Everybody Hates The Miami Heat And Its Fans (And We Don’t Care)

Ever since the Miami Heat signed LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade last year, it has become the most hated team in all of professional sports.

But considering the team is doing what was expected of them, barraging their way through the playoffs to the NBA Finals, critics really haven’t been able to say much about the team’s performance.

So they’ve turned their hate to the fans, accusing us of being undeserving, fair-weathered, hop-on-the-bandwagon fans who are not as loyal as say, Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtics or New York Knicks fans.

Just check out Twitter during any playoff game involving the Heat and you will see what I’m talking about.

Even the New York Times published a piece, criticizing Miami fans for not showing up to the games on time.

And the Chicago Tribune accused our fans of being obnoxious, which we will take as a compliment.

And Bleacher Report questioned whether Heat fans are “the worst in the NBA? “because they show up late to games.

And now there is a Facebook page selling Don’t Hate Miami clothing that has accumulated more than 28,000 “likes”.

But let’s be honest. The most interesting part of a basketball game is in the fourth quarter, specifically the final two minutes.

Besides, Miami locals don’t show up on time to anything. It is, in fact, the height of rude manners in Miami to arrive to a party at the listed time because everybody knows the host is still making last minute adjustments.

The New York Times piece also criticized Miami fans for leaving a game early to beat traffic.

The truth is, the real Miami fans are not at the games. They can’t afford to be. Beneath its glitz and glamour, Miami is a working-class city.

But if you go to any sports bar in Miami, you won’t be able to find a seat unless you get there early, proving that we will be on time if it means missing out on a bar stool.

And Thursday night, when the Heat played the Bulls in Chicago, thousands of fans attended the Miami Heat block party in front of the American Airlines Arena to watch the game on the big screen out front.

And many of us celebrated in the streets after the Heat won, advancing to the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks as you can see in the photos and video.

But it’s also true we are very fickle as fans. We will remain loyal to the Heat whether they win or lose against Dallas.

But if ownership decides to dismantle the team as Marlins owners have done in the past, then we will lose interest and not care anymore.

There is just too much to do in Miami to spend our time supporting a team that has proven disloyal to its fan base.

George Carlin said it best:

I decided it’s not necessary to suffer and feel crappy just because my teams suck. What I do now is cut ‘em loose for awhile. I simply let them go about losing, as I go about living my life. Then, when they’ve improved, and are doing well once again, I get back on board and enjoy their success. Yeah, I know, I can hear it: diehard, asshole loyal sports fans screaming, “Front-runner!” Goddamn right! Don’t be fuckin’ juvenile. Teams are supposed to provide pleasure and entertainment, not depression and disappointment.

Photos and video by Carlos Miller

Related Categories: Miami: Local News, Miami: Sports News, Carlos Miller is a featured writer at Miami Beach 411. He also operates Photography is Not a Crime, a blog about photographer rights, New Media and First Amendment issues. See more articles by Carlos Miller. See more articles by Carlos Miller Was This Post Helpful? Please Share It With Others! Tweet

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