@63royals Thanks -- I was going to post the same thing. I think you hit the nail on the head. The young fans around the league, especially, are heavily influenced by what they see and read in the media. If they're not in or around SAC, they're not seeing the KINGS play thus can't realistically become a fan. The double-edged sword is that ESPN, TNT and NBATV hardly cover them either. All these kids see and read about is LA this and GSW that.
I began following the NFL, MLB and NCAA football in the mid-to-late 70's. While it was a completely different world back then in terms of TV and media coverage, the teams I ended up becoming lifelong fans of were on TV the most.
Growing up in NorCal/SAC, I didn't see the Giants or A's on TV -- as neither were particularly good at the time. The only real media coverage for MLB at the time was 'Baseball Game of the Week' and the World Series. That's when I saw baseball being played. And the teams on TV all the time were the Yankees and Dodgers. I hated those pinstripers thus fell for the Dodgers. At 6, 7 years old, you don't understand geography. You root for team colors, uniforms and cool names. Most of all, you identify with one of the first teams you see play.
Same goes for me with football. The teams largely on TV back in the late 70's were Dallas, Oakland, Pittsburgh, Miami, and Minnesota. I fell in love with the Dolphins. No chance I could have told you where MIA was or how far it was away from my home. As a young kid, I did love their colors and mascot. But make no mistake, most of the reason they became my team was because they were on TV so I was able to discover them. By the time I discovered the 49ers, it was already too late. My first college game a few years later was Ohio State and that Team Up North. I chose the 'good guys' LOL.
I didn't really start seeing the NBA until the early 80's. By then it was largely Celtics and Lakers on the TV all the time. I hated Kevin McHale. Hated Boston. So I went with the Showtime Lakers. But I wasn't at all a huge fan. Hell, the Finals were still tape delayed back then so I didn't see too many games.
Once the KINGS moved here in '85, I started learning more about the game and developing a love for our HOME team. Thus I really started to HATE the Lakers. But had I been able to see the NBA more in the years prior to the KINGS moving to town, I might not have been able to switch allegiances.
So, again, from my POV, everything is about exposure. If a team isn't exposed to a Nat'l audience, they'll lack a strong following outside their home market. The teams that are on Nat'l TV a lot will pick up fans that might have chosen other teams had they known about them early on.
So with that all said, I firmly believe that road attendance reflects the fact that many fans just don't know much about our team.