There are two types of irritating sports fans: fake and bandwagon. Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics fans create the perfect storm of the phony and the spoiled. And because of that it’s becoming increasingly difficult for me to watch the NBA finals without vomiting. They are the bane of my existence.
First off let me say I don’t care about the NBA, in fact I genuinely dislike it. I think it’s a selfish game where the refs reward the superstars, there is no such thing as a travel or carry, and no one plays defense until the fourth quarter. Personally, I feel when a coach is considered one of the greatest of all-time solely for his ability to handle large egos it means the game focused on the individual, not the team.
When the TNT cameras scan the Lakers crowds it’s blatantly simple to tell that the majority of the Lakers fans probably can’t name their starting five. Most actors and actresses have been displaced from a variety of cities across the country, but once they buy their mansion in Hollywood Hills they become “diehard” Lakers fans. Why? It’s not exactly a mystery. The seating chart at Lakers games is an unofficial who’s who in Hollywood. Jack sits courtside, and has done so for decades. In fact he is probably the source of the fame fuckers sitting around the arena. If you’re sitting 10-15 rows from the court you obviously don’t have a summer blockbuster coming out this summer, you might as well watch from home.
These actors and celebrities go to these games simple to be seen, and it takes tickets away from real fans, who unfortunately could never afford them. Instead we have the cast of Grown Ups sitting courtside high-fiving each other (Kevin James and Chris Rock are “supposedly” Knicks fans), and Jason Bateman and Dustin Hoffman making out on the “Kiss Cam.” Their fans show up in the second quarter and leave before the end of the game, it makes me cringe.
Boston on the other fan is home to the greatest collection of bandwagon fans outside the Bronx. Four years ago the Celtics were the worst team in basketball, keeping healthy stars on the bench in an effort to lose games and gain the No. 1 draft pick. After losing the draft lottery the Celtics’ GM Danny Ainge sold his soul and traded his entire team except Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo. Once Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen came into town, their fans materialized out of thin air, with their outrageous arrogance in tow. All the sudden the cast of The Departed is at the games dropping their ‘r’s and wearing their brand new retro Larry Bird jerseys with the tags still attached.
However at the end of the day it’s still Boston vs. LA, which makes the media drool and the TV ratings soar. It doesn’t matter whose fans are loyal, have backbone, or even care.
