Am I a bad fan?

#1
I just can't seem to get into the new kings. I was a huge fan as I'm sure all of you were of the 98-03 kings. The way that team meshed and played great passionate team ball was awesome to watch and I really miss watching them play. Now though with Bibby the only one remaining and Adelman gone and a whole new team and style, I just feel like it's a totally different franchise. I know you're supposed to be loyal to the front of the jersey and whatnot, but I guess i'm not. There isn't the same feel about this team and I find myself not caring anymore.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#2
I just can't seem to get into the new kings. I was a huge fan as I'm sure all of you were of the 98-03 kings. The way that team meshed and played great passionate team ball was awesome to watch and I really miss watching them play. Now though with Bibby the only one remaining and Adelman gone and a whole new team and style, I just feel like it's a totally different franchise. I know you're supposed to be loyal to the front of the jersey and whatnot, but I guess i'm not. There isn't the same feel about this team and I find myself not caring anymore.

Let's see - you became a fan when Vlade joined the team. You lost interest when Vlade left. Your user name is Vlade4GM and your signature still reflects your favorite player. I think the truth is you were a Vlade fan, and a fan of the Kings because that's the team he was on.

;)

You weren't here for the name on the front. You were here for the name on the back. There's nothing wrong with that, and it doesn't make you a bad fan. Being a fan is a very personal thing. You either are or you aren't. If you don't find yourself excited by the coming year, you might consider watching some other teams. See if there are other players that ignite your interest.

That's about all I can suggest.
 
#3
Every team goes through these little transition phases. The Kings had a core for a while and now its been dismantled and while the front office won't admit it, they are functionally rebuilding.

It sucks but every team has to go through this.
 
#4
Well that was the main reason I started following the kings, but I felt that I had become more of a kings fan as I saw the way they played. Vlade was obviously my favorite, but I loved watching Webber, JWill, Christie, Jackson, Peja, and Bibby all the same. That team played with passion and heart, they connected more than any other team I've ever seen. It broke my heart when Robert Horry made that three pointer, I knew that was it and their best opportunity had come and gone, they deserved a championship. I think liking Vlade is liking everything that team was about, he was the heart and soul of that team. When Vlade was let go it wasn't so bad since it was obvious his career was winding down as well, but when Webber was traded and then Adelman fired... it seems like it ended all too soon and there isn't much connecting to the past anymore.
 
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Bricklayer

Don't Make Me Use The Bat
#5
I think a lot fo the fanbase is still suffering the effects of the "golden era" hangover. Pretty special team, and one that will still be talked about decades hence. Almost anything that follows is bound to seema little drab in comparson. But especially these transition years wihtout much personality. Sooner or later we'll figure out who we are going to be in the new era, maybe one day return to the era of making aggressive moves, and there will be a rebirth of passion amongst many fans. But it takes time. And as of right now I am deeply concerned that the results of the vote in a few days may mean it will happen in front of a whole new fanbase in a different city.
 
#6
I fell in love with the playing style. Rooted so hard that the losses were comparable to rooting for UCLA against OJ as a child. Comparable to rooting for the Lakers as they lost to the Celtics everytime (oh, since they lost everytime that means it wasn't a rivalry, huh?). I'm in so deep and developed such a hate for Shaq-Kobe-Phil that I'm still on board.

But...the style is gone. The indifference of management towards the team's glaring weakness is insulting. Still root very hard and it hurts to see them lose. What hurts is the built-in ceiling towards accomplishment this season. It makes the fan experience bad. Sort of.
 
#7
Honestly, I think people who jumped on the bandwagon in 2000-2003 are probably a bit spoiled by the experience of rooting for a fabulously entertaining contending team. When you only know miracle trades and competitive games and an entertaining team how could you not be disappointed by the current team?

Those of us who have been fans since 1985 are probably better equiped to weather the current downturn. I'm not saying that there was anything wrong with becoming a fan when the Kings were good and everyone has their own "conversion" story, but following the Kings for the 13 or so years when they were terrible helps me better appreciate the current era. People have come to expect miracles ouf of Petrie and the team. I'm just glad they're not terrible.

People wanted trades commensurate with how good Webber, Divac, Jackson and Christie were in their primes, not the broken down players that they were when they left Sacramento, and so now people are disillusioned with the front office and with the Maloofs. And yet for me the real miracle is that this team is being rebuilt while still winning and being competitive. There's plenty of room for optimism -- Kevin Martin is seriously on the rise, Ronnie Price looks very promising, Bibby looks good. There are still some glaring holes, but this team has never been called anything but a work in progress.

Hopefully the people who started rooting for the Kings during the glory days will stick with the team until the next era.
 
#8
My wife bailed on the Kings when they lost Vlade, Webber, Peja, Doug, Bobby, etc.

Not surprising. I have no clue why I'm still a Kings fan, but I am.

I just can't seem to get into the new kings. I was a huge fan as I'm sure all of you were of the 98-03 kings. The way that team meshed and played great passionate team ball was awesome to watch and I really miss watching them play. Now though with Bibby the only one remaining and Adelman gone and a whole new team and style, I just feel like it's a totally different franchise. I know you're supposed to be loyal to the front of the jersey and whatnot, but I guess i'm not. There isn't the same feel about this team and I find myself not caring anymore.
 
#9
Let's see - you became a fan when Vlade joined the team. You lost interest when Vlade left. Your user name is Vlade4GM and your signature still reflects your favorite player. I think the truth is you were a Vlade fan, and a fan of the Kings because that's the team he was on.

;)
I wonder what does "VF21" stand for :) (To some of us you will always be VladeFan21, pre summer of 2004 kingsfans.com crash). Just kidding.

I agree VF21. Alot of us, especially non Sacramento natives,fell in love with the Kings and it is hard to look at the team now and not have nostalgic feeling for the golden era/players. Hopefully we are able to look past that and stick around and keep supporting the team no matter who plays on it (as some of us Pedja/Vlade fans have managed to do since they have left).
 
#10
I personally think Joe and Gavin should organise some kind of exibition game...maybe next summer.It would be today Kings Vs. golden era Kings.That would be spectacular game for sure and the game that every Kings fan would have on his DVD or VHS whatever...
The point is,get that brilliant team together somehow for the last time!
 
#11
i'm still a fan but i don't care as much. i still bought league pass and i will watch most if not all the games and i will go to the portland/seattle vs. kings games. like some of you i fell in love with the kings in '99 after moving to tahoe from washington. i still support the kings and will probably be a fan as long as they're in sac but right now i find myself not that excited. from my perspective the off-season was terrible and they seem to be getting worse as the years go by. not getting rings in '02 or '03 makes it a lot tougher to be patient.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#12
I wonder what does "VF21" stand for :) (To some of us you will always be VladeFan21, pre summer of 2004 kingsfans.com crash). Just kidding.
While I had been a Kings fan since 1985, I didn't actually start posting on a message board until 1998. At that time, I was already a big fan of Vlade's so when I had to pick a user name, I actually took a variation of my daughter's screen name, KingsGirl4.

The fun part was the number of Serbian friends I developed because of the VladeFan21 name. I actually even learned a few key phrases. I'm sure most of you from back then remember:

NAPRED KRALJEVI!!!

:D
 
#13
We love the Kings because they are here for us, year end and year out.
They dont ever go away.
And we like to believe in something bigger than ourselves.
Sometimes we like to be 10 years old.

Granted, but what have the Kings done for us you ask?
They let us be young.
They let us have something to be passionate about.

For the people who ask why they are still fans can go ahead and jump off of the bandwagon.

But for those of you who believe you are true fans. You have to take the good times with the bad and know that there will always be "next year".


go see the movie "Fever Pitch" and you will understand why we are still fans.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#14
The "true fan" stuff is NOT what this is all about. It's not about "believing" anything. It's about whether or not you still view the team with the same passion you once had.

Things change. Passionate fans may, for a wide variety of reasons, become disenchanted and simply fade away. It happens. And it HAS happened. It doesn't make those who are still here any better or worse than those who for whatever reason have taken their leave. It's their decision...
 
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#15
I jumped on the bandwagon when they moved to Sacramento. Before that I didn't care about them at all. Suffered through a lot of lousy games and lousy seasons before the miraculously good period. Lately some things have happened which have challenged my faith as a worshipper at the altar of Petrie, but I have rooted for an awful team before, and am prepared to do so again if necessary.

But if they become the Las Vegas Kings, I'm done.
 
#16
I think a lot fo the fanbase is still suffering the effects of the "golden era" hangover. Pretty special team, and one that will still be talked about decades hence. Almost anything that follows is bound to seema little drab in comparson. But especially these transition years wihtout much personality. Sooner or later we'll figure out who we are going to be in the new era, maybe one day return to the era of making aggressive moves, and there will be a rebirth of passion amongst many fans. But it takes time. And as of right now I am deeply concerned that the results of the vote in a few days may mean it will happen in front of a whole new fanbase in a different city.
I agree with your post completely. I love the Kings, and root for them without reservation. But, in the "golden" era we had a team personality, and I felt like I knew and loved each player like part of my family. I haven't had the chance to fall in love with these players as a team yet, and I share your fear that by the time this "new" team develops an identity they'll be miles away. :(
 
#17
I became a Kings fan in 2002 mainly because my roomates were both Laker fans and I was a major Laker hater. I had not really followed them before that, but the team grew on me, and even after that series ended I decided to follow on. That's how I came onto this board as well.

Now, I dunno. I am like Vlade4GM, in that all the guys who attracted me to the team are now gone, and the pull isn't there anymore. The Lakers are now humbled, the league has changed with the advent of Lebron, DWade, 'Melo and the others...I can see myself getting into it again, but it will take time. Right now, I'm still a Kings fan, but it's more of a habit than a drive. I hope the current team can bring it back for me.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#18
I agree with your post completely. I love the Kings, and root for them without reservation. But, in the "golden" era we had a team personality, and I felt like I knew and loved each player like part of my family. I haven't had the chance to fall in love with these players as a team yet, and I share your fear that by the time this "new" team develops an identity they'll be miles away. :(
I was feeling that way this summer. Then, with the first pre-season game, the passion started to return. It's not the same as it was with THE TEAM, but that experience may never be duplicated.

All I know is that I still get excited about opening night at Arco. I still make plans around the Kings calendar.

I'm not going to worry now about whether or not this team will leave in the future. I'm going to enjoy it for every moment it lasts.

:)
 
#19
I wouldn't necessarily call it being a bad fan. Definitely some symptoms of being a bandwagon fan, but that happens. It just means you're not a diehard. Diehards will stick with their team no matter how good or bad they are. You may be a little PO'd at them some (or most) of the time, but you're still always squarely in their corner.

The only benefit I can think of to being a true diehard fan is that when/if your team wins it all you can feel like you were really part of it, because you were with the team through all of the bad times as well. I'm 26 and consider myself a diehard of the Kings, 49ers and Giants so I have never really experienced the benefits (The 49ers were so good when I was a kid that I just expected them to win it all). But now being an adult, and watching each franchise go through its ups and downs if any one of them ever wins one it will literally be a great moment in my life. It will mean so much to me, my family, and my friends it will be incredible.
 
#20
1997

Hi.
I become a Kings' Fan when I moved to Sacramento from London back in 1997. I knew about the NBA but did'nt follow a team. I knew about the Lakers/Celtics clashes, Lakers/Pistons and even the Michigan/Webber team.
Once I was here The Kings were my team and always will be unless they move out of Sacramento, actually I don't know, its hard to support another team when you know your team is playing in another city. I know what's it like to support a team that is perennially bad or as I would like to say "We'll do better next season". To me supporting a team means giving your passion to them through good and bad times. One day you may rewarded. I was after 17 years!!!
 
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#21
i dont think ur a bad fan, i dont live in sacto, i like sacto cause they had peja and cwebb, and then they got bibby and brad who i really like, then they traded for ron and so far hes been pretty good, but im like u if they lose brad and mike i proabbly wouldnt be nearly as big a kings fan, if at all...hopefully if they ever leave they be in a package and i can just jump on the bandwagon of their new team
 
#22
No such thing as a bad or good fan, it is as much about what we get out of it as it is what they get out of it, if not more.

Of course winning is more exciting. But, unless they go to LA, I will remain a fan through thick and thin. I am sure at times I will pay more or less attention. At this point, Ron is one of my favorite players, so I would still be on board if we lost Bibby and/or Miller.
 

pdxKingsFan

So Ordinary That It's Truly Quite Extraordinary
Staff member
#23
Here's a good one... my mom, season ticket holder from the beginning gave up hers right as the team got good. She believed they were always gonna be the same old Kings and since she was spending more time in SF they just weren't worth hanging onto. And let me tell you these were practically the best seats in the building.

I've been a fan since the day they came to Sac and will be loyal as long as they stay. That's all I can promise.
 

Warhawk

Give blood and save a life!
Staff member
#24
Everyone is a fan at a different level, and that can change through the years. Do what makes you happy as far as being a fan of a team. What difference should it be to anyone else how "involved" someone is with a team as a fan?

I know my interest varies throughout the years depending on how the team is doing and what's going on in the rest of my life my life. That's only natural.
 
#25
I became a fan when I moved to Sacramento in '89. I didn't feel very much about the suicide that year, but I was new, and didn't know the team. I got excited when we drafted Hurley and Brian Grant. I was mad when we drafted a guy named Predrag from Europe. I was mad when they traded Mitch (MITCH!) for Chris Webber. I couldn't make up my mind when I read about the behavior problems of Jason Williams. But I'll never forget the two day stretch when Webber showed to training camp (in January, since it was the lockout season), when Vlade signed, and when Peja showed up.

The move up was great. 99-02 where fantastic playoffs. I still had hope in 03 and 04. But over 05-06, we were sliding, even though we made the playoffs.

If I can focus on the last two years, and if we finish higher than 8th seed and make it into the second round, then I should be happy.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#26
Here's a question for diehard fans...where were you when Webber officially signed his new contract with the Kings, putting an end to the stupid rumors (thanks, Ric Bucher...) that Webber was jumping to Detroit?
 
#27
Here's a question for diehard fans...where were you when Webber officially signed his new contract with the Kings, putting an end to the stupid rumors (thanks, Ric Bucher...) that Webber was jumping to Detroit?
This is similiar to the rant I went off on while yelling at the radio:

"About $*%&(#& TIME YOU SCUMBAG!!! Shut up and play and if you try to start any #$% Ill personally come down there and kick your @#$!! Ill try and give you a clean slate but no promises....":eek:


Well... If most recall Webb has a rather bad rep back then.


I became a fan in "87 which was coached by Bill Russell and Jerry Reynolds and considered the worst Kings team of all time(Or was that '88?) We finished 24-58, 30 behind in Pacific Division.

Our roster was ( From the for Basketballreference.com, Now databasketball.com).....

http://basketballreference.com/teams/teamyear.htm?tm=SAC&lg=n&yr=1987

Reggie Theus,Otis Thorpe,Mike Mcgee,Kenny Smith,Derek Smith,Joe Kleine,Harold Pressley,Franklin Edwards,Lasalle Thompson,Conner Henry,Ed Pinckney,Jawann Oldham,Terry Tyler, Joe Arlauckas, Michael Jackson, Martin Nessley



Being a fan for over 20 I've learned that its like riding a rollercoaster with all the ups and downs that we see on a weekly and yearly basis. Theres going to be good runs and bad runs with some awesome games and some real stinkers but its all apart being a fan.
 
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#28
I just can't seem to get into the new kings. I was a huge fan as I'm sure all of you were of the 98-03 kings. The way that team meshed and played great passionate team ball was awesome to watch and I really miss watching them play. Now though with Bibby the only one remaining and Adelman gone and a whole new team and style, I just feel like it's a totally different franchise. I know you're supposed to be loyal to the front of the jersey and whatnot, but I guess i'm not. There isn't the same feel about this team and I find myself not caring anymore.
Teams just go through different stages. I think it's completely normal to have feelings towards the team go the same way. When I was watching an episode of 'NBA's Greatest Games' last week, it was the Kings 2001 Western Conference Championship game. I got soooo nostalgic seeing Vlade, Jason, Scot, Jon, Chris, etc. It really made me miss those good ol' days. Nothing will ever top that in my fandom experiences. I'll admit that I'm not as enthusiastic a fan as when I was just starting out as a Kings fan seven years ago. I used to never, ever want to miss a game, now I don't really care as much if I do. I only ever make an effort not to if it's the home-opener or finals. I still am a big Kings fan and always will be, though.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#29
This is similiar to the rant I went off on while yelling at the radio:

"About $*%&(#& TIME YOU SCUMBAG!!! Shut up and play and if you try to start any #$% Ill personally come down there and kick your @#$!! Ill try and give you a clean slate but no promises....":eek:


Well... If most recall Webb has a rather bad rep back then.
Um, slug?

I'm talking about when he RESIGNED with us. Not when he was first traded. Ric Bucher had been trying to convince everyone that Webber wasn't going to ink a new deal with us, even after the "Gavin will mow your lawn" billboard but was really going to sign with Detroit.

Webber had an EXCELLENT rep back then. It was right after the WC semi-finals. He signed his new contract on July 21, 2001.

:)
 
#30
Um, slug?

I'm talking about when he RESIGNED with us. Not when he was first traded. Ric Bucher had been trying to convince everyone that Webber wasn't going to ink a new deal with us, even after the "Gavin will mow your lawn" billboard but was really going to sign with Detroit.

Webber had an EXCELLENT rep back then. It was right after the WC semi-finals. He signed his new contract on July 21, 2001.

:)

DOH!... Um forget I said that!;)