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Los Angeles Lakers: It’s time for some fan self-reflection

By Jason Reed

21 Jun 2000: A view of fans as they hold up a Shaquille O''Neal sign in front of the Staples Center during the Laker's Victory Parade in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: It is expressly understood that the only rights Allsport are offering to license in this Photograph are one-time, non-exclusive editorial rights. No advertising or commercial uses of any kind may be made of Allsport photos. User acknowledges that it is aware that Allsport is an editorial sports agency and that NO RELEASES OF ANY TYPE ARE OBTAINED from the subjects contained in the photographs.Mandatory Credit: Ezra O. Shaw /Allsport
21 Jun 2000: A view of fans as they hold up a Shaquille O''Neal sign in front of the Staples Center during the Laker's Victory Parade in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: It is expressly understood that the only rights Allsport are offering to license in this Photograph are one-time, non-exclusive editorial rights. No advertising or commercial uses of any kind may be made of Allsport photos. User acknowledges that it is aware that Allsport is an editorial sports agency and that NO RELEASES OF ANY TYPE ARE OBTAINED from the subjects contained in the photographs.Mandatory Credit: Ezra O. Shaw /Allsport /
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The Los Angeles Lakers are known for having one of the biggest fanbases in all of sports, which has led to some not-so-favorable opinions about the fans.

The Los Angeles Lakers are the biggest fanbase in the NBA for multiple reasons. First, the team plays in a massive market that captured the hearts of all of Southern California.

We are sorry to our Clippers’ faithful (as we also cover them after all), but there is no denying that the Lakers are the most popular team in Southern California. If you go out and ask 10 people on the street who their favorite basketball team is, I guarantee that at least seven are Laker fans.

The only other LA team that has that kind of fanbase is the Los Angeles Dodgers, who came to LA in 1958 and thus captured the hearts of Southern California baseball fans.

Football is really a mixed back with the Oakland Raiders ironically being the most popular team. However, outside markets like the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers still have massive fanbases in the state.

The other reason for the Lakers’ massive fanbase, especially for those outside of LA, is how much success the team has had. The Lakers rank second in total championships with 16 and have the most history of any team in the league.

Sure, the Boston Celtics have more at 18, but 11 of those came lumped together with Bill Russell. The Lakers have had different eras that have all been great; the Jerry West era, the Showtime Lakers, Kobe and Shaq, Kobe and Pau Gasol.

With that big fanbase, though, has come with some criticism. Insight pest ran a pretty cool survey about the fanbases that bug other fans the most (get it, bug). With over 13,500 responses, they managed to get a pretty hefty sample size.

Of any team in the NBA, Laker fans were named the fans that bug other fans the most, coming in at 33.79 percent. Second was the Golden State Warriors at 23.81 percent and third was the Boston Celtics at 12.16 percent.

It isn’t just a basketball thing, though, as Laker fans were also picked quite frequently when the survey combined all sports. When they combined all sports, the Los Angeles Lakers were the second-ranked team, trailing just the New England Patriots.

It doesn’t even stop there! They also asked if people were annoyed by their own fanbase. The Lakers were the highest team in the NBA that were annoyed by their own fanbase and fourth overall, meaning a decent chunk of Laker fans are annoyed by their fellow fans.

With all that being said, I think it is time for a self-reflection. What makes Laker fans so annoying to other fanbases?

Quite honestly, it is probably the success. If you look at every other team that leads their respective sports, it is always one of the most successful teams. The Patriots, the New York Yankees, Alabama Football, Duke Basketball. Those are all teams that have success as part of their culture, like the Lakers.

With success, though, can come some extra smack talk. We are all prone to it and we all get annoyed by it, which is the hilarious part.

This is the perfect example. Let’s assume you are a Laker and a Dodger fan (which is really common, so I know that there definitely is someone reading this right now that fits that billing).

You probably get very annoyed when any Yankee fan brings up 27 rings. Everyone gets annoyed by that. However, you probably have also thrown the 16 rings argument out at least once, and if you haven’t, you definitely aren’t bothered by it when another Laker fan says it.

As much as fans want to pretend to be different, at their core, they are all the same, especially fans of these successful teams.

So if you are a fan of the Los Angeles Lakers, there are two options. One, just take it on the chin when Yankee fans or Patriot fans bring up their championships compared to your other teams’. Or two, you have to stop using the success argument yourself, because then, it is hypocritical.

dark. Next. Ranking each Laker role player by importance

Or just continue doing what you are doing! We have no right to tell anyone how to be a fan and that is the beauty of being a sports fan. Sixteen rings, baby!

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