So who do you consider the best fan bases? Basically cities that support their teams. For example Miami sells out all their games, but that is because they actually have a good team, but if Lebron hadn't signed there no one would show up. 1. Bulls - even when they sucked fans showed up 2. Blazers - Fans show up despite not a great team and being blacked out 3. Knicks - In general whether the team is good or not people still show even with their overpriced tickets 4. Mavs - Yes they have been good, but even though they aren't very good this year they have been selling out. A lot of credit has to go cuban for this because dallas used to never draw fans. 5. Thunder - obviously this was a new market and in general the team is really good, but that stadium was packed even when they were winning twenty games. Other Cities: Raptors - They have a strong fan base, but they keep losing their stars. Lakers - They have never been bad so its hard to tell Warriors - Fans generally show up whether team is good or bad. They seem loud, and the stadium is in the less nice part of town.
I guess I should have specified going to the games and watching them on tv. Well no one goes to the games. I go to a bunch of rockets games and the lower sidelines are usually 1/3 empty. Maybe they are drinking or watching other games, I just don't see them. The rockets also have pretty terrible TV ratings too. It doesn't help that they aren't on 60% of the TVs but they weren't good last year. Clutchfans represents a small minority of the die hard fans. It isn't necessarily reflective of the overall fan base.
Oil town. Those seats are mostly for season ticket holders who buy them up to give as incentives to push their sales. The lower endzones, corners, and upper bowl are always pretty packed, even when the sidelines are sparce.
I think Dallas is a good example of how the quality of the fanbase is a function of the ability of franchise to create the necessary marketing and atmosphere. Cuban has done a good job of improving the fan support for the Mavs by leaps and bounds despite being in a football town (the iconic Cowboys, no less). It always annoys me how quick people are to reproach the fans for somehow not being committed enough. It's on the franchise to make that happen, not the fans. The Kings used to have a legendary fanbase and look at how pathetic Oracle Arena is now after a few years of bad management.
They aren't packed either. Maybe the lower end zones. The upper endzone and side are hit or miss depending on the game. Warrior draw pretty well 18K+ despite having not been good forever. Also getting to the arena from SF, MV, San Jose, etc takes a while.
Boston. They definitely have loyal fans. Can't believe no one mentioned them here. After that, Philly, NYK. These teams sell heaps of tickets even when they suck. Golden State, Utah, Orlando - all great fans. Portland, Dallas too. We are definitely the bottom of the pack. So weird that we are one of the best teams on the road but sit at the bottom of home attendance. Houston folk don't appreciate what they have.
I wanted to say maybe ticket prices has something to do with it (which it still might) but from this graph I found at statista, It doesnt seem to be the case. <a href="http://www.statista.com/statistics/193720/average-ticket-price-in-the-nba-by-team-in-2010/"><img src="http://www.statista.com/graphic/1/193720/average-ticket-price-in-the-nba-by-team-in-2010.jpg" alt="Average ticket price for an NBA game by team 2012/13" title="Average ticket price for an NBA game by team 2012/13" width="660" /></a><br />You will find more statistics at <a href="http://www.statista.com">Statista</a> Granted, this does not show where the seats are, or the skew of which end of the spectrum for each team the tickets are purchased. I feel like Houston Rockets tickets can be pretty pricey, and when I looked at Mavs tix (rockets game in Dallas) tickets were VERY cheap compared to the Dallas game here. Curious to see a different breakdown but not willing to put in the time to inquire from each team's ticket sales reps.
I think there are different classifications of the fans The Show up and Support no Matter What Sacramento, Golden State, Seattle The Show up No Matter What, BUT You Better Win! Lakers, New York The Loyal and Hard Headed Boston, Philly You can add plenty more in there, I was just giving my idea of what kinds of fans there are. Hard to say NY has a better fan base than a team like Sacramento just looking at numbers, but if you ever listen to a Sacramento game, they support their team no matter what. It is amazing. I believe Portland is like that too, but I can't remember.
Warriors are among the top 5, imo. Though essentially, this is a list of major markets. The Knicks are always going to sell out at insane prices. The Lakers as the top team in LA. The Warriors, Celtics, Bulls (though i can't stand the Bulls fans... but they do show up, including on the road). I'd also say the Raptors have a case. Those fans show up even though they have every reason to quit.
never...btw this is the best forum on Internet and the best moderation on Internet..free speech allowed and all...
