Dennis RomeroLos Angeles is the perpetual threat used by NFL owners who want their hometowns to build them stadiums.
Our best football team is UCLA's, and that's saying a lot in a city that's more often dominated by the USC Trojans. The owners of the once-championship Lakers spent a buttload of money on Kobe Bryant, who's falling apart like a two-for-one suit. The Clippers grabbed more headlines than any other local team last year — for all the wrong reasons.
And, oh yeah, the International Olympic Committee recently passed on our bid to host the 2024 Summer Games.
Green Bay, Wisconsin, has more game than L.A. when it comes to pro sports. Yet the president of the United States yesterday indicated he's envious of our sports scene:
“Now, as a Chicago fan, I’m a little resentful,” he said during an event at the White House. “You guys have an embarrassment of riches.”
Come again? Ah, yes, el presidente was speaking of the 2014 Stanley Cup champions, the L.A. Kings, and the 2014 MLS Cup champions, the L.A. Galaxy, two teams that barely register a .001 on the sports-fan Richter scale in Los Angeles.
Credit: Pete Souza for the White House
We kid, a little.
But seriously, despite being graced by a great team, few Southern Californians grow up on hockey. Soccer has a big following among immigrants and bearded hipsters. But we'd hardly call what we have here with these two teams an “embarrassment of riches.”
Our sports scene is more, like, just an embarrassment. Obama, God bless him, begs to differ. He honored the Kings' and Galaxy's achievements yesterday.
The Kings have done the unthinkable — they have turned a city with no snow and no ice and no winter into a hockey town …
So congratulations to both of these teams, to the City of Los Angeles and its fans. And best of luck when you are not playing Chicago.
Sure. Just wake us up when winter's over.
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