Last month I took a trip up to Birmingham to check out the British Basketball League Trophy Cup Finals. It's essentially an in-season tournament with a 'Final Four' style of format. For me it was a homecoming, I've lived in London for the last 15 years, but Birmingham is where I was born and raised. It was sentimental and returning in the name of basketball was dope.
As a London resident, and with no pro team representing Birmingham for the last 20 years, I was mildly happy to see the Lions reach the Trophy Cup Finals. It was somewhat of an inevitability, though. They came into the competition at the top of the league and with almost 10 wins separating them and the second-place Caledonia Gladiators, not only that, they have at least 3 former NBA players on the roster (most recently, David Nwaba, from the Houston Rockets), as well as deep pockets, given their recently acquired wealthy investors.
All of this didn't guarantee a London Lions victory at the Trophy Cup Finals, it would be the Cheshire Phoenix who would take the title in a hard-fought battle which was ultimately 'put to bed' by a 3-point dagger from Skyler White late in the 4th. It was a great win for Cheshire and a good look for the league. The wallet-power and subsequent success, combined with suspicions that there tends to be a bias towards England's capital, has meant that there's no shortage of resentment towards the Lions. Cheshire's win pushed out some hope to the rest of the league, that competing (or cheering) for anyone other than The Lions is not in vain.
It was Cheshire Phoenix Head Coach, Ben Thomas's post-game interview that was ringing in my ears on my 100-mile trip back to London. He made a throw-away comment that the Lions had 'zero fans' in attendance. I will acknowledge that Cheshire's fans represented to the max. They made the most noise, came out wearing their team's colours, and took prime position directly behind their team's bench. There was even footage of a fan overcome with emotion following the lifting of the trophy.
There was even footage of a Cheshire fan overcome with emotion following the lifting of the trophy.
This isn't uncommon in the rest of the league, either. Outside of London, fans of numerous other British Basketball League teams are distinctly die-hard and actually care about the outcome of their games. I won't be unfair and say that this doesn't at the Copperbox during Lion's home games - recent EuroCup games have had an incredible atmosphere (some of the best I've experienced at UK basketball events), with fans genuinely supporting the home team.
It's worth exploring why this doesn't translate on the road. Could it be that we're complacent, spoilt by the wealth of sporting options in London Town? Do we live up to the stereotype that Londoners think that everything relevant only happens here? Or are there many who, like me, aren't from here - and are only mildly happy to see the London Lion's success?
