The Los Angeles Clippers are going to great lengths to create a home-court advantage in their new arena.
The Clippers have shared Crypto.com Arena (formerly known as Staples Center) with the Los Angeles Lakers since 1999. That will change next season when they move into the $2B Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif.
Recently, the Clippers announced that the Intuit Dome will feature a section called “The Wall,” which will be made up of “51 uninterrupted rows of passionate Clippers fans.” Within that 4,500-seat area of the arena will be a standing-only section that is “built to house 300 of our most energetic fans who will cheer loudly to help us deliver an unbelievable in-game experience.” The 300-fan section will be directly behind the basket.
Any fan seated in one of the 4,500 seats located within “The Wall” will have to follow strict rules during home games. The section is for Clippers fans only, and those who are seated there are not permitted to cheer for the opposing team. Anyone found to be in violation of the rules will lose access to the section.
Fans who want to buy tickets within “The Wall” — both on the primary and resale markets — will have to get “Chuckmark Certified,” which basically means enrolling as a Clippers super fan.
While the concept sounds unique and very on-brand for Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, we can’t help but think of what “The Wall” might look like during seasons in which the team is not in contention. It seems inevitable that the strict rules will be relaxed at some point, at least temporarily.
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