Los Angeles Sports Fans: The World's Most Rabid Losers

I grew up in the Los Angeles suburbs and spent a good part of my life religiously following the sports of my beloved city. I spent a good part of that life coveting the city of San Diego - and for a brief period I was able to fulfill that dream and live in the bay side city. But even for all that time, as my heart was with San Diego, my sports loyalty was with Los Angeles; with the Dodgers and the Kings. Never much for basketball (unless I was physically on the court) I could not comment on the Lakers - to say nothing of the Clippers - and the same can be said of the Galaxy.

But every year, the Los Angeles fans, along with myself, would flock to their respective NHL and MLB teams, faithfully buying the memorabilia and desperately pleading with whatever divine force governed the score sheets would be merciful this year. This was LA, after all, and we weren't going to have losers representing our city. But in addition to demanding titles, we expected a certain standard of our team, of our players even. The fans of Los Angeles wanted the teams to represent the greatness we saw in those sports and we were not ready to make the atmospheric sacrifices other teams felt were necessary in order to win the World Series.

Although we were not ready to tolerate losers, we were forced to accept them; but the teams of Los Angeles always found a way to do this with their own distinctive style. Take the 2006-2007 MLB year, which for the first half was an all-star year for the Dodgers. Boasting the return of Nomar Garciaparra, Andre Ethier, and Jeff Kent with a few new additions, and even still reeling from the loss of the star short stop costing Greg Maddux, a series of stunning victories cemented the Dodgers in first place. As the year went by and Dodger fans began salivating at the thought of another World Series appearance, something lusted after since the heroics of Kirk GIbson, the reality of the situation began to set in.

The forward momentum conjured by Los Angeles at the beginning of the season was not sustainable, the train was beginning to slow. But there was enough, many of us reasoned, to possibly get us the wild card? We had to settle for this No Team Left Behind standing in the 2005-2006 year, perhaps we could endure it again this year. For a short time, with certain key victories, these hopes seemed to be realized, the Dodgers were there.

Until a humiliating seven game losing streak ignobly put the Dodgers on the bottom of the list. Nominal victories against the Giants were absolutely meaningless. Los Angeles had dug their own grave, unless California used the social promotion system we were so fond of on its MLB team, all was lost.

But this was the pattern of Los Angeles teams - shows of greatness from a remarkable quantity of talent, but a curious absence of utilizing this talent when it was really necessary. This is not to say that key members of the team did not do their best, but Garciaparra, (considered by some to be the best clutch hitter in the game) Kent, and their vastly underpaid closer, Takashi Saito.

This has been the agony Dodgers fans have had to endure since 1988 - as though the team's collective mojo was entirely expended in a movie worthy home run against the Oakland A's. But that doesn't deter the high demands of Los Angeles fans: they will not "settle" for a player, nor - Greg Maddux, curses be upon him and may scorpions nibble his belly, not withstanding - will they sell out the homely, cohesive feeling in order to get a cheap World Series. The Dodgers made legends like Raul Mondessi, they did not simply buy them. It is for this reason that Garciaparra has so solidly become a part of the team - fully welcomed not just as a player on a professional franchise, but a member of the Los Angeles "family".

The demands will set in as surely next year as they have this year for the Kings too, however. As Jim Fox has pointed out, just because we've never won a Stanley Cup does not mean that we don't demand one every year. A team with as tragic a record as the Kings may seem like a place to go, to lay low and expect an easy fan base, but those who expect that are quickly shocked by the ferocity of these Stanley Cup virgins.

But there's a kind of irony in this tragic dynasty of failure. The demands we lay on our teams should not seem that out of reach with record breakers like Jeff Kent, sluggers like J.D. Drew, clutch hitters like Nomar Garciaparra - to say nothing of all stars like Luc Robitaille, Marty McSorely, Tony Granato, and "the Great One" himself, Wayne Gretzky.

Much is made of the curse of the Chicago Bears, or until 2004 the incredible 86 year shut out of the Boston Red Sox, but it stands to reason that some sort of strange force, call it karma or fate, who knows, is preventing Los Angeles from retrieving that Stanley Cup or that World Series. But, strangely, one would not know it from seeing the fans, who expect nothing less than the success we never receive.