why does los angeles have 2 basketball teams? (Long Beach, Anaheim: transplants, real estate)

[citruspastels]

It seems like since the Lakers and Clippers share a stadium, there isn't much of a point to having 2 teams. Why root for one over the other? Normally, these crosstown rivalries have geographical roots giving people at least SOME reason to root for their team of choice.

For example-

Downtown LA - Dodgers
Anaheim - Angels

North Chicago - Cubs
South Chicago - White Sox

Bronx - Yankees
Queens - Mets

Are there any general trends you see in Lakers fans vs Clippers fans? From an outsiders perspective the Clippers just seem like a game you can get into for less money. Sorry to offend any Clippers fans out there I'm just not sure I get it.

[Charles]

I does seem odd especially with the Pond in Anaheim available (I think) and no football teams at all.

Probably is a complex business decision related to luxury boxes, season seats, number of people living within a certain radius, television, league sharing of revenues and profits and merchandising, etc.

[SOON2BNSURPRISE]

The Clippers are an interesting case. The owner seems to spend little on the team but makes a killing on the revenue that is shared by all the teams in the league. He would just assume give up his draft picks then put money on the bench. Kind of an interesting financial decision but one that seems to work for them. That doesn't mean that they are shooting to win a national title though. From my perspective it is a business decision that runs the Clippers. Why go through the expense of developing a home, or the work to have one built when you can share the cost of another facility? I am sure that people watch the Clippers, just not sure who those people are. Kind of sad because, for a fan you want your team to get it done once in a while. I for one like seeing the Lakers play. Have never watched the Clippers though.

[the one]

IT HAS MORE TO DO with demographics. not so much locale. its about the people. some fans have been follwing the clipps from SD and before. some of us have been following them since their arrival in LA.

the clippers are the underdog team. they are the peoples team.

the lakers are all hollywood and SHOW. the clippers are about playing. the market in LA is big enough to support two teams.

bu the support is mainly seen in working class communities. watts. compton. huntington park. clipper gear is more prevalent on the blue line than on the gold line.

one team is for the stars. the other team is for the people.

the
one
clipper
fan


EDIT:
oh ya, dont forget that LA also featured two FB teams at once.
we also currently have two FUTBOL teams. the CHivas, and the Galaxy. both play on the same field. but to different demographics.

Originally Posted by citruspastels

It seems like since the Lakers and Clippers share a stadium, there isn't much of a point to having 2 teams. Why root for one over the other? Normally, these crosstown rivalries have geographical roots giving people at least SOME reason to root for their team of choice.

For example-

Downtown LA - Dodgers
Anaheim - Angels

North Chicago - Cubs
South Chicago - White Sox

Bronx - Yankees
Queens - Mets

Are there any general trends you see in Lakers fans vs Clippers fans? From an outsiders perspective the Clippers just seem like a game you can get into for less money. Sorry to offend any Clippers fans out there I'm just not sure I get it.

[the one]

i agree. sterling isnt the best owner. but with the number one pick in the draft (griffin), and with the continued development of one of the best rookies (gordon) the clipps will be better. the still have baron davis and other good solid players. they will gell this next season...

this past season was awful. it made me

Originally Posted by SOON2BNSURPRISE

The Clippers are an interesting case. The owner seems to spend little on the team but makes a killing on the revenue that is shared by all the teams in the league. He would just assume give up his draft picks then put money on the bench. Kind of an interesting financial decision but one that seems to work for them. That doesn't mean that they are shooting to win a national title though. From my perspective it is a business decision that runs the Clippers. Why go through the expense of developing a home, or the work to have one built when you can share the cost of another facility? I am sure that people watch the Clippers, just not sure who those people are. Kind of sad because, for a fan you want your team to get it done once in a while. I for one like seeing the Lakers play. Have never watched the Clippers though.

[bhcompy]

Sterling has been spending money lately. He's improved. Injuries and poor coaching have hurt a team that is a playoff team skillwise on paper.

The team would do better fanwise based out of the Pond, or perhaps out of the Long Beach Arena(which would need to add ~5000 seats to match Staples/Pond). Citizens Bank Arena in Ontario would be an interesting location as well, since IE fans basically only have Single-A Minor League Baseball and AA level ECHL team(minor league hockey), but the Arena only seats around 10k, so seating would need to be nearly doubled for NBA use.

If the NFL decides to go forward with the ill-advised Diamond Bar/Walnut stadium plan and the plan is successful in that area, moving the Clips to Citizens Bank Arena would be a good potential move imho.

[Lumerian Feast]

Originally Posted by the one

one team is for the stars. the other team is for the people.

I hear what you're saying. But I have to say, I've seen plenty of "the people" wearing Lakers gear.

[Snort]

The raison d'être of the Lakers and Clippers is to suggest that in one city there is an apparent duality. It speaks to the multifaceted being that we all are. We are truly great and we truly suck. It's that simple. Very Jungian.

[MisterDuke]

Donald Sterling isn't a sports guy, he's a real estate guy. Look at all the ads he runs in the LA Times for his properties on the west side. Complete idiots can make money in real estate. You just buy and hang on to it for a long time. And that's what he is doing with the Clippers. He has little interest in winning a championship. The Clippers are a property he is holding on to until they become more valuable.

He bought them in 1981 for $20 million, and now they are worth about $300 million, and their value is still going up.

[pbergen]

as popular as the lakers are in southern california, there is also a fairly strong anti-laker sentiment in some circles, especially among those who prefer to root for the underdog or simply dislike the hype and glitz surrounding the "lake show". unfairly or not, the lakers are often associated with the yankees and cowboys (and more recently, the red sox and patriots) as overhyped glamour teams with tons of bandwagon fans, which is a turnoff to many.

there's a reason why laker haters will sometimes refer to that team as the "fakers" (no offense intended toward the legit, die-hard, longtime fans out there, of course).

anyone can jump on the bandwagon when a team is winning, but it takes real dedication to stick with a downtrodden, historically unsuccessful franchise, especially when the other team sharing the city and market is one of the most storied and high-profile franchises in league history.

also, i think that as the clear "Team B" of the LA market, the clippers have begun to attract a fair number of transplants from other cities who continue to root for their team back home (knicks, celtics, bulls, etc) but would like to support a local team, if only casually. many of these folks could never bring themselves to root for the lakers under any circumstances, but pulling for the clips is ok because they're the anti-lakers. a lot of these types might not be die-hard fans, but they'll go to a few games and generally would like to see the team do well; they're just not going to have a large emotional investment in the clips like they do with their favorite team back home.

in other words, there's plenty of room for another NBA team in LA. it doesn't matter whether they share the staples center with the lakers or eventually move to their own arena (unlikely); it's all about tapping into a different type of sports fan demographic. as the one already stated, the clippers are the team of the people.