The Lakers are considered the best fanbase in LA; should they be?
By Jason Reed
FanSided recently released their annual Fandom250 list, listing the top 250 fan bases in sports and entertainment. The pride and joy for Los Angeles? The Lakers.
In 2016 FanSided launched the Fandom250 – the ultimate place to rank and review the best fanbases in the world. From sports, to entertainment, to celebrities, to brands, FanSided creates a thorough list of the most dedicated fans in the world. Of the 250 fan bases listed, the Los Angeles Lakers were the highest LA team with the 18th best fan base.
Must Read: The complete Fandom250 list
The Ohio State Buckeyes were given the honor of the best fanbase in the world. Game of Thrones, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Star Wars and Conor McGregor rounded out the rest of the top five. The Los Angeles Lakers were the only Los Angeles team to crack the top 50.
The full results of the Los Angeles based sports teams are as followed:
- Los Angeles Lakers — 18th (2nd in NBA)
- Los Angeles Dodgers — 51st (4th in MLB)
- USC Trojans — 107th (9th in College)
- UCLA Bruins — 231st (22nd in College)
Ouch, only four? I definitely understand the teams that were included in the list, but why no Los Angeles Rams? All of Southern California was jumping with glee when the Rams returned home from St. Louis. I think that should be enough to crack the top 250.
As for where teams are located, I think they did a pretty decent job. The Dodgers should be higher, the Lakers maybe not as high. The biggest gripe is the UCLA Bruins at 231.
Can somebody please explain how La Croix (ranked 204), which is SPARKLING WATER, has a bigger fan base than the UCLA Bruins; the team with the greatest college basketball coach of all-time and the likely number one selection of the 2018 NFL Draft? I’m okay with the Avengers, I’m okay with yoga, but LA CROIX? C’mon now.
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However, if I was in charge of this list I would have not only put the Dodgers higher up on the MLB list, I would have put them ahead of the Lakers. Yes, Los Angeles has this undeniable image of fair weather fans. However, Dodger fans have been the one constant in an otherwise sporadic city of sports.
The Dodgers towered above the rest of the MLB in attendance last season and have been first every single season since 2013. Sure, it does help that Dodger Stadium has the highest capacity among MLB stadium. However, it is undeniable that the fans show up.
The entire city was blue for the World Series after all. While Los Angeles has historically been the Lakers city, with Kobe Bryant now gone, that honor goes to the Dodgers.
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I still cannot get over La Croix being higher ranked than the UCLA Bruins, Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Kings — the Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim I can understand.