The Golden State Is Now the Gritty State
California Used to Be About Glamour—Today It’s About Toughness
California’s reputation as a supremely glamorous and wealthy place was once so entrenched that even its sports teams had to live up to the image. The “Showtime” Lakers of the 1980s played a brand of basketball as Hollywood as the stars sitting courtside. The 49ers, under quarterback Joe Montana, gave the violent game of football the elegance of the San Francisco Ballet.
Perhaps that’s why it’s so jarring that the most valuable sports franchise in California may be the Los Angeles Clippers, long known for mediocre-at-best basketball (and a racist owner). …
