When the LA Clippers announced that they were set to break ground on their new Intuit Dome, it was a bit of an important milestone for this team under Steve Ballmer.
The Clippers won’t have to share an arena anymore, and while Staples is an iconic venue, the Intuit Dome looks like it’s going to be spectacular:
https://twitter.com/ESPNNBA/status/1438879549811527697
Its in-game design for the fan experience includes innovative technology to help concession experiences be as quick as possible, so that the fans can be in their seats as much as possible to contribute to the home court advantage. It also will include about twice the amount of toilets of any other NBA arena so that fans won’t be waiting around to go to the bathroom and can just go in, go out, and then be part of the home court advantage again. That plan and idea from Steve Ballmer sounds hilarious, but it truly is the plan and it actually does make sense.
The best part about all of this, though, is that the team can use an opportunity like this to continue to forge their own identity.
The LA Clippers can use the Intuit Dome to continue to push the ‘L.A. Our Way’ movement.
The ‘L.A. Our Way’ campaign for our LA Clippers has been brilliant, and has even seemed to have gotten in the heads of the Lakers and their fans. The Clippers have followed that up with improved performance in each of the last two seasons.
Now, they’re even going to have their own arena, to solidify the fact that the team is truly trying to do it ‘our way.’
It’s already making national headlines and energizing the fanbase. Now imagine when the arena is finally built and the franchise can really use it to plug the mantra.
The crazy part is that it’s even bigger than that, too. The LA Clippers have typically seemed to have much tougher schedules than the Lakers in the past. This year, they even are tied with the most seven-day stretches with five games in the NBA (tied at five with Portland).
Brian Windhorst on the Clippers having the league’s most stretches of 5 games in 7 nights: “This is preposterous. Especially because they play in the same venue as a team with one 5 in 7… this is a really unbalanced schedule compared to the Lakers.”
— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) September 7, 2021
Pretty wild graphic. pic.twitter.com/euy5mY0JMn
Clipper Executive Jerry West even referenced the fact that the Clippers are very low on the priority list at Staples Center compared to the Lakers. He believes that it’s a big part in why the Clippers are often awarded with difficult schedules.
Jerry West: “The Clippers have been in a great building in Staples but when you are the third tenant in the building, I mean my goodness we have the worst schedule every year.” pic.twitter.com/GDlfExsHoF
— Andrew Greif (@AndrewGreif) September 17, 2021
The Intuit Dome is going to be massive for this organization. The Clippers are continuing to build on their sense of identity in the giant city of Los Angeles.
I don’t know that this arena is going to convert every Laker fan in Inglewood to a Clipper fan, but it’s at least a start in growing this fanbase, and continuing to build a stronger and stronger franchise.