Lakers or Clippers?: Lakers

For 51 years, fans in Los Angeles have been treated to a seemingly endless rollercoaster of excitement and thrill. The result is five "Showtime," three "Big Diesel" and two "Black Mamba" titles which heavily increased the fan base. Conversely, since moving to Los Angeles in 1984, the Clippers have only had three playoff berths, all three ending in first round elimination, and only two winning seasons. They have failed to even provide the most basic amount of competitiveness to elevate their games above Laker pre-season significance. We are creatures driven by emotion, which motivates, guides, and propels us. Fear is a powerful emotion—fear of death, fear of the unknown, fear of losing. It is fear, and the rush of adrenaline we get when we encounter this fear that makes sports so enjoyable and addictive.

Anyone who has ever witnessed a championship season understands the rigors that go into a title run. Whether it's an excruciating defeat or an inspiring victory; the road to success is paved with stomach churning, blood curling, nausea inducing events. But despite all the fear and anxiety that it took to accomplish such a task: every athlete says the same thing after they reach the pinnacle of this seemingly terrible journey: lets get back to work so we can do it again. Why? Because the thrills we get from being on both the peak of the mountain and edge of the cliff are unique to sports. Sports have a special power to bring us to our highest highs and our lowest lows and it is because of this that fans are drawn to sports. However, not all games have this type of win-or-go-home, do-or-die attitude. And when this is the case, we simply do not get the same emotional fix that we seek. This is precisely why it is better to be a Laker's fan than a Clipper's fan.

As for the Lakers, I could go on and on about all the Hall of Famers and rings and records. But what it really comes down to is that the Lakers give their fans an adrenaline filled season year in and year out, almost always culminating in exhilarating and satisfying finish in June. The Los Angeles Clippers have been perhaps the worst franchise in all of sports not because they have failed to win, but because they have failed to make their games meaningful. Their games don't matter, whether they win or lose is not really an issue because they don't go to the playoffs, they don't win championships and they don't give you that emotional rush that you crave when you're watching a Laker game.