Will the Brooklyn Nets Become New York's Team?

Brooklyn's "all-in" approach to acquiring James Harden has basketball fans debating whether the Nets will finally overthrow the Knicks as New York's top basketball brand. And for good reason: Kyrie Irving, James Harden, and Kevin Durant are sure to draw in more young basketball fans than New York's starless squad.

But with the Knicks dominating the Nets in terms of fan equity, road equity, and social equity after decades of inferior play, Mike and I find ourselves asking this question: what does it take for a city's "little brother" team (Nets, Clippers, White Sox, Mets, etc.) to overthrow its historic brand (Knicks, Lakers, Cubs, Yankees, etc.) in terms of fandom?

In our search for an answer, we explore three sets of sibling teams - each at a different stage in the battle of their city's sports fans:
Lakers/Clippers - The Clippers are far from overthrowing the Lakers.
Knicks/Nets - The Nets pose a serious threat to the Knicks.
Rams/Chargers - These two teams are in a dead heat in the fight for LA football fans.

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