GQ Names Laker Fans 'Worst In America'
LOS ANGELES (CBS) — Laker fans have a habit of leaving games early to beat traffic and a reputation for setting cars on fire in the event of a championship win (thanks to a couple bad apples), but does that really make us the worst in the NBA?
Men's magazine GQ compiled a list of the Worst Sports Fans in America (some explicit language) and have listed Laker fans as "the fairest of America's fair-weather fans." The magazine cites fan abandonment of the team when Magic retired in 1991 and again when Shaq was traded to the Miami Heat in 2004 as among the main reasons.
Fifteen groups of fans are listed, for different reasons. For example, Dallas Cowboys fans were taken to task for being "deluded trash-talkers," while Montreal Canadiens fans were called "frostbitten hooligans." A list of riots got University of Maryland basketball fans the honor of being called "Night Terrors."
And, inline with the stereotype, the list called Oakland Raider fans "criminals."
The honor of "Meanest Fans in America," however, went to fans of the Philadelphia Eagles and the Philadelphia Phillies, who took spots No. 2 and No. 1, respectively.
As Laker fans, we do take issue with being called fair-weather fans, of course. TV broadcasts and wily ticket brokers would have most viewers thinking that Jack Nicholson is the Lakers' No. 1 fan, but we would argue that fans paying 20 percent of their annual paychecks for seats high in the rafters of Staples Center deserve that title more. Not to mention the Laker fans who have never been to the Staples Center, but watch, listen or follow the play-by-play of each game on their smartphones faithfully, even if they're at a wedding, in class or at church.
And those Laker fans stuck with the team with or without Magic, with or without Shaq, and will continue to do so, with or without Kobe. (Not that we're looking forward to that day!)
