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Chiefs fans

They do seem to be doing it more in recent years, I'll give you that. But it's still nowhere near on the level of the NBA. With the NFL, the drive is still to build loyalty to the logos and the brands moreso than the players.

Did Jordan ruin that for the NBA? Always seemed like there were tons of bandwagon Bulls fans that really only rooted for the team b/c MJ was playing for them.
 
Besides Jerry Rice most of the star WRs are assholes.

Rice yes, but guys like Fitz, Marvin Harrison, Calvin Johnson, etc. were pretty damn good and kept their nose clean.

I agree that TO, Moss, OBJ, etc. aren't great ambassadors.
 
Rice yes, but guys like Fitz, Marvin Harrison, Calvin Johnson, etc. were pretty damn good and kept their nose clean.

I agree that TO, Moss, OBJ, etc. aren't great ambassadors.
Harrison was an undercover asshole. Megatron was shy. Agree on Fitz. I think they’ve showcased him pretty well.
 
Did Jordan ruin that for the NBA? Always seemed like there were tons of bandwagon Bulls fans that really only rooted for the team b/c MJ was playing for them.
I think that's the easy answer, but I'm not sure it's wholly accurate. Bird-Magic was way bigger than just Celtics-Lakers. Going back further, you have Wilt. Hell, you can go back to the roots of pro basketball, even, when travelling teams were a much bigger deal than just the Globetrotters. Star power has always been a big part of basketball, I think.
 
Rice yes, but guys like Fitz
Agree on Fitz.
Fitz is the feel good story to end all feel good stories. Guy has been a model citizen since he was a kid (with one possible noted exception), and was a ball boy as a teen for the Vikings. He's exactly the kind of individual the NFL would want to highlight, precisely because he isn't representative of his peers.
 
Fitz is the feel good story to end all feel good stories. Guy has been a model citizen since he was a kid (with one possible noted exception), and was a ball boy as a teen for the Vikings. He's exactly the kind of individual the NFL would want to highlight, precisely because he isn't representative of his peers.
He’s all-world for sure.
 
I think that's the easy answer, but I'm not sure it's wholly accurate. Bird-Magic was way bigger than just Celtics-Lakers. Going back further, you have Wilt. Hell, you can go back to the roots of pro basketball, even, when travelling teams were a much bigger deal than just the Globetrotters. Star power has always been a big part of basketball, I think.

I think equipment, number of players in the game at a time, and proximity to the court contribute to this. Basketball doesn't have the helmet/hat like other sports so faces are always visible and that makes it easier for fans to build visual recognition. Same with only having 5 members of the team on the court with fans right up against the court.
 
I think equipment, number of players in the game at a time, and proximity to the court contribute to this. Basketball doesn't have the helmet/hat like other sports so faces are always visible and that makes it easier for fans to build visual recognition. Same with only having 5 members of the team on the court with fans right up against the court.
Yeah, some of it is definitely organic to the nature of the games themselves.
 
Agree with you and part of the issue is the NBA is purely an individual league at this point. The players have no regard or care for the jersey they don so long as they have a super team with superstars alongside them.

NFL struggled this year too, not sure how much fans had to do with it.

Is there any way Karl Malone plays that long in Utah in today’s NBA? Probably wins a ring in his prime today too b/c he’d be playing with 1-2 legit superstars. Then again Drexler left Portland for Houston. So maybe the whole thing about players being different in the 90’s is true for some but not all of them.
 
Is there any way Karl Malone plays that long in Utah in today’s NBA? Probably wins a ring in his prime today too b/c he’d be playing with 1-2 legit superstars. Then again Drexler left Portland for Houston. So maybe the whole thing about players being different in the 90’s is true for some but not all of them.
They’re no different then as they were today. Barkley changes teams, Pippen changes teams, Shaq, etc.

Stockton and Malone were anomalies as are guys like Curry today and Dirk yesterday.
 
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They’re no different then as they were today. Barkley changes teams, Pippen changes teams, Shaq, etc.

Stockton and Malone were anomalies as are guys like Curry today and Dirk yesterday.
I’d argue Pippen. That was pretty late in his career. But very true on Shaq and Barkley
 
I think equipment, number of players in the game at a time, and proximity to the court contribute to this. Basketball doesn't have the helmet/hat like other sports so faces are always visible and that makes it easier for fans to build visual recognition. Same with only having 5 members of the team on the court with fans right up against the court.
Exactly. You beat me to it. It's hard to develop a connection with a player when you don't know what he looks like.
 
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