The crosstown rivalry between the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers has been well-documented as the latter — who have zero championships and have only been good since the 2012-13 NBA season — play in the same Staples Center where the former’s 16 championship banners and some of the greatest players of all time jerseys hang in the rafters.
There’s a similar phenomenon going on in the NFL where the Los Angeles Chargers, who once were adored by the people of San Diego, can no longer even sell out a soccer stadium consistently. Because of this, they’ll now share an arena with the Los Angeles Rams, a team who is just seven months removed from a Super Bowl appearance.
Lakers superfan Ice Cube has long held angst against the Clippers for the way that they inhabit the city of Los Angeles and cover the championship banners in Staples Center.
Now, Cube is calling for a relocation of the team, saying that other cities deserve to have a team they can love, according to Arash Markazi of Los Angeles Times:
“The Clippers are like your cousin who moved in and starts thinking it’s his house because he’s been there for so long,” Cube said. “I really think they should move the team. We didn’t ask them to come here. I think it’s unfair to so many cities in America who don’t have a team like Seattle that we have two teams here in L.A. They should move because it’s never going to happen for them here. They may have a blip on the radar every now and then, but it’s never going to be their city. They should just get out and take the Chargers with them.”
Cube then went on to compare this situation to that of the Chargers, saying that it makes no sense they’re going to be sharing a stadium with the Rams. And even if they did, they’ll never be loved in Los Angeles like the Oakland Raiders:
“It makes no sense that the Chargers are here,” Cube said. “They must be gluttons for punishment and abuse to try and call L.A. their home. It’s still a Raiders town. I wish they would have come here but I’m sad for the people of Oakland. I don’t understand why they could never get a stadium built there. I’m happy they’re getting the brand new stadium that they deserve. Las Vegas and the Raiders are like long-lost relatives. They’re kind of made for each other. I just hope our team won’t have too much fun in Vegas. It’s going to be a terrible season if they do. I have mixed emotions about that move.”
When it comes to fandom combinations, there isn’t one quite as common in this world as the Lakers, Raiders, and Los Angeles Dodgers fan. For Cube, it makes complete sense that the Clippers and Chargers simply will never be loved in Los Angeles like they could be in other places.
The Clippers have no incentive to leave Los Angeles, which means the best that Cube will get is them relocating across town to The Forum or to their own new arena.
On the other hand, the Chargers are locked into their deal with the Rams at the brand new stadium in Inglewood. Not only does that mean the Chargers will be the second-most liked team in their own stadium, but they also might not even crack the top-three in their own city.