. “It’s a fun story from a fan base that is traditionally ignored.”
At this point there are too many memes to count — and new attempts at their own brand of self-deprecation nearly every minute.
From within, they’ve cultivated a very obscure sports moment that has resonated not only within the online reaches of the Cal fan base, but among college football followers of other teams nationwide. A routine response from a random follower after diving deep into the Calgorithm is that “Cal is now my second favorite team,” members of the Calgorithm say.
When it pertains to actual membership, some are known publicly, some aren’t. Some are transparent about their real lives on social media, some aren’t.
Known commodities include a teacher, data analyst, political coordinator and someone who hawks hot dogs at minor-league baseball games. The others exist in the realm of anonymity and are referred to as “the burners.” They are known by random social media handles for their participation in the online discourse that has brought a disarming nature to platforms often inundated with volatility.
They’ve made themselves seen online but also within the walls of the Cal football facility. Some members of Cal’s football support staff have a group text thread carved out specifically for new memes to share.
“The burners are hilarious, man,” said Marshall Cherrington, Cal’s director of player personnel. “We all love them inside this building.”
Linebacker Cade Uluave specifically thanked “the burners” during a news conference appearance last week for helping bring more attention to the program and game against the Hurricanes. Special teams coordinator Vic So’oto shared on X that defensive lineman Xavier Carlton and linebacker Ryan McCullough were “keeping the pocket hot like Cal burners” followed by some flame emojis.
The reach the Calgorithm has achieved over the course of the season is apropos for the school and its locale. At a university in a city long known for its involvement in social movements dating back to the 1960s, this movement just played out on social media.
And the people, the fans, took matters into their own hands. GameDay producer Matthew Garrett said prior to making the call to Cal last week to gauge interest in hosting, he was flooded with questions by fans of what they could do to get the show to Berkeley for the first time. Prior to Saturday, Cal was one of six Power 4 schools to have never hosted.
When it got its chance, of course it was in typical cognizant Calgorithm fun. Signs held high compared Cal’s list of Nobel laureates produced at Berkeley compared with Miami. (The score is currently 61-4.) One read: “I thought this was a protest!”
The Calgorithm really seemed to take off after Cal upset Auburn 21-14 on Sept. 7 at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The meme by Don Grizzel, Ph.D (@golDonBear on X) featured cutouts of Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, whose parents met in Berkeley in the early 1960s, Oski, Cal’s bear mascot, quarterback Fernando Mendoza, a rainbow, and an obtusely stretched out photo of President Joe Biden and the caption read: “You Just Lost to the Woke Agenda.” The post has received 5 million impressions.
https://t.co/hskIyGbkH2 pic.twitter.com/cPIfI1FXRW
— Don Grizzell, Ph.D. (@golDonbear) September 7, 2024
The scope of the Calgorithm is immeasurable, members say, due to always churning conference realignment in college football. As the previously constituted Pac-12 imploded, Cal, alongside its rival Stanford, was forced to join the Atlantic Coast Conference, a league on the opposite coast but a home in a power conference. With that, came an opportunity for Cal fans to introduce themselves to a portion of the country that may have only known of Berkeley through various long-perpetuated stereotypes.
“They already believe these stereotypes about us,” said burner Callie, also known as @WokeMobFootball. “Why don’t we just turn it up to 12 and just absolutely make fun of it for how absurd they sound when it’s thrown back at them?”
Mike Davie says Cal fans have come armed for any sort of perception lobbed their way by fans online. But they say they always try to do it with a smile knowing that college football is what they all love and that it doesn’t need to be another well poisoned online.
“Yeah, we tell them the ‘DEI’ defense is here killing it,” Davie said. “And when people say, ‘Don’t make fun of Cal fans. They police pronouns.’ And we were like, ‘Here comes the pronoun punt team!’ And it makes them laugh.”
The Calgorithm is also perpetually one step ahead. They’ve also helped raise funds for Cal’s NIL collective, Cal Legends. People donating are leaving comments thanking the Calgorithm for activating attention.
“That’s the kind of person Cal produces into the real world, people who want to help do things in smart, simple and efficient ways,” Cherrington said. “And we want to always have our doors open to them. This is the people’s program.”
Four hours before kickoff against Miami, a small parking lot on the southeast side of campus hosted a Calgorithm tailgate. Exhausted already from a day that began before sun-up, they shared highlights and beers. They were still amped that Lynch drove the golf cart. Together, they watched Vanderbilt upset No. 1 Alabama.
They introduced themselves to one another as their online handles. Some burners geeked out over meeting others. One burner thanked Callie for remixing Chappell Roan’s “Hot to Go!” hit song for Cal running back Jaydn Ott. “Ott to Go” was played at GameDay, which Callie could not get over, and probably never will.
O-T-T-T-O-G-O
We’ve got Jaydn Ott to go!#Calgorithm #FightForCalGameday #H1M #WhyNotCal pic.twitter.com/8D68f8pnjH— The Liberal Calgorithm (@wokemobfootball) September 28, 2024
Fellow Cal fans crowded around an exhausted Avinash Kunnath, a Cal grad and one of the godfathers of popular fan blog site, Write for California. Kunnath wore a Calgorithm meme T-shirt, jean jacket and a fuzzy bear hat. Saturday doesn’t happen without him, and basically everyone else in that tailgate lot, they said.
The group passed around shots of Malört, a tradition at the burner tailgate that dates back to the 2021 season. It was an ode to a past too often filled with disappointment, one which made a vengeful reappearance Saturday night. But it was also a salute to a future so swiftly reshaped by the community of devotees who took matters into their own hands and made the joke at their own expense before anyone else could.
“I like to tell people that we almost died as a program,” Le said. “We can’t really afford to be realistic about it anymore. This program deserves to and can only survive with a love and an ambition and a spirit that’s larger.”
(Top image: Meech Robinson / The Athletic; Bob Kupbens / Icon Sportswire)
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No. 12 High Point put everyone on notice for the second time in as many games this March Madness, but could not find the same success.
After advancing to the Round of 32 following an upset victory over No. 5 Wisconsin, the Panthers’ season ended after No. 4 Arkansas ran away from them late Saturday night.
High Point led by as many as five early in the game, and they were up 56-52 with 14:17 to go after going on a 12-2 run.
Both teams exchanged buckets for several minutes, with no one expanding their respective leads by more than three points for a little while.
High Point Panthers head coach Flynn Clayman and guard Rob Martin (3) react in the second half against the Arkansas Razorbacks during a second round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. (Craig Strobeck/Imagn Images)
With 7:04 to play, the Panthers took a 72-71 lead, to which the Razorbacks responded with a 10-2 run, putting them up by seven and giving them their largest lead of the night.
The game was then quickly tied at 83 after a wild run by High Point, but over the final 3:19, Arkansas outscored High Point, 11-5, to snatch the victory, despite a valiant effort from the Panthers.
High Point Panthers forward Terry Anderson (5) drives against Arkansas Razorbacks forward Malique Ewin (12) and forward Billy Richmond III (24) in the second half during a second round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. (Craig Strobeck/Imagn Images)
VANDERBILT’S HAIL MARY SHOT MISSES BY NARROWEST OF MARGINS AS NEBRASKA ADVANCES TO SWEET 16 IN EPIC FASHION
Arkansas was favored by 11.5, and while they couldn’t cover, it was another Sweet 16 appearance for legendary head coach John Calipari.
Two Panthers, Rob Martin (30) and Cam’Ron Fletcher (25), combined for 55 points, but Darius Acuff Jr. of Arkansas trumped everyone by dropping 36.
Arkansas will face the winner of No. 1 Arizona and No. 9 Utah State in the Sweet 16.
High Point Panthers head coach Flynn Clayman and forward Braden Hausen (15) react in the second half against the Arkansas Razorbacks during a second round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. (Craig Strobeck/Imagn Images)
High Point’s victory over Wisconsin on Thursday marked their first ever in March Madness after making the tournament last year for the first time.
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The adage goes, it doesn’t have to be pretty. But for the UCLA women’s basketball team, that’s not the philosophy. Coach Cori Close preaches thriving, not surviving, and that’s been evident in the Bruins’ lopsided victory margin all season.
That’s why leading by 10 points at halftime against a No. 16 seed was likely alarming. So much so that UCLA locked in for a 31-4 third quarter in one of its most dominant periods all season en route to a first-round NCAA tournament win.
UCLA (32-1) took down California Baptist 96-43 at Pauley Pavilion, advancing to Monday’s second-round contest against No. 8 seed Oklahoma State (24-9) for a spot in the Sweet 16.
Senior Lauren Betts earned a double-double with 22 points with 10 rebounds, while her sister, freshman Sienna Betts, had her first career double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
UCLA center Lauren Betts drives against California Baptist forward Grace Schmidt in the first half Saturday.
(Jessie Alcheh / Associated Press)
“I think in the locker room, it was made very clear to us that we needed to do a better job, and that was before the coaches came in,” said Angela Dugalic (10 points, 11 rebounds). “We took accountability of what we needed to fix, which was a lot of things, honestly.
“All my teammates, from seniors to [sophomore] Amanda [Muse] even said something. And Sienna.”
It was the Bruins’ 26th consecutive win, with the team’s most recent loss in November against fellow No. 1 seed Texas.
California Baptist (23-11) had the eighth-worst NET ranking of any NCAA tournament team, but the Lancers have a couple of areas where they excel. It was not enough to beat a No. 1 seed that just needed some time to shake off the rust, but it was enough to fend off a more lopsided score other No. 16 seeds endured across the nation.
“In my opinion, that’s the best team in the country,” Lancers coach Jarrod Olson said. “… For 20 minutes, we gave them all they could handle.”
A No. 16 seed has not upset a No. 1 seed in the women’s NCAA tournament since 1998.
The Bruins took the lead with 3:51 left in the first quarter as a part of a 10-0 run after starting the game one for five. While the Lancers clawed back to within five points, the gap only widened from there.
“We did need to come out more aggressive,” said Charlisse Leger-Walker (eight points, five rebounds, five assists). “I think we were having too many mental lapses in the scout and how we wanted to game plan. We kind of felt that momentum from the first half, and they were true to how the scout was for them, and hitting a lot of three-pointers, we were on the back foot a little bit.”
But, as California Baptist’s Chance Bucher (team-high 11 points) said after the game, the Bruins are a No. 1 seed for a reason.
UCLA’s size overwhelmed California Baptist, whose tallest player is 6-foot-3 Emma Johansson. Johansson, who entered Saturday second in the country with 2.86 blocks per game, picked up just one block and one rebound with four fouls. The Bruins’ 62-21 rebounding advantage came from the significant height gap across all positions. UCLA also nabbed a season-high 21 offensive boards.
“I’m really proud of that,” Sienna Betts said. “Offense is not always going to fall and not always going to be perfect, and it’s important to be able to rely on the little things and crash like that.”
UCLA guard Kiki Rice consults with coach Cori Close on a play against California Baptist at Pauley Pavilion on Saturday.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
The Bruins finished with 54 points in the paint to the Lancers’ 14, along with 30 second-chance points compared to California Baptist’s eight.
The Lancers rely heavily on their three-point shot, with the eighth-most in the NCAA at 28.3 attempts per game. They went six for 30 (20%) from deep, which kept the deficit from getting out of hand early, but the Lancers couldn’t maintain their early strong shooting pace.
UCLA started the third quarter on a 15-0 run. The Lancers didn’t score until the 7:20 mark. The Bruins shot 10 for 16 from the field and their 31 points were tied for their second most in a quarter this season. They finished the game on a 21-2 run.
“Unfortunately,” Olson said, “Whatever Cori said to them at halftime, it kind of got them going in the second half, we had a hard time scoring.”
The million dollar question: what did Close say to get the Bruins back on track?
“It was spirited,” Close said. “It was spirited. It was unacceptable. It’s not the fact that we missed shots. Those are not the things that get me really fired up. It’s when we don’t execute the scouting report; when we are lackadaisical; when we don’t communicate; when we are not connected.”
California Baptist’s 25% shooting from the floor was the lowest field-goal percentage UCLA has allowed all season, but they shot 38% in the first half, including 37.5% from three-point range, which negated having fewer possessions.
“You have to respect everyone, no matter what number is in front of their names,” Gianna Kneepkens said. “It really doesn’t matter, because like if you lose, you’re done, the stakes are automatically higher no matter what.”
On Monday, the Bruins will face a Power Four conference foe coming off an impressive first-round performance. The Bruins are 1-1 all-time against Oklahoma State, having last met in a 71-59 win in 2018.
The Cowgirls, who have the 29th-best NET ranking, are led by forward Achol Akot, who paced Oklahoma State with 28 points in its first-round win over Princeton. They have the 14th-best offense in the nation, averaging 81.5 points per game.
That will be a much more engaging matchup for the Bruins’ interior players, who won’t get a half to get back into the game.
On Saturday, even as one of the most experienced teams in the nation, UCLA got an important reminder.
“It’s March Madness,” Kneepkens said. “That means anything can happen.”
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The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has addressed the recent execution of 19-year-old wrestling star Saleh Mohammadi by the Iranian regime.
After multiple Olympians, including three gold medalists, condemned the execution to Fox News Digital, the IOC has now made a statement on the matter.
“Sadly, today’s world is divided and full of conflicts and tragedies. The IOC cares deeply about the situation of athletes all around the globe and is concerned every time it learns of individual cases of mistreatment. However, it is very difficult to comment on situations of individuals during a conflict or unrest in a country, without the IOC being able to verify the often contradicting information,” the IOC said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“At this moment in time, we are particularly concerned about the situation of Iranian athletes impacted by the events unfolding in their country – as we are with all athletes who face conflict and tragedies elsewhere in the world. Unfortunately, these situations are more regularly brought to our attention due to the increasingly divided world in which we live.”
The IOC reiterated that it does not have the power to dictate the decisions of a sovereign nation.
“The IOC, as a civil, non-governmental organization, has neither the remit nor the ability to change the laws or political system of a sovereign country. This is the legitimate role of governments and the respective intergovernmental organizations. The IOC is a sports organization whose remit and success is based on bringing the world together in peaceful competition. We have to be realistic about the IOC’s ability to directly influence global and national affairs,” the statement continued.
“At the same time, we will continue to work with our Olympic stakeholders to help where we can, often through quiet sports diplomacy. The IOC remains in touch with the Olympic community from Iran.”
IRANIAN WRESTLER WHO SAW AYATOLLAH ABUSE ATHLETES DEFENDS AMERICAN WOMEN SPEAKING OUT AGAINST TRANS INCLUSION
Mohammadi was reportedly killed in a public hanging on Thursday, according to Iranian American human rights activists and dissidents.
Iran International reported that Iran’s regime hanged Mohammadi and two additional Iranian men, Mehdi Ghasemiand and Saeed Davoudi, “after being accused of killing two police officers during nationwide protests earlier this year,” the judiciary-linked Mizan news agency reported.
Mohammadi previously told Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting that his dream was to be an Olympic champion.
President Donald Trump condemned the regime for the executions while speaking to reporters this week.
“These are thugs and animals and horrible people,” Trump said of the regime. “I’m not surprised they executed three young people for protesting.”
Mohammadi won a bronze medal in September 2024, for Iran’s national freestyle wrestling at the Saytiyev International Cup in Krasnoyarsk, Russia.
Olympians to speak out against the execution included U.S. Gold medalists, wrestler Brandon Slay, swimmer Tyler Clary and bobsledder Kaillie Humphries.
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Wrestling champion Saleh Mohammadi faces imminent execution in Iran for protest participation as international pressure mounts to save the athlete. (The Foreign Desk)
“My prayers are with Saleh Mohammadi’s family and all who are suffering. In the face of such oppression, I hold to the hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the only light that overcomes darkness and only truth that proclaims justice and mercy will one day prevail,” Slay said.
Clary added, “President Trump has been clear-eyed about the nature of this regime and the need to stand up to it, and moments like this prove why that approach is necessary.”
Fox News Digital’s Benjamin Weinthal contributed to this report.
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