Lakers Nation is full of fans from around the world. For the past 2 years, we have read a lot of comments from our 250,000+ members of our Lakers Nation FB Fan Page and @LakersNation twitter feed that we have been able to see all the different types of fans who follow the purple and gold. With the current Lakers losing streak, we see these fans even more clearer than usual.
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As Lakers fans, we’ve all hit that point. That point where we just witnessed the Lakers lose their third or fourth consecutive game, and it’s starting to feel like Hell is breaking loose. Even if the Lakers are sitting on a .700 record and one of the highest win totals in the league, Kobe Bryant and Co. have made it extremely difficult to accept anything less than championship play, all the time. Like any good fan base, losing is not something that is easily accepted, especially when your favorite team carries a tradition of winning that is so rich, it extends back to the ball club’s originating days.
With the season winding down, and a chance to still catch San Antonio for the best record in the West, it seemed only fitting that the Lakers, who had won 17 out of 18 coming out of the all-star break, would continue their surge to end the season and steal home court advantage throughout the playoffs. Unfortunately, that scenario took place nearly two weeks ago, when the Lakers were 55-20 and were the proud owners of a nine-game winning streak. Instead of chasing what should have been theirs to close out the season, the Lakers decided to re-enter complacency mode, and they have subsequently dropped five straight games.
However, while each addition to the Lakers’ loss column simply adds up the stress and mounts frustration, not every fan reacts the same way. As every person in this world is different from one another, their reactions to crisis vary just the same. And in the case of the complacent Los Angeles Lakers, when they enter late-season crisis mode, it’s not uncommon to see a melting pot of diverse personalities. From the optimist to the pessimist to the guy who should probably be in an insane asylum, here’s a look at only six of the different personas exhibited by Lakers fans during times of catastrophe.
Next: Mr. Cool Guy
The optimist. Even in the worst of times (see the 2004-05 Lakers season), this person remains calm, cool and collected. They almost appear to have no real emotional attachment to the Lakers whatsoever, as they never feel that times of trouble have any real impact on the rest of the season.
While this person might not appear to be a true fan, such optimistic fans are some of the franchise’s truest supporters. They are just as frustrated as everyone else, but they understand the Lakers’ culture, and that with Kobe Bryant on the roster, you can never count out the Purple and Gold.
Kobe might be injured and the Lakers could be on an 11-game losing streak, but somehow, this person still can see the silver lining.
Next: Optimism With a Touch of Caution
We’ve all seen this person before. They claim to love the Lakers and visibly stand by them, and don the colors of the club. They appear just as optimistic and collected as the previously described fan, however, they do so cautiously. They want to seem as if they are the expert analysis, but still hold the stance of a true Lakers fan.
So, how do they go about achieving both elements? They add a disclaimer to nearly everything they say, and it can be as subtle or blatant as they want. Some people who fall under this category will sneakily add it into their comments and predictions, while others will work it in as a prominent fixture of their commentary, hoping to sound like the next top-ESPN analyst.
Next: Channeling My Inner Phil Jackson
Everyone wants to be all-knowing when it comes to sports. We want to know if Andrew Bynum’s knees are going to make it through the season, how many points Kobe is going to score tomorrow night and if the Lakers are struggling, why are they? While none of these questions can actually be answered until they happen, fans love pretending to assert themselves as a pseudo-Assistant Coach.
While no one might take them seriously, they themselves believe everything that they are saying is 100 percent factual and going to happen. They speak in terms of X’s and O’s and offer realistic scenarios of possible outcomes. Some people who exhibit this persona know what they are talking about, while others are simply repeating (and oftentimes, mis-repeating) what they heard on Sports Center this morning.
Next: Anger Management 2
If you’ve seen the movie “Anger Management” with Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson, you surely remember the insane Philadelphia Sixers fan who loses his mind at any sign of struggle or shortcoming for his favorite team. This is the type of fan who shouts profanities at every call, non-call and coaching decision. Even if things are going right, this profanity-laced, red-in-the-face person watches every game with an intensity that parallels only that of Kevin Garnett in a decisive game seven.
This person has likely broken quite a few televisions, remotes and chairs in his lifetime; and is probably not allowed in multiple sports bars throughout the nation. They live, breath and eat Lakers, but the take it so far to the extreme,
that it becomes so painful to watch a game with them, that you’d rather stay at home and watch Sex in the City with your girlfriend, than spend three hours with this person.
Next: When In Doubt, Trade EVERYONE
Irrationality at its peak. The Lakers are playing Orlando and with Dwight Howard on their tail, Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol have off-nights. This fan’s reaction? “It’s time to clean house! Gasol and Bynum are garbage, let’s trade them immediately, and get some young, fresh legs!” Then, later that week, when Gasol goes off for 30 and Bynum pulls down 18 rebounds, they have moved on to demanding a trade that replaces Derek Fisher with Mario Chalmers, because Chalmers can hit 3-pointers…
This person was probably one of the hundreds of thousands of people in support of trading Andrew Bynum AND Lamar Odom for Jermaine O’Neal back in 2006. Now, they remain silent in that regard, but since the Pau Gasol heist, they believe anyone can be had for anything.
To them, trading Luke Walton and Derrick Caracter for Carmelo Anthony would have been a fair trade for both sides.
Next: TwoFace
One loss and the season is over – the classic pessimist. They see every regular season game as the decider of who will be crowned champion at the season’s end. Power Rankings are their Bible, and they see John Hollinger’s PER rating system as the most genius thing to ever hit the sports world. They pull the plug on optimism faster than Ray Allen can get off a jump shot, and they are just as quick to reel the positive back in.
When the Lakers were 8-0, they believed that the season could end now, and the Lakers should already be crowned as champions. Now, on the heels of a five-game losing streak, they think that the Lakers are going to get bounced in the first round by New Orleans because Derek Fisher won’t be able to guard Chris Paul.
They are quintessential flip-floppers who are quick to switch thoughts with every passing day. They take nothing into account other than stats, highlights and whether or not the Lakers won last night.
The moment the Cavs knocked off the Lakers before All-Star Weekend, they wrote the season off, and thoughts of the lottery probably even entered their minds.
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Do you have any other classic Laker fan personalities you want to tell us about? Or maybe you can help us expand on these personalities?
We’d love to hear what you think!