David Jacoby on "Homerism" and being a die-easy fan

The Midas touch continues, home teams have gone 9-0 when I've been in the building. More often than not, said home teams were underdogs or underperforming. True. 2014-15 season: OKC (23-22) lose@ NYK (8-37) DEN (19-29) lose@ PHI (10-39) LAC (33-16) lose@ CLE (30-20) 2016-17 season: MIL (4-2) lose@ DAL (0-5) PHI (1-8) lose@ HOU (5-4) UTA (7-6) lose@ HOU (7-5) DET (4-4) lose@ SAS (5-3) 2017 Playoffs SAS (2nd) lose@ MEM (7th) Gm4 WAS (4th) lose@ ATL (5th) Gm4 #AddtheW #30HGroadtrip #30HGsoutheast

A post shared by Loz In Transit (@30homegames) on Apr 24, 2017 at 9:42pm PDT

Die-easy fan David Jacoby shares a sentiment straight out of my brain.

AUDIO: Goodell Strikes Back, Billboard Message In Philly, Lonzo's Top 5 and More (Feb 27, 2018)
JALEN ROSE: (9m 43s) Is there a limit on how many teams you can be die-easy for?
DAVID JACOBY: No. You know how die-easy fandom works Jalen. That's how it works. I can do whatever I want.
You know what I do when I go to games? This is for real. This is the most die-easy thing I do.
When I go to games, you know who I root for?
JALEN ROSE: The home team.
JACOBY: The home team.
*Jalen Rose laughing*

Just to be excited. I like the energy. I like the collective energy of the human beings around me. I like to get swept up in the emotion. Like I swear --the Podfather [Bill Simmons] doesn't listen to this show so he won't mind-- but when I go to Celtics/Clippers games or something. I'll root against the Celtics. I just like to high five the people around me. I like to chant "D-Fence!". You know what I mean? I like the collective energy. I like to stand up in a big possession.

I've been lucky to visit multiple basketball cities. For each of those games, I've barracked excitedly for the home team. I'm 14-1 in NBA cities watched and 5-2 for NBL games. I began with 5 straight wins on my recent tour of Australasia. Including watching the slumping (7 losses straight) Brisbane Bullets reverse their fortune against the streaking 36ers (7 game win streak). Interestingly my two blemishes came from formidable playoff-bound teams.

My homer tour of Australia.

My hometown Sydney Kings not included.

I'm a fan of the game, I'd like to preserve that as best as possible. For this Oz tour I took game day photos capturing perspectives for each NBL arena. It was fun running around taking a holistic view of the game but it was a balancing act. Focusing on the contest at hand whilst documenting the energy around me. Being invested in the success of the home team certainly heightened my engagement. It struck a nerve when my home win streak finally fell in New Zealand.

DAVID: JACOBY That's why I'll never get a press pass. Two reasons I'll never get a press pass, never get credentialed. Number one, you can't drink. So-- you know.
*Jalen hasn't stopped giggling*
Number two, you gotta act like you don't care about the game. You know what I mean? When you're in the press area. You have to sit there and be [in serious voice] "I'm a journalist. The outcome of this game doesn't affect me. I'm just here to analyse the performance of the different teams"
JALEN ROSE: That's hilarious.

I have no problem being labeled a die-easy fan. A big part of travel for me is connection, building empathy. I've certainly developed kinships with places visited, the more positive the experience the deeper the bond. It's worth noting I've never watched a game where my favored Memphis Grizzlies or hometown Sydney Kings were visitors. When allegiances are tested I can only hope for a well-fought match. You could argue that my 30 Home Games mission is rooted in being openhearted and die-easy.
First and foremost, I'm a basketball fan.

- Souvenir NBA merchandise and the Politics of being a Sports Homer #30HGtees
- David Jacoby on "Homerism" and being a die-easy fan

Update: Since 2016, I've been making bandwagon logos for NBA teams that earn a playoff berth.

#30HGlogos