My Facebook profile picture, shown above, has gotten a lot of attention as the Lakers begin their playoff run. In response to all the Laker fans commenting on the accompanying status update, here is what my main man Ali G had to say:
V, the funny thing is, I lived in L.A. during the Suns murdering the Lakers years and these "diehards" were nowhere to be found.
The true diehard Louisiana sports fan hit the nail on the head, and I responded with this rant that turned out so good, I had to post it:
So glad you said that as I could not agree with you more. I am not so much a Laker Hater as I am in disgust with their fans. I understand winning breeds the bandwagon, but I cannot stand how all these people who know nothing about basketball, never watch full games, or even follow the Lakers during the season are suddenly talking trash, displaying flags, and cheering on the local team only when they happen to be the best in the league.
A large number of supposed fans still do not even know who Tex Winter or Shannon Brown is. And the next girl who exclaims "I love Ariza!" and cannot even tell me his first name deserves to be Rihanna-ed by Chris Brown.
I am not saying that knowing about certain people is the absolute qualifier to determine if you are a fan or not. In fact, we all love the nature of sports and how a team's success can bring groups of people and an entire city together. I encourage everyone to enjoy this quality that is the brilliance of sports, but please stop pretending like you have been there for it all. It is an insult to those who truly have.
Ali G, you are absolutely right. When the Lakers are mediocre, these "die-hards" are nowhere to be found. But that is the nature of Los Angeles. As great as this place is, we are just a sorry sports town. Like I admire and respect you sticking with your Saints and Hornets despite 3-13 and 58...oops, sorry.
V, the funny thing is, I lived in L.A. during the Suns murdering the Lakers years and these "diehards" were nowhere to be found.
The true diehard Louisiana sports fan hit the nail on the head, and I responded with this rant that turned out so good, I had to post it:
So glad you said that as I could not agree with you more. I am not so much a Laker Hater as I am in disgust with their fans. I understand winning breeds the bandwagon, but I cannot stand how all these people who know nothing about basketball, never watch full games, or even follow the Lakers during the season are suddenly talking trash, displaying flags, and cheering on the local team only when they happen to be the best in the league.
A large number of supposed fans still do not even know who Tex Winter or Shannon Brown is. And the next girl who exclaims "I love Ariza!" and cannot even tell me his first name deserves to be Rihanna-ed by Chris Brown.
I am not saying that knowing about certain people is the absolute qualifier to determine if you are a fan or not. In fact, we all love the nature of sports and how a team's success can bring groups of people and an entire city together. I encourage everyone to enjoy this quality that is the brilliance of sports, but please stop pretending like you have been there for it all. It is an insult to those who truly have.
Ali G, you are absolutely right. When the Lakers are mediocre, these "die-hards" are nowhere to be found. But that is the nature of Los Angeles. As great as this place is, we are just a sorry sports town. Like I admire and respect you sticking with your Saints and Hornets despite 3-13 and 58...oops, sorry.
