For the first time, ESPN's "College GameDay," the popular college football pregame show, took over the University of California, Berkeley, on Saturday, in part thanks to the "Woke Agenda" of Cal Football fans, the self-proclaimed Calgorithm.
The Calgorithm became the newest internet sensation during the 2024 college football season and has been part of the UC Berkeley experience on X, formerly known as Twitter. Memes and artificial intelligence-generated images describing progressive themes dominated social media platforms in the weeks leading up to the Golden Bears gearing up to face No. 8 Miami.
According to ESPN's Kyle Bonagura, ESPN's "College GameDay" even chose Berkeley, California, as its host site for its Week 6 game against ACC foe Miami, partly because of the Calgorithm.
However, over the years, the Calgorithm has always included a small group of fans. This season, though, it has reached new heights.
"I think the whole Calgorithm has been an inflection point in shifting that narrative that Cal only cares about academics not athletics," said Miles Goodman, a first-year student who made the Calgorithm viral.
One of Goodman's earliest examples of the movement came after Cal defeated Auburn on Sept. 7, posting a message that read, "YOU JUST LOST TO THE WOKE AGENDA."
"When I made that, it was basically a way not to define the politics of our entire fan base, but saw it as an opportunity to embrace the term and to form our own relationship with it," Goodman, the "Father of the Calgorithm", said.
The meme, posted on his X account, golDonbear, showed a rainbow, Vice President and Democratic Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris, current President Joe Biden, and an translucent photo of the 2020 electoral college.
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Leading up to College GameDay
Since the win against Auburn, multiple social media accounts posted several tweets poking fun at the Florida State University Seminoles before Cal faced them.
The Golden Bears joined the ACC right before the 2024 academic year following a mass exodus from the Pac-12. Stanford University, a former Pac-12 member, also joined the ACC.
Ahead of Cal's debut against the Seminoles, Calgorithm post took over the internet as fans hoped to add some extra excitement to the game.
AI-generated images from various users, including Goodman, popped up all over. Some memes called FSU's Doak Campbell Stadium the "Woke Campbell Stadium." Before the teams faced off, FSU was 0-3, and Cal fans said, 'Cal is bringing PARTICIPATION TROPHIES for each of you to boost your self-esteem!'
Cal ultimately fell to FSU 14-6, making it the Seminoles' only win heading into Week 6 of the season.
Despite the loss, one fan went even further, saying that Berkeley has embodied the "true spirit of socialism," giving Flordia State a much-needed win.
College GameDay at Memorial Glade
On Saturday, fans packed Memorial Glade, cheering and demonstrating what the Calgorithm is about.
Fans have been packing the heart of campus since midnight, many with hand-made signs embracing the "woke agenda."
One fan's sign showed an image of BART, Caltrans, and the Golden Bears, captioned "the three most electric things in the Bay Area." BART's official X account tweeted out the sign.
Goodman took to X following the early morning broadcast and said it "was a religious experience."
"Just got home. Palms are sweaty. Knees weak, arms are heavy. And this is not a reference," Goodman said on X. "Feeling a lot of things from the past twelve hours. Frustration and Fear that blossomed into Gratitude, Pride, and perhaps a tinge of anxiety now that the stage is set."
Separately, during the College GameDay broadcast, Cal sophomore Daniel Villasenor nailed a 33-yard field goal in front of thousands of fans to win $100,000. Villasenor, studying civil engineering, attempted two field goals during the field goal challenge segment.
The Golden Bears come into Saturday night's matchup with a 3-1 record, including wins over UC Davis, Auburn, and San Diego State. Their lone loss came in their last game against Florida State, 14-9.
Miami is rolling into Berkeley at 5-0, having throttled Florida, Florida A&M, Ball State and South Florida to open the season before escaping with a 38-34 win over Virginia Tech last week.
The Cal-Miami kickoff was at 7:30 p.m. ESPN was televising the game.
"Without the enthusiasm from the Calgorithm, it's hard to gauge how appealing Berkeley would have been for the show. What's clear is there is a correlation between what's happening online and real-world benefits," wrote ESPN.
Stephanie Guzman and Brenden Weber helped contribute to this report.
