Los Angeles Lakers: 7 New Hobbies for Laker Fans During the Lockout

It's a sad time to be a basketball fan in Los Angeles. There is no end in sight for the NBA lockout and this means that we might face a long period of time without any basketball.

No Kobe.

No Metta World Peace.

No Stu Lantz.

It's important in life to turn negatives into positives. This might be a great time for Laker fans who sit home all day and night throughout the fall, winter, and spring to get out of the house and explore new options.

Here are seven new hobbies for Laker fans across the USA. 

Dating

It's time.

Turn off that TV and get off the Laker message boards. There isn't anything to watch or talk about. As much as you think you're married to Kobe Bryant and that the Lakers are your life, they really aren't. They don't know who you are and the lockout can be a great time to realize that these players care about money more than they care about you.

It's a great time to go and meet someone that will care for you as much as you care for them! Dating can be fun! And with the Lakers out of business right now, there are plenty of other depressed Laker fans that are looking to meet a great person like you!

And who knows? When the season starts again, you might have a partner to watch games with. It will ease the tough Laker losses knowing that there is someone greater in your life than a round ball. Try it and see how it works!

Hockey

It's time to stop being an ignorant NBA fan. There are other sports too. If you hadn't noticed, an ice hockey team called the Los Angeles Kings plays in the same building the Lakers play in.

It's true!

They've made some strong offseason acquisitions too and they're ready to make a run for the Stanley Cup this season.

Broaden your horizons! Hockey's a great sport. Mike Richards and Anze Kopitar are just as cool as Lamar Odom and Kobe Bryant. Just because they don't have reality shows and are not world icons it doesn't make them any less cool!

Explore Los Angeles

No. Los Angeles is not limited to Staples Center. Maybe if you left your television set once in a while you would know that.

There are plenty of great places to see in Los Angeles. Perhaps go to the Getty Center or the Griffith Observatory. Go to Westwood and walk along the Miracle Mile. Spend a Sunday afternoon at the Santa Monica Pier. 

You can get through this! Basketball is not the only option in LA!

Follow Kobe to Europe

If you're absolutely just not going to be able to survive without the Lakers, get your credit card and book a flight to Europe. 

This will be a great way to explore the world. Travel from city to city and see different people. See new things and at the same time keep track of all your favorite Lakers. Maybe spend a week in Istanbul to watch one player play, then go over to Italy and see another one play. 

Charity Work for the Dodgers

Folks, the Dodgers are not in great shape. They can use a lot of help. Perhaps go host a car wash fundraiser with all proceeds going to the Dodgers. Or maybe host a telethon or radiothon with donations going to the Dodgers.

If every Laker fan does this, we can at least get the Dodgers to meet payroll. It'll make depressed Laker fans feel good inside for helping the poor and if the lockout wipes out the whole season they can watch some good baseball come next April. 

Exercise

Let's face it. 

All that sitting around during Laker games has not done that body of yours any good. With no basketball, it's time to renew that gym membership and actually use it! 

No more excuses about how the Lakers are playing tonight and you can't work it. No more excuses about how you got into a huge message board debate regarding possible Laker trades. No more! Time to start living a healthy life. 

Think of it this way. By adding more years to your life you'll be living longer and because of that you'll be able to enjoy more Lakers basketball. 

Pick a Season...

...and watch all the games from that season. 

Make it as random as possible so you don't know which season it is. Hide all the game results and the year of the season and just watch every game one by one like it happened that year. It might be difficult to obtain all the footage from the Lakers 1973 season and at the same time hide from yourself that it's the 1973 season and the Lakers didn't do much that season. However, if done properly, it can be an exciting and time-consuming activity that can take up some time until the lockout ends.