Thats a small price to pay when you decide that the most successful franchise in NBA is going to be your favorite team. The most successful teams are always going to be the most hated teams for 2 reasons: A) Because they are experiencing the success that every fan of every other team wishes their team was having. and B) They are always the teams that have the most bandwagon fans onboard.
How right you are! I am normally a person that likes the underdog teams which is what made the Cardinals so easy for me to adopt when I moved to AZ. To be honest, the Lakers are a team I would probably hate if I wasn't born where I was. Growing up, everyone was a Laker fan it was just the way it was. If I was from anywhere else, I would likely hate them the same way I hate the Yankees, Detroit Redwings, etc. I actually saw a positive to the few years that the Lakers were rebuilding because it was interesting to see how many people were still "fans" during that period.
As long as Lakers fans are vocal and support the Lakers at times when they are struggling and not contenders then I am fine. However, those that only vocalize their love for the Lakers when the Lakers are contending for the title drive me insane.
I couldn't agree with you more. I'm this way on the Cardinals too, even though I try to welcome new fans, I always have to ask "will you still be here if we tank again?" It happens with every team, but it's amplified with the Lakers because there are just SO DAMN MANY bandwagon fans.
Also I am one who is of the belief that Sports is a state pride thing (not that I am right or wrong in my belief). Therefore, it has always really bothered me when you have an Arizona boy be a Lakers fan, or a Yankees/Red Sox fan, or Steelers fan, or Patriots fans. Fans that blindly follow success drive me crazy as well as those who only follow their team when they experience success.
This is an argument that's always interested me. First of all, let me start by saying I see your point 100% because I hate Cowboy fans that live in AZ. That makes me a hypocrite, I know that, I just can't help it. Your philosophy sounds good and all, but it's hard to just abandon your team because of where you live. If I suddenly found myself moving to say Seattle because of my job I don't think I could just abandon the Cardinals and start following the hated Seahawks. Do you think you could do that? If you suddenly found yourself living in the state of another team, could you adopt that team? Again, not being confrontational, I'm genuinely curious. Usually when I try to discuss this topic with people that believe this way, they just reply with insults, I'm interested to hear the other side. I love living in AZ, I have no desire to move back to CA, I just can't bring myself to abandon the team I have loved for so long and embrace a team I hate because I live in the city they play in.
My point is that no Lakers fan who wasn't passionately supporting and fighting for the Lakers a few years ago when the Suns were better and knocking them out of the playoffs every year shouldn't be talking now.
And you are 100% correct! But even those of us that did stick with our team in the bad times should have enough class not to rub it in. I personally remember how bad/angry I felt when the Lakers blew a 3-1 lead and lost to the Suns. The Suns deserved that win, they were the better team, but the last thing I wanted to hear was someone taunting me over it. That's just a low class move, and what goes around comes around, so it's a good practice to avoid for fans of any team.
just playin.
