Bemoaning the Dearth of Zaza Jerseys

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↵Referencing the oft-muted l’esprit de corps found at Atlanta sporting events (read: empty seats) is nothing new. For some reason, Atlanta has constant problems riling up interest in its pro sports teams. You will no doubt see some empty seats when the Cavaliers visit Phillips Arena tonight, just as you’ll find a lackluster crowd at most Braves and Falcons games. (I have no idea how the Thrashers do.)
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↵But whining about how Atlantans don’t buy local jerseys, instead opting for, oh, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, seems ... well, unworthy of scorn. Because this happens in almost every city. The Journal-Constitution’s Christian Boone has local businessmen and media up in arms over the lack of deference to the city. The Champs store sells more Bron and Kobe jerseys than, say, Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams jerseys. Fans in attendance for the sole Lakers appearance at Phillips (until the Finals, of course) had the temerity to chant “M-V-P” in the general direction of Kobe instead of, I don’t know, doing The Chop.
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↵But Kobe received M-V-P chants in Sacramento this year. You’ll find hundreds of Bron jerseys in Washington, D.C, and Toronto, and New York, and even L.A. This is a highly mobile nation. In the new information age, with online newspapers and streaming video and fan communities for every team in America, you can legitimately root for any laundry you want. If a kid growing up in the Atlanta ‘burbs like the cut of Dirk’s jib, what’s the problem with him buying a Nowitzki kit and only showing up to Hawks games when the Mavericks visit?
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↵Sure, there’s a certain elegance and convenience in root-root-rooting for the home team, to buy into one of the few truly communitarian exercises we still practice in America. There’s nothing like a championship parade passing by your favorite deli, I (can only) imagine (sniffle). But it’s not criminal if folks are built some other way. Atlantans shouldn’t feel shamed because they aren’t losing their minds with Hawks Fever.↵