A short article published today by The Sporting News has revealed recent findings by an online publication called Vegas Insider that the Dallas Mavericks fanbase is currently the most negative fanbase in the league, ranking teams 1-30 (with Dallas finishing first) based on an analysis of data purportedly pulled from aggregate Reddit comments across NBA team communities. The sticky particulars of the science behind their process were not fully disclosed. The article sums it up neatly, saying “According to Vegas Insider, the Mavericks fans have the highest percentage of negative comments across all fanbases at 32.41%.”
It’s not made totally clear how exactly the Reddit comments in question were qualified as truly negative, rather than, perhaps, simply neutral or slightly melancholy, nor which of them, if any, were the result of a bad case of gas or bloating, rather than outright disdain; but, sure, fine. The main criteria revealed to be utilized in their scrutiny of Reddit sites was the frequency with which swear words were used by commenting fans, and in particular, the use of the “F-Word” (F**K).
After some ruminating, all of that got me to thinking... why the f**k would it not be us? We just got thoroughly screwed by a bunch of white-collared weasels. Had the rug pulled out from under out feet. Got hoodwinked. Conned. And, what? You expect positivity? Nay, you go so far as to observe that the fanbase is an angry one, rather than discuss the cause of their anger. That’s like pointing to the man whose tongue has recently been cut out of his mouth and declaring to all who will listen “This man is the most quiet man of all those men present here today, and it’s a shame that he isn’t able to move on from his quietness.”
The article went on to say that Dallas fans will likely be less negative in the near future due to the fact that they’ve (somehow) secured the first pick in the upcoming NBA draft after entering the draft lottery with only 1.8% chance odds of securing that pick, and are all but certain to select Duke sensation Cooper Flagg to become the next face of the franchise, something that just about every other fanbase in the league would’ve loved to have happened to them. Yeah, okay. I agree with that assessment. That should cause the anger to dissipate. Time has a way of healing all wounds, it’s said.
But this is, once again, ignoring (or moving on from, as some callously urge) the fact that the Dallas Mavericks general manager and governor royally screwed over the Mavericks fanbase earlier this year, so much so that many have subsequently written the franchise off, preferring lonely non-fandom over rooting for an organization that is run by people with no spine and no sense of dignity or commitment to its community.
Sure, Flagg will likely be an All-Star caliber player in a few short years, promising to keep the Mavericks relevant for another decade, which is what fans need. That gives them purpose in their actions as a fan, gives them reason to look forward to the end of the day when they can clock out of work in time to catch the game on television. But there’s something very valuable about trusting your leaders, just like any other game or social movement. If the people leading the charge are content with suddenly and arbitrarily trading in their trusted weapons for all new ones, changing their battle cry mid-battle, haphazardly adjusting the system of beliefs that fostered interest in joining their particular cause in the first place, then how can it be expected that the pawns, the soldiers, the fans, will all just smile and shrug their solders, ready to charge ahead all the same? It can’t be expected! And it shouldn’t be.
As was carefully exposited by another MMB writer this week, when you indifferently mishandle the trust that fortifies a fanbase, you thereby severely undermine its potency, while simultaneously overestimating its likeliness to acquiesce with your silly, selfish caprice.
It makes me happy that Dallas fans have been (very informally) recognized as the league’s most negative. That displays resiliency and passion, people, not mediocrity. Don’t let anybody trick you into thinking otherwise.
Also, everything sucks. F**K F**K F**K