Danny ChaiI’m writing this solely because SKang talked about how quiet Laker haters are being. It won’t make me many friends, and likely many enemies, but whatever.
I’m a hater. I hate Kobe Bryant. I hate Derek Fisher. And I hate certain Laker fans.
Complaining about Laker fans is much like complaining about L.A. – tired and cliched. It’s always the same thing (“L.A. has smog and bad traffic? Oh really?”) so it’s boring and tedious. Naturally, I complain about both frequently. Because, like I said, I’m a hater.
First off, let me say this isn’t about you, hardcore, true-blue Laker fan. Whenever I make valid observations about a segment (I emphasize – a segment) of Laker fans that annoy me, true-blue fans get all up in arms and assert how hardcore they are. “I camp out 2 days in advance of every game I go to. My left butt cheek has a tattoo of Nick the Quick and my right one of Elden Campbell. I never cheer for free tacos; when we get it I sell my coupon and use the proceeds to buy organic food to feed orphaned baby ducks.”
I respect you, all right? But what you’re saying is irrelevant. That you personally are hardcore doesn’t change that there are other annoying fans out there. Chill out, I’m not talking about you.
In fact, the outragists kind of validate my point – the things that annoy me annoy you too, so much so that you go out of your way to say you’re not like that. Like bandwagon fans. All true sports fans hate that. Adrian wrote about how, for athletes, adversity builds character. The same applies for sports fans. There’s no honor in joining in the glory if you haven’t participated in the agony. It’s fun, but there’s no character there. That’s why I hate it. And the Lakers seem to pick up a lot of bandwagon fans (possibly the same “fans” who jumped on the Angels’ bandwagon in 2002). Nothing personal, Lakers, but that annoys me. It’s not your fault that that happens, but it does. For the record, the Warriors bandwagon fans in 2007 annoyed me as well. The Warriors have among the most hardcore fans in the NBA (they always have amazing attendance figures, despite always sucking. This season, they were 9th in leaguee attendance, just barely below the Lakers). After beating Dallas, all these rich bandwagoners who didn’t know how to cheer started going to the games. Annoying.
The fact that so many attendees of Laker games at Staples arrive late and/or leave early more than at other venues (an observed fact) also annoys me. You can apologize for them all you want. I just find it annoying.
That Laker fans occasionally riot after championships is also pretty bush and indefensible.
There’s one other thing about a minority of Laker fans that annoys me. I couldn’t quite put a finger on what it was until recently. And that is, they’re both arrogant and sensitive. Just being one or the other would be one thing. Being both is annoying. They trash talk, and that’s all good. It’s part of the fun of sports. But if someone expresses hate, they get all sensitive about it, going Harrison Ford in in Clear And Present Danger: “How dare you, sir!”
I don’t get the combo. Most fans of consistently good teams are just arrogant. Like Yankees fans (and increasingly, Red Sox fans). Incredibly arrogant. But they’re not sensitive. If anything, they welcome the hate. That’s how arrogant they are. I remember talking to Dong some years ago after the Yankees lost a playoff series and asking if he was crushed, and he responded that he didn’t quite feel it; even after the last out, he still thought they could pull it out. He was arrogant about their chances *after* they’d already lost! That’s pure arrogance. I loved it.
On the flip side, in my experience, Rockets fans are super sensitive. The continually play the most tired card in sports of not getting enough respect. Even the most enduring team theme – Clutch City – was a response to a paper headline that called Houston “Choke City.” Super sensitive. But there’s no arrogance there. I think it’s just insecurity. They’re always afraid their team is going to let them down again. Even with the championships, there’s this nagging thought that they only won them because Jordan was gone for a couple years. It’s insecurity, not arrogance.
So yeah, why certain Laker fans are both arrogant and sensitive about their team is just bizarre to me. Chill out a little. Act like you’ve been there. Don’t be surprised by hate. All successful teams bring out haters (like me) who, in the end, are simply jealous. No need to get all incensed about it. Learn a lesson from Jindo dogs.
I respect the vast majority of my Laker fan friends. Most have been following them for a while, and are just passionate about their team. I really admired how Dae Woo regularly got up at 4 AM in Korea to catch Laker games. That’s pure. But yeah, it’s not your fault, but your team picks up a fair share of annoying fans. They annoy me.