There’s been a trend in the comments section lately that we need to address. There’s a backlash against those who criticize the team as not being “real” fans because they aren’t being optimistic. Because of this, I think it’s important that we take a moment to discuss what you need to do to be a real fan of the Sacramento Kings.

First, here are some things you don’t need to do to be classified as a real Kings fan:

Attend games

Buy apparel

Watch every game

Be optimistic

Like a free agent signing

Like a draft pick

Like the owners

Like the GM

Like the coach

Like the roster

Agree with the authors of Sactown Royalty

Agree with the commenters at Sactown Royalty

Wear pants

With those out of the way, here are things you do need to do to be a Real Kings Fan™:

Want the Kings to succeed

That’s it. That’s what it means to be a Kings fan. You want this team to have success. We can disagree on how the Kings reach success. We can disagree with whether tanking down the stretch is better or worse than trying to win games. We can disagree about free agents, draft picks, owners, GMs, coaches, and everything else to do with the team. We all want this team to succeed. That’s our common bond. That’s why we’re all on the comment section of a Kings blog, arguing passionately in the doldrums of July about a basketball team that hasn’t made the playoffs in 12 years.

There’s no right or wrong way to be a fan.