The Duality of Hornets Fandom
After the Hornets closed out their 126-109 road win against there was a flurry of excitement from fans. It's hard not to be energized by a Nick Richards and Dennis Smith Jr led Hornets team beating the Atlanta Hawks who ended Charlotte's 21-22 season in emphatic style. For that moment in time fans are filled with hope that just MAYBE Steve Clifford has figured this out. If this team can win on the road against a strong Atlanta team missing LaMelo, Rozier and Martin, what's the ceiling on the team back at full strength? The cogs start to turn, your imagination gets carried away and you start contemplating a potential playoff run.
The next morning, once the adrenaline and dopamine have worn off fans slowly remember the big picture. That win might simply hurt Charlotte's lottery odds, fast forward to lottery night in 2023 and you might reflect back on the exact same win with different feelings. Fans then repeat this cycle throughout the season, bending your mind to ease the hurt by celebrating losses (Tanking = Yay!) and wins (Playoffs= Wahooo!) almost to an equal level. This is the duality of Hornets fandom, where it's difficult to know what you really want over the course of a season.
It wasn't supposed to be this way. After last season Charlotte looked set to push on from their 43 wins into the upper echelons of the play-in tournament. Reports of chasing Gobert and Mitchell suggested the Hornets were committed to competing. After losing their second best player for nothing, no notable free agents and an improving Eastern Conference, Charlotte's path forward suddenly looked like a game of snakes and ladders.
There's a range of views from Hornets writers and podcasters about the best path forward for the franchise. From my sphere of connections I would suggest it leans 80% towards a "Gap year rebuild". However, are those media members who are supportive of taking a step back then going to complain about about a three game win streak? Are those supportive of pushing for the playoffs going to disapprove if the Hornets ended up with a bottom five record and Victor Wembanyama? No, something both the media and fans have in common is they naturally find the good in everything to sell that never ending secret sauce... Hope.
I have a tremendous amount of respect for The Charlotte Observer's Hornets coverage. It shouldn't be taken for granted the Observer's commitment to covering the Hornets beat since the inception of the franchise. However, I do disagree with the article which suggests those supportive of tanking "Haven't been paying attention". In my experience these fans are often the ones who have sat through the past decades' endless procession of late lottery finishes and want to jump off the treadmill onto the trampoline. But that's fine, differing opinions are still okay despite what society in 2022 sometimes makes you think.
Remember, if you feel conflicted throughout the season, you're not alone. Charlotte fans have grown up embracing a duality of fandom, after all this has been the only way to make it this far with any shred of hope left.
