ALTHOUGH I WOULD not consider myself an avid Los Angeles Lakers fan -- and admit to having been to only one game -- I could not help but become inundated with their successes this past week in the news of their recent win. It seems as though I couldn’t get away from the hype of the popular team -- sportscasters on the news feeding the details of who shot the most points and who saved the game and even a stranger asking me, while sitting by my apartment complex pool this past weekend, if I knew the score. Shortly after, I realized that this obvious Lakers fan had asked me because his young son had probably dragged him up from the couch while watching the game to soak up some sun at the pool on a beautiful April afternoon. What struck me most was that despite this little boy’s strong urge to be playing outside rather than on the couch, he was just as interested to know if the Lakers were winning and when he found out that they did he couldn’t have been happier.It became clear that Los Angeles Lakers fans pass on their pride and respect from generation to generation which helps maintain such a strong loyalty for so many years. It would almost seem taboo for someone in a family of Lakers fans to stray away from the pack and adopt another favored team. Despite its location and whether the home of the Lakers resides at The Forum in Inglewood or the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles, the Lakers will always have fans --both young and old. The team represents so much more than just the game. The Los Angeles Lakers represent a community, a city and generations that will last as long as Angelenos and fans allow it. The team would be nothing without its fans and the fans would be nothing without their team.
-- Jayme Dolan
photo credit: "#1 Laker Fan" by jvnuag, flickr creative commons
