Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'd say this goes to Los Angeles, easily. They've been the most successful NBA franchise since 1980 and they don't have as much competition. Sure, L.A. has the Dodgers, but I doubt they suck up local media oxygen the way the Yankees or Red Sox do.
I expect the Lakers to get a little less love starting this fall though.
I expect the Lakers to get a little less love starting this fall though.
Maybe. But competing against the more newly-established (and not good) Rams is not the same as competing against the Eagles or Redskins. The Lakers will still have more market share in their market than any NBA team on the East Coast will have in theirs.
The Bay Area has only been watching basketball for a couple years now. I'd put them at the bottom of the NBA in terms of fan basketball intelligence.
Of course there are bandwagon fans, but Warriors diehards are some of the best NBA fans. Check out this column from Bill Simmons TEN years ago: Page 2 : Bill Simmons Blog - ESPN
It's hard to say what will happen with the team moving from Oakland to SF, but the Warriors have some great fans.
Maybe I'm just not hanging around the right people, but when I moved to the periphery of the Boston area a few years ago, I was surprised at how little attention people paid to the Celtics. It's all Pats and Red Sox here. I rarely see people wearing Celtics gear or driving around with Celtics decals.
Actually, here's a decent example of the pecking order: Rhode Island, where I live, offers Patriots and Red Sox license plates but no Celtics license plate. There's even a new Bruins plate that's been approved, but still no Celtics on the horizon.
The Celtics are top 5 in TV rating in pretty sure. Certainly more popular than the Raptors are in Toronto if anyone has been to Toronto they would know that. Toronto is probably 2:1 or more Leafs. Boston is about 50/50 Celtics/Bruins. However it is regional, Hockey is more popular North of town while Metrowest is more into the Celtics.
Down South around Foxbourough it makes since the Pats are so popular because they play down there.
I think RI has a Bruins plate because of the Providence Bruins while PC/URI basketball fills the Basketball void in RI.
If staying passionate about an NBA team even through the bad times is a criterion, then not sure Toronto belongs on this list. The Raptors were more or less an afterthought in Toronto until they got competitive fairly recently.
Different era, different culture.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bjimmy24
True. See how many people go to Raptors games or care at all once the team is down again.
I guess bandwagon fans can be passionate, but that doesn't mean they're anything but bandwagon fans.
Not all the time.
Oracle Arena used to be rocking, since the bandwagon has grown, you don't see the same intensity in the stands as in the past.
The Celtics are top 5 in TV rating in pretty sure. Certainly more popular than the Raptors are in Toronto if anyone has been to Toronto they would know that. Toronto is probably 2:1 or more Leafs. Boston is about 50/50 Celtics/Bruins. However it is regional, Hockey is more popular North of town while Metrowest is more into the Celtics.
Down South around Foxbourough it makes since the Pats are so popular because they play down there.
I think RI has a Bruins plate because of the Providence Bruins while PC/URI basketball fills the Basketball void in RI.
Leafs are way more than 2 to 1 over the Raptors in TV ratings.
The Knicks haven't won an NBA title since 1973, that was back when Phil Jackson was actually a basketball player and was coming off the bench 44 years ago when the Knicks last won a title. They are the Chicago Cubs of the NBA, except that analogy no longer stands, since the Chicago Cubs just won a World Series last year to end a 108 year win-less streak.
Now Phil Jackson is the head executive of the Knicks and they're not much to write home about, even among the cruddy teams in the NBA of the last several years, they're still less interesting to watch than say a Minnesota Timberwolves, Milwaukee Bucks, New Orleans Pelicans, Indiana Pacers, Detroit Pistons, Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, or at times the Phoenix Suns.
So the fanbase has to be there to rabidly support a franchise that's been in doldrums for so long.
Plus, watch this fan made video from New York Knicks fans, I can't think of too many other franchises that have fans like this. Fans that make videos like this:
Location: That star on your map in the middle of the East Coast, DMV
8,128 posts, read 7,547,924 times
Reputation: 5785
LA without question, went to a Clippers vs Lakers game while I was there, great atmosphere.
DC although a great basketball city in terms of high school/collegiate/producer of NBA players, has a very fair weather fan base with the Wizards. Who can blame the fan base though, since the franchise hasn't been out of the 2nd round of the playoffs since 1978.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
