Jerry West Says Lakers Fans Are Crap

[FireDavidKahn]

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basketball/25348697/jerry-west-says-warriors-fans-are-much-better-than-lakers-fans



Golden State Warriors executive and former Lakers legend Jerry West is doing the rounds as part of a promotional tour for MyAFibRisk.com to raise awareness for stroke prevention. He stopped by The Jim Rome Show earlier this week. In the interview he touched on the experience of winning the title with the Warriors, glanced over the "luck" question about the Clippers, mostly by praising how good the Clippers along with the rest of the West and talked about the Lamar Odom situation.

Rome asked West whether Warriors fans were the same, different, or "frankly better" than the notoriously huge Lakers fan base, and West did not hesitate in the slightest to confirm that the Roaracle blows Staples away.

"Oh, much better than LA fans, OK? They don't ever leave the game," West said. "Once we moved into Staples Center, our fan base changed, I thought. It's a completely different kind of fan than Los Angeles. Los Angeles has a lot of corporate fans there, whole different people sat in different seats. You can go up to Oracle right now and you'll see the same fans in the same seats every night. The fans in Los Angeles are great, but I've never seen fans like this here."

The Lakers' fan base is massive, but that's also been built on the backs of championship contention for much of the past 40-plus years. The Warriors could be building a dynasty in a huge market, and they will unquestionably become one of the most popular teams not only in California, but across the country with their style of play and likable stars.

Staples Center is well known for being exceptionally empty early in games, something always chalked up to traffic issues. It's a celebrity hotspot, and as such the prices for tickets are always crazy. During the Conference Finals last year, I spoke with several lower-bowl season-ticket holders whose tickets had been in the family since the 70s. There are great Lakers fans, as you would expect with a team with that much success, and a lot of bandwagoners, again, as you would expect.

It'll be interesting to see how the atmosphere and fans at Warriors games changes when the team makes a similar move to San Francisco. You can see many long-term fans getting priced out or unable to make the trek across the Bay every night. For now, however, it's pretty clear that the Warriors enjoy the best fan experience in the league.

[Legends66NBA7]

This happens with every team, including the Warriors.

[catch24]

"The fans in Los Angeles are great, but I've never seen fans like this here."

Right in the link you posted. :oldlol: And I would agree, GS has some of the greatest fans in sports.

[DoctorP]

**** your clickbait.

I did like the article, though.

[ClipperRevival]

West is right. But I can tell you that LA has more die hard fans than any other team. The Lakers absolutely RULE the LA sports market, no other team in any sport comes close. And another reason why the Staples crowd isn't as loud is because as the article stated, a lot of the people sitting in the lower bowl are celebrity/rich type people who sometimes go there for reasons other than to enjoy the game. But like I said, LA is Laker county and has been for decades. People who don't live here don't get it but the people who have, know what's up. People love the Lakers with a passion around here, not just bandwagon fans.

[imnew09]

Reported for misleading and being a fken dumb a$$ who cant read for sh**

[ClipperRevival]

Also, like Knick fans, LA fans are very knowledgeable about the game. A lot of them have been following the team for decades.

[WayOfWade]

I feel like LA fans in general get a bad rep for all their idiot fans but not enough praise for their good ones. I would say that they have more bad fans than any other fanbase, but there are many good ones in there as well that are good people. On this forum that's pretty hard to find, but in real life it isn't, as a matter of fact I met a good Lakers fan just 45 minutes ago.

[ClipperRevival]

To me, Miami fans are the epitome of bandwagon fans (no disrespect to the die hard ones). Their "Let's Go Heat" chant makes me cringe. And like some LA fans, a lot of the fans in the lower bowl seem to be there just for show. And the way they left early in the finals? :facepalm

Fans of small city teams, who don't have much going on in that region for entertainment, are usually the most dedicated. Like Utah, Portland, OKC, etc.

[L8krH8tr]

its really just a bunch of mexicans/asians who are the real fans.. All the wannabe hollywood cool people just show up with some fake tit chick on their side and check their smart phone the whole time with their head down.

the biggest bandwagon franchise in sports

[qrich]

Corporate seats are crap.

I went to a game with friends, sat in the 100s, and we were on our feet near the end of the half, and "fans" complained that we were being too rowdy. :facepalm.

Laker fans are in the 300s, rest is corporate filler.

[Mr. Jabbar]

Team Hollywood making ppl jelly (op) again. 1st sign our future is fkn BRIGHT!

[Raymone]

Direct quote in your quote:


The fans in Los Angeles are great

[IGOTGAME]

If I ever got really rich I'd buy 100 tickets to every Lakers home game and give them out to real laker fans. People who be there for the game and enjoy it. I hate that the prices are so damn high and the people in those seats usually don't know anything about the game.

[West-Side]

Please people don't confuse us fans with all the celebrities that go to the games. :facepalm

Those people make us look bad.

[West-Side]

To me, Miami fans are the epitome of bandwagon fans (no disrespect to the die hard ones). Their "Let's Go Heat" chant makes me cringe. And like some LA fans, a lot of the fans in the lower bowl seem to be there just for show. And the way they left early in the finals? :facepalm

Fans of small city teams, who don't have much going on in that region for entertainment, are usually the most dedicated. Like Utah, Portland, OKC, etc.

Kings, Warriors, Raptors, Spurs are also great fans, IMO.

[SsKSpurs21]

This happens with every team, including the Warriors.

True. see Early 2000 Sacramento Kings

[SsKSpurs21]

Kings, Warriors, Raptors, Spurs are also great fans, IMO.

Not much else to do in San Antonio. its the 7th largest city in the US but only one major market franchise. All we got are the Spurs...thats why Spurs fans are so die-hard. come playoff time, we dont greet each other with Hi or Hello, we say Go Spurs Go.

[outbreak]

Stupid heading. There's also a difference between fans and people who attend the games. The big cities like L.A and NY have a bunch of people who attend who aren't basketball fans or aren't fans of the team purely because it's a tourism thing to go a ball game there. That's not a fault of the average fan it's a fault of the ticket pricing and popularity of the city/team. It's like all the people I know who go to a yankees game in New york who have never watched baseball but it's just what you have to do as a tourist.

[warriorfan]

This happens with every team, including the Warriors.


"The fans in Los Angeles are great, but I've never seen fans like this here."

Right in the link you posted. :oldlol: And I would agree, GS has some of the greatest fans in sports.


These guys are right. GS like LA has great fans but the people who go to the games are starting to represent people who aren't the real fans. GS crowds are much different already than they were just a few seasons ago. It's a lot more shi shi corporate folks who are there because of a business partner gave them the seats. The atmosphere is definitely different and it isn't as loud as it used to be. When MEM accused GS of pumping sound into the stadium I wasn't really shocked by the idea. They just don't have the same rowdy crowd that they did 10 years ago.

[Rocketswin2013]

LA hade an insane home court advantage during the three-peat. Things definitely changed at some point between 04 - 08. Not the same intensity.

[bdreason]

Lakers have good fans. I've lived in SoCal for a decade now, and most of my friends are Lakers fans. They're a bit spoiled and delusional... but most of them are die hard and know their basketball.

[L8krH8tr]

Lakers have good fans. I've lived in SoCal for a decade now, and most of my friends are Lakers fans. They're a bit spoiled and delusional... but most of them are die hard and know their basketball.

Huntington Beach Brah, let me guess youre a wannabe Asian Bro. Would love to see your group of wannabe UFC tapout bros.

[Levity]

Huntington Beach Brah, let me guess youre a wannabe Asian Bro. Would love to see your group of wannabe UFC tapout bros.

weird post is weird

[oh the horror]

Now ask him about how it was in the great western forum.

[ArbitraryWater]

weird post is weird

:roll:

[brownmamba00]

The Forum in Inglewood used to be the Mecca of Bball

I do agree with Jerry West nowadays it's rich people who like the prestige that comes with having front row Laker seats.

Altho it's the same case with the other big market teams

[Smoke117]

West is right. But I can tell you that LA has more die hard fans than any other team. The Lakers absolutely RULE the LA sports market, no other team in any sport comes close. And another reason why the Staples crowd isn't as loud is because as the article stated, a lot of the people sitting in the lower bowl are celebrity/rich type people who sometimes go there for reasons other than to enjoy the game. But like I said, LA is Laker county and has been for decades. People who don't live here don't get it but the people who have, know what's up. People love the Lakers with a passion around here, not just bandwagon fans.

...yeah, because there is no NFL team.

[ClipperRevival]

...yeah, because there is no NFL team.

Like I said, if you haven't lived in LA for a long time, you don't get it. This is Laker country and has been for decades. Didn't matter when the Rams or Raiders were here, people love the Lakers unlike any other team and it's just been that way. It's a deep, pure love that was built on winning 11 championships since 1972. Whether you were a fan of West/Baylor or Showtime Lakers or Shaq/Kobe, winning gets you fans.

[Kiddlovesnets]

To say the warriors fans are better than Lakers fans, doesnt mean Lakers fans are crap.
:rolleyes:

[SamuraiSWISH]

Laker fans are spoiled, bias, entitled, bandwagoning children. They lack great knowledge of the game as well in most cases. They only hype up Laker greats and try to throw shade at everyone else.

[AirFederer]

Jerry is obviously referring to lakers' ISH fanbase (aka those who are Kobe stans) :confusedshrug:

[ClipperRevival]

Laker fans are spoiled, bias, entitled, bandwagoning children. They lack great knowledge of the game as well in most cases. They only hype up Laker greats and try to throw shade at everyone else.

Nice. Way to generalize possibly hundreds of millions of people into one, simple statement. :applause:

[catch24]

Nice. Way to generalize possibly hundreds of millions of people into one, simple statement. :applause:

Swish is usually on point, but that post was hilariously bad. :oldlol:

Michael Jordan super fans aka player-only fans literally have no room to talk.

[SamuraiSWISH]

Nice. Way to generalize possibly hundreds of millions of people into one, simple statement. :applause:
Reading comprehension. I very deliberately said "in most cases" ... and they do generally suck in my experiences. Which is what informs my opinion.

Also catch24, if you're going to tippy toe around taking shots at me. I'd prefer them be like a man, and be direct. Not passive aggressive.

I'm a Bulls fan. Always have been. Even during the Tim Floyd, Ron Mercer and Eddie Robinson years. Not strictly a Jordan fan, just because he is my favorite player ever.

So, um, your statement holds no water if it was indeed directed at myself.

Even so MJ super fans don't go around tearing down other players to the best of their ability. Apart from psycho 3 ball with LeBron. But he's an outlier and possibly a parody gimmick account meant to annoy people with MJ Fandom.

[catch24]

Pretty sure Stevie Wonder could see that post was directed at you, bud. :oldlol:

You became a "Bulls fan" because you took a liking to MJ. Why front? Plus, you rep Kobe, LeBron and Wade with your other screen names. Like I said, you have no room to talk about "bandwagons" and "entitlement".

Don't take that personally, its just what it is.

[ClipperRevival]

Reading comprehension. I very deliberately said "in most cases" ... and they do generally suck in my experiences. Which is what informs my opinion.

Also catch24, if you're going to tippy toe around taking shots at me. I'd prefer them be like a man, and be direct. Not passive aggressive.

I'm a Bulls fan. Always have been. Even during the Tim Floyd, Ron Mercer and Eddie Robinson years. Not strictly a Jordan fan, just because he is my favorite player ever.

So, um, your statement holds no water if it was indeed directed at myself.

Even so MJ super fans don't go around tearing down other players to the best of their ability. Apart from psycho 3 ball with LeBron. But he's an outlier and possibly a parody gimmick account meant to annoy people with MJ Fandom.

You live in Chicago right? If so, I don't think you're in a position to judge. I know so many die hard Laker fans who bleed purple and gold. Even we hate those corporate/celebrity people sitting in the lower bowls. They don't have the passion for the Lakers as millions of others do. But it's just what it is in LA and Laker games. It's a status symbol thing to be seen near the front row. And they affect the perception of Laker fans in general.

[DCL]

lakers fans in staples center are notorious for that shit. everybody knows about it. we all see it on tv when they come super late or leave early. what real fans of any team does that shit???

[SamuraiSWISH]

Pretty sure Stevie Wonder could see that post was directed at you, bud. :oldlol:

You became a "Bulls fan" because you took a liking to MJ. Why front? Plus, you rep Kobe, LeBron and Wade with your other screen names. Like I said, you have no room to talk about "bandwagons" and "entitlement".

Don't take that personally, its just what it is.
Lol how are you going to tell me how or why I'm a Bulls fan?

I was born and raised in Chicago. Thus a Bulls fan, thus a Jordan fan. I didn't stop liking them when he retired.

And liking players games didn't make me a bandwagon fan. Liking a Kobe because he reminded me of MJ didn't make me a Lakers fan. And I didn't root for them because of franchise success coming easy to them.

Wade is from here so I have always liked him. And for a time I liked LeBron as well.

Me enjoying the game of basketball and being a bigger fan of the sport didn't make me change my favorite team. If anything me being a big Jordan and Bulls fan while still liking those players proves my point.

I don't throw shade at the games greatest because of bias towards one franchise.

Idiotic Laker fans perpetually throw shade at those guys primarily: Jordan, LeBron and Wade.

It's pathetic. As I said more often than not in my experiences, not true in all cases, Laker cheerleaders are entitled, spoiled fans who lack knowledge and respect for the game as a whole.

Thus a bad fan base. Besides the corporate and Hollywood-ness of their stadium currently.

So stop acting like you know me. Or why I'm a fan. I'm not a bandwagoner for liking the Bulls even when they were putrid after Jordan.

Your statements make no sense. The majority of Laker fans aren't fans of the Lakers. It's a status symbol. People who want to be associated with winning. Plain and simple.

[Levity]

Reading comprehension. I very deliberately said "in most cases" ... and they do generally suck in my experiences. Which is what informs my opinion.


:lol okie dokie