Why Laker fans do NOT rock my world
by Yucca Man on Feb 26, 2010 12:42 AM MST
30 comments
I wanted to do a positive post next. A post about something that DOES rock my world. The problem is I’m not feeling it right now. Even though the Jazz are still winning—even though I’m still enjoying the season like I never thought possible, the right guys aren’t really doing it right now. I need Deron, Millsap, Matthews, and Sloan to snap out of their little funks and get back to doing what I love seeing them do.
via rlv.zcache.com
So, instead, let’s look at Laker fans and why they stink.
But first, a disclaimer. I’m not talking about the regular fans. I’m not talking about the guys who just love their team and cheer them on. I’m not talking about the guys who got drawn into Magic and Showtime and still loyally shout GO LAKERS!
Here’s what I’m talking about: I recently read an article about Tim Duncan and the Spurs. It was about Duncan’s legacy, the aging team, how Richard Jefferson hasn’t worked out as well as hoped, etc., etc., etc. Against my better judgement, I went down and glanced at the comments to the article. Again and again, I saw comments like this:
- "KOBE!"
- "How many rings is Duncan going to get in this decade? 0 Kobe? 10. Lakers rule!"
- "Who cares about the Spurs? Lakers!!!!"
Those fans, posting those comments, are the ones I hate. And here’s what’s wrong with them:
1. They imply the only team worth cheering for is the one that wins a championship that year. All other teams are worthless. Fans cheering for those worthless teams are either stupid or just losers.
2. The comments were posted on an article about DUNCAN AND THE SPURS! It’s as if a teacher was taking pictures of the kids in the classroom to post on a classroom blog, and right as a couple poor kids were getting their picture taken a gaggle or rich snobs poke their heads in because they can’t stand any picture to not include themselves.
Seriously, I’m already subjected to 80 billion articles about the Lakers, Kobe, LeBron, the Summer of 2010 free agency, and the frakkin’ Knicks. Why can’t I enjoy reading about one of the greatest, classiest, winningest, and brilliant basketball players and teams without having more Kobe crap glopped on?
3. And above all, its the superiority complex. Just because they happen to cheer for a team at a championship-level peak right now, they (the frakkin’ FANS) are somehow superior to the rest of us.
Well do you know what? They don’t know the first thing about what being a fan is. And I’m also comforted knowing that they won’t know what sports-fan-joy is, even if their precious Lakers do with the next 10 titles. And maybe that’s why the Staples Center is so dead. You can’t really enjoy a team you believe the universe owes you.
So what does it mean to be a real fan? Here’s a few anecdotes.
- 70-year-old Cubs fans who wax nostalgic about watching Ernie Banks play on all those crappy Cubs teams.
- Red Sox fans who cheered like mad when Yaz won the Triple Crown in ‘67, leading them to the World Series — and then cheered even louder during his final seasons, when it was clear he was never going to be able to bring a championship to Boston.
- Edmonton Oiler fans who wept when the team shipped Wayne Gretzky to the Los Angelos Kings just days after winning their 4th championship in 5 years.
- Minnesota Vikings fans who come back year after year after year, no matter how awful the previous season ended.
- Utah Utes fans who still get misty-eyed thinking about Rick Majerus and the ‘98 runner-ups.
- Portland Trailblazers fans who go onto Clyde Drexler YouTube videos and post how much them miss the guy who never got their team a championship.
- Pittsburgh Penguin fans who most fondly remember — not the back-to-back champs of ‘91 and ‘92, not the Sid Crosby team last year — but watching Mario Lemieux lead the league in points despite missing a chunk of the season for freaking cancer treatment.
- And, of course, there’s us: Jazz fans. We still look back longingly to the days of Stockton and Malone. We still remember what that ‘97 championship series felt like—just to have the team there. Remember the ads on KSL? Gordon B. Hinckley and Craig Bolerjack with those huge grins, just because our team made it to the championship series? And even now we go crazy, shouting with the tops of our keyboards that Andrei Kirilenko will save us all, or NINJA!! even though we all know the team’s probably not going to win it all this year.
-
There’s so much more to being a fan than cheering for the team that wins. There’s the losses. The heartbreak. But a lot of good stuff too.
And when it’s all over, there’s a lot to remember and love, whether your team wins it all or not. No matter what happens in the future, I’ll always remember:
- the battles between Jerry Sloan and Greg Ostertag
- Stockton’s shot against Houston
- The Jazz sweeping Shaq and the Lakers in ‘98
- The Mailman massacring Isaiah with his elbow
- Deron going crazy after the All-Star break in ‘07 and ‘08 because he didn’t get put on the All-Star team
- Stockton’s elbows-out nasty picks
- Hornacek’s crazy running floaters when he jumped off the wrong leg (because, of course, the correct leg’s knee wouldn’t work)
- Benoit for 3
- Stockton’s miracle win against the Kings in ‘00.
- The Derek Fisher Game
- AK-47 making the All-Star game while Carmelo Anthony stayed home in ‘04
- Stockton missing the potential game-winner as the clock ran out in game 6 of the ‘98 finals
- The Mailman’s missed free throws in ‘97
- Watching sadly as the Rockets swept Orlando in the ‘95 playoffs, knowing that the Jazz would have also probably beaten the Suns, the Spurs, and the Magic had things worked out different in that stupid first round series.
And a hundred other memories I’ll never regret.
Would it be nice if the Jazz could have won it all sometime in the past 20 years? Of course. I would have gone crazy. Will I explode with joy if they can ever put it together and win it all in my lifetime? Are you kidding—I was so excited and wired after the Jazz beat the Blazers last Sunday that I had to go on a walk outside and then couldn’t fall asleep ‘till almost 2:00 a.m. I can’t imagine how I’d react to a championship.
But whether they do or not, it has been—and always will be—worth being a Jazz fan.
And that’s something those poor Laker fans could never understand.
All comments are the opinion of the commenter and not necessarily that of SLC Dunk or SB Nation.
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great writing
it’s the same in my home country as well, it’s all about the Lakers. But, as I’m probably one of the 30 Jazz fans of the land, I also cherish the same memories you guys do… GO JAZZ
right on yucca man
another great piece in a great series.
i didn’t get to see this on tv or in person but read about it, and i get chills thinking about thousands of people gathering in the middle of the night at the airport to welcome the jazz home when they arrived back in slc in 97 from houston, and several jazzmen even shedding tears. wish i could have been there for that.
also, if you think that spurs article had a lot of kobe comments, try checking out (or don’t) the comment section on any lbj article. lakers fans take it as a personal insult when an article about lbj is published (even if it’s about, say, his family) and kobe is not mentioned. same goes for cavs fans, but they’re not as bad (it’s all relative).
the only fans that sneer about other teams’ lack of championships are bandwagon fans insecure about some aspect of their own lives. the ones that understand what a championship truly means to a franchise—the teamwork and sweat and competition that goes into it—don’t need to talk trash.
There's a difference between Cavs fans and the kind of Laker fans I'm talking about
And it’s that the Cavs fans are often fans of the other Cleveland teams—which means they’ve been dealing with more sports-heartbreak than any other fans in the U.S. They’ve had the Jose Mesa meltdown when they could taste the World Series title. They’ve had The Fumble and watched in horror as John Elway led The Drive. They had their football team leave, got a crappier version with the same name, and then watched their former team win the Super Bowl within 5 years.
And now they’re living in perpetual fear that LeBron is going to bolt—and they have to read all these articles about how LeBron’s NEEDS to go to New York or LA to really cement his iconic status.
So while there are some self-centered LBJ fan-yutzes who think they have to but LeBron’s name everywhere, most of them aren’t. They know enough heartbreak to realize that a championship isn’t something you can count on—it’s something you hope for and treasure. And they also appreciate what it’s like to love a team that doesn’t win it all.
I got the crap beat out of me in Provo one time
I'm not going to cry... not...going..to .....cry
Good stuff. I too loathe those Laker fans, you know, the ones that show up at ESA two times a season.
TRUE FAN
Just wanted to share this (mainly because I know y’all will appreciate it). My great grandfather at the age of 92 was honored during the 97 playoffs as the fan of the year. He was listening to the game on an earphone during Sunday service. Of course when Stockton hit the game winner over Houston, he was unable to control himself and disrupted the service. In turn he was nominated by the congregation. My point is my great grandfather, who will be 105 yrs old this year still yells at you to get out of the way of the TV when the game is on. Is a testament to what being a true JAZZ FAN is.
KWITYERBITCHN
THAT'S AWESOME!
You need to take a laptop over one day and post for him/on his behalf in a game thread.
Possibly the southernmost Jazz fan in the world!
Twitter: @Texas
Magical piece, bravo!
My favoriteah hah moment part is the universe owing it to them…ahhh the joys of living in this state never cease, i have met so many people who are about that it’s ridiculous. That part both cracked me up, and explained the whole phenomena.
Thank you Yucca, the universe has made it all clear
by UtonganKidInCali on Feb 26, 2010 9:21 AM MST reply actions
Great Post!
Very well written, and hit the point very well.
Living in Utah since elementary school, I can say that I’ve never really been a fan of a team like I have been of the Jazz. I’ve had favorite players, but no real loyalty to any professional sports team like I have the Jazz.
Basketball doesn't build character. It reveals it.
Unknown
Oh golly miss molly!
Do I ever feel old now! :)
Good write up, thanks for the memories. ( some other famous guy said that first, used to give us Hope).
SLC Dunk #1 Jazz Site in the world!
I've only ever met one other native Tasmanian 'Jazz fan'
And you know what? He’s a Laker fan now. Gets around in Kobe jerseys. Makes the typical inaccurate bigoted remarks about Jazz fans. He claims to have switched (and I quote) “When Karl got kicked off the team and went to a real team.”
Yeah, right. A**hole.
I dunno about the rest of you, but I don’t want anyone like that supporting OUR Jazz. They can go and support the flavour of the month teams, we don’t want them.
Possibly the southernmost Jazz fan in the world!
Twitter: @Texas
They're even worse in LA
Great writeup. I lived in LA in the early 90’s and endured several years of looks that said, “I can’t believe that you aren’t a Lakers fan. Do I need to call the asylum?” My roommates would physically leave the room when the Jazz were on national TV (and they weren’t playing the Lakers). They were allowed to bellow loudly, but I was vilified when the Jazz made a praiseworthy play. It was sickening.
So basically, you hate dumb fans.
Me too.
"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson
The Lakers dumb fans are the reason I hate the Lakers
and there are so many of them. I joined SLC Dunk to rec this. I’m not saying they don’t have respectful fans but they have so many “keyboard warriors” who just post everywhere.
Steve Nash plays D!!
Twitter: @PhxSuns86
They’re not even Laker fans, they’re Kobe fans.
by Basketball John on Mar 1, 2010 1:10 PM MST up reply actions
The Jazz dumb fans are the reason I hate the Jazz
And the Suns dumb fans are the reason I hate the Suns.
But only the dumb ones, not the good fans.
The dumb fans make me hate their team, not the good ones.
"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson
You think you are being clever when you say that..
But there is a reason that the Lakers are the most hated team in the league and contrary to what most Laker fans believe it ain’t jealousy.
The ratio of dumb Laker fans to good Laker fans is overwhelming.
Hoo boy
I know a teamist when I say it, and you are a teamist.
Never judge a fan by the color of his or her team.
"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson
Huh?
A “teamist” would seem to imply that I think that my team is superior to others (which I in no way implied). Sounds like it better describes the classic, rampant dumb Laker fans that everyone so hates.
Never judge a fan by the color of his or her team.
Okay – not even sure what you are trying to say there. I didn’t say that all Laker fans are dumb just that the dumb ones are overwhelmingly larger in numbers than the good ones.
Make that a "fanist" then
You imply that your fan base is superior to others, specifically the Lakers fanbase.
I didn’t say that all Laker fans are dumb just that the dumb ones are overwhelmingly larger in numbers than the good ones.
Follow the logic here, and replace “Laker fans” with an ethnicity, and you’ll see what I’m getting at.
Of course, this IS NOT as serious as racism, it’s just sports. But the same principles of stereotyping are at work. Just as long as you’re aware of it. With the NBA, it’s only entertainment, fun and games, literally.
"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson
Look
I’m not saying that I prejudge fans because of their team. But I know and have conversed with more than my fair share of Laker fans so I feel like I have an accurate assessment.
Do I know every Laker fan? No.
So maybe I’m being a little presumptuous.
I was only trying to demonstrate to you the source of hatred towards the Lakers. Every team has dumb fans but no team is as hated as the Lakers are. I know that you don’t accept my explanation and I don’t accept the “jealousy” explanation that I’ve heard from countless Laker fans. I guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree here. No need to start the childish game of name-calling.
There may well be more dumb fans in the Lakers fanbase
But your hate should be targeted at dumb fans. You hate dumb fans. Not Lakers fans.
"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson
Call me crazy
but I’d call it learning from past experience.
If I have several bad experiences with a particular chain restaurant and only a couple good ones then I’d probably say that I hate the chain. Now you may say that I should simply hate the particular employees that I interacted with or who prepared my food, etc. but in the end I’ll likely choose some other restaurant the next time I go out to eat. At other places I may forgive the occasional bad experience and not hate them for it.
In short… I hate the Lakers. Waay too many bad experiences.
We're talking about groups of people here, not objects or restaurants.
To go back to my example:
If you’ve had bad experiences with say, ______ people, you probably wouldn’t say you hate ________ people.
Or maybe you would. At least you’d be consistent.
Anyway, we’ve beaten this to death. Feel free to reply, but I think I’ve made my point. If you would like to use “most of my experiences have been bad with ______ people, so I hate them”, I can’t stop you.
It’s a subtle thing we’re arguing. Yes, you can use your past experience to inform yourself. But realize that you may wrong in applying it across a whole group.
Also, it’s just sports, so I know I’m getting too serious. Who gives a crap? I do, obviously, but I know when to stop.
I will continue to root for the Lakers. Peace.
"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson
The reason why
the restaurants example works is because it represents a group of people the same way a fan base does. And the group of people running the restaurant are there by choice unlike a race of people (which you want to compare it to).
If I hate a restaurant chain then I’m not going to choose to work there and become part of that group. You chose to be a Laker fan and the Lakers are the most hated team in the league. If you don’t want to be part of that group that is so hated then you don’t have to be a part of it. In becoming part of the group you take on at least a part of the image that the vast majority of that fan base represents. If you don’t like that then maybe you ought to reconsider what group you want to associate yourself with.
The fact is that many groups of people are misrepresented and a small minority of that group often represents the entire group. Perhaps you feel that I am misguided in my hatred but I feel that I have had enough experiences to have a pretty good handle on what most Lakers fans are. And if I were to walk into a sports bar and see an empty seat next to a guy in a Lakers jersey and another empty seat next to a guy in any other team’s jersey I’ll likely chose the latter. Have I prejudged the guy in the Lakers jersey? No – for all I know he is a great guy but I’d rather not risk ruining my evening because I know that chances are he isn’t a great guy.
Maybe you think the word “hate” is too harsh but I think it just emphasizes how bad the experiences are that I’ve had.. It is not just a discomfort or a dislike – it is definitely a hatred.
Oh, those ‘97-’98 years. About the only time in my life I’ve spent time with other Jazz fans (those being the summers I spent at Wall Drug—the summer crew always had a small crowd of Utah State students.) Of course, they were mostly girls, and would mostly talk about Stockton’s or Hornacek’s shorts. But hey, whatever works. Those were fun playoff runs to watch.
At least, until the end. Friggin’ Bulls.
(On a side note, I fit into two of the fan categories, and only miss out on a third because of age. But I do remember the glory years of Sandberg and Dawson, so that’s something. And yeah…Lemieux was amazing. I swear, he saved that franchise three or four different times.)
Before each game, please remember to feed the bats.
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