Interview with TSG Parkita and Kobe Bryant Tribute

First off sorry it's been a while since I've written a blog I've had a lot of personal stuff right now which is my main focus right now. But once things are settled there will be a lot more content. Thanks again for all the feedback and positive response I'm truly blown away.

A few months back I went to a LA Kings game, before the game I bumped into Sean Parkita a member and leader of the 3252 LAFC supporter Tigers Suppers Group. Then as the game started of all the 18'000 seats in Staples Center we ended up sitting right next to each other, so I decided to interview him, in between the 1st and 2nd periods. But before I do that I'd like to write about a LA sports legend, who we tragically lost on Sunday January 26, 2020; Kobe Bryant.

It's crazy that my blog that is a tribute to the great Kobe Bryant is a interview with Sean Parkita, who is a huge Kobe Bryant fan. Something about Sean not only is he a LAFC supporter, he is one of the biggest LA sports fans you will ever meet. Not only is he a big LAFC supporter; Sean loves the; Lakers, Kings, Rams and Dodgers. Kobe Bryant was a huge influence and a hero to Sean, so Sean I'm sorry for the loss of one of your heroes, I find it fitting that the blog featuring is also features and is tribute to your hero Kobe Bryant, I hope and pray this will help and heal the pain you're going through.

In 1996 I graduated from high school, that same year the Los Angeles Lakers acquired Kobe Bryant from the Charlotte Hornets, right after the Hornets drafted Bryant the Lakers traded Vlade Divac. I remember here's this kid who just graduated high school like myself and he's going off to play for the Lakers and I'm going to go work at KMart. Growing up in the Los Angeles area, the Lakers are a huge part of Los Angeles, and I grew up watching the Showtime Lakers, and since the early 90's the Lakers were just no longer that dominant club we all knew. Then came Kobe, and a lot of us Lakers fans, saw something in this kid, that we knew was going to bring the Laker legacy back to the NBA. His first few seasons in the league were rocky. Then the Lakers moved to Staples Center in 1999, and for the first 3 years, the Lakers were in Staples Center the Lakers were NBA Champions. I'm not going to go in great detail about his career, mainly because this is a LAFC blog, but Kobe was LA. I think one of my favorite Kobe Bryant moments was game 7 of the Western Conference Finals against the Portland Trail Blazers. At one point the Lakers were down 16 points. The Lakers came back and of course won the game, but what sealed the deal was a alley-oop pass from Kobe to Shaq to but the game away. I remember watching that in the living and just jumping off the couch screaming.

Other than graduating high school the same year as Kobe, another way I was able to relate was that he was a father of daughters. I myself have to beautiful, amazing daughters. I heard Kobe interviewed and he mentioned how he wanted all daughters, and being a dad to daughters was the best thing. I have to completely agree with that, I always wanted daughters, in fact it was in 7th grade English class that I had my first daughter's name picked out; Gloria, named after my Grandma. He was a huge fan of women's sports. After I had daughters I pay much more attention to women's sports. I remember watching the US Women's hockey team win the gold medal game with my daughter and she told me; "Daddy I want to be like those girls and win a gold medal." She often asks me if we can go to a women's sporting game, perhaps this year I'll take her to a Sparks game. I'm also hoping to see the NWSL, come to Los Angeles. I find it so heart breaking that his daughter Gigi lost her life as well along with 7 others. But as tragic as it was, I can't bear to think how Gigi would had been without her dad, of all his daughters she was the most like him, they had a special bond and they both had a love for basketball and drive to be the best. RIP to all of those who lost their lives that day.

So like I had mentioned earlier this season I was at a Kings game and I bumped into Sean Parkita of the the LAFC supporter group Tigers Supporter Group (side note we've also bumped into each other at a Dodgers game as well). I was in my old season seats which a friend has now, in section 308 (right below the Lakers banners and jerseys), where I've been sitting for around 17 years. We ended up sitting right next to each other, so I interviewed during the 1st intermission. During the game and the dance cam they showed a guy in the crowd who had lots of passion, Sean and I joked around and said we should go recruit him for the 3252. We also both agreed that there's nothing better in LA than being at a LAFC game in the 3252. Now if you've ever been to a LAFC tailgate on Christmas Tree lane you either know Sean or have seen him running around having a great time with his fellow LAFC supporters. Sean is part of TSG, a Korean LAFC supporter group. This is something that's so awesome about the 3252 family, we have all races, groups, girls, guys, we are one giant family. I've said it before my SG (Empire Boys) is my immediate family, while the other SG are like cousins, I call TSG my Korean cousins. Like I said there are not too many people who loves their Los Angeles sports teams more than Sean, follow him on instagram TSG_Parkita and you will see that. The interview was short, mainly because we were in Staples Center; the house that Kobe built.

LAFC Punk: Introduce your self real quick

Sean: My name is Sean TSG Parkita, part of Tigers Supporters Group

LAFC Punk: What got you into football?

Sean: My family has always watched the Korean National Team, my first real football memory would be the Brandi Chastain game, in 1999 so that would be my first real dive into football, what really made it for me was the 2002 World Cup and that was it, so ever since then it's been a very interesting journey to LAFC.

LAFC Punk: Usually I write out my questions but we just happened to be sitting next to each other at Staples, so I'm just thinking of questions on top of my head. What SG are you part of?

Sean: TSG, TSG stands for Tigers Supporters Group, the reason why we picked Tigers is because the Tiger real close to Korea culture, it's basically the national animal of Korea, I'm actually not sure about the truth of this statement, but it's very close to the hearts of Korean people. 

LAFC Punk:

Do you have any role in TSG?

Sean: I just became part of the leadership of TSG recently so everything is kind of new on how things are run, it's very fun. I'm here for the long haul.

LAFC Punk:

Being that we are at a LA Kings game, we can testify, as I sit here I'm thinking; "I'd rather be in the 3252 right now. What makes a LAFC game different than any other LA sporting event?

Sean:

Being in the North End has given me a perspective that I can't argue with, like the 3252 is probaly the best thing in Los Angeles at a sporting event, right now. When you're in there you feel this passion and if you do it right the passion comes out of you, you feel it through out your whole body, I know that's a weird way to put it. It's almost tribal, it's like family you have a sense of connection with everyone, not only your city but also the people you stand with. It's like a community, but it's more than that.

LAFC Punk:

I heard recently that there is going to be a new Korean chant, do you have any information on that (side note this took place on October 17, 2019)

Sean:

We are working on it and that's all I'm going to say.

LAFC Punk:

What does being part of the 3252 mean to you?

Sean:

That's a deep question to ask at a Kings game. But in the beginning I just wanted to see whats it was all about. When we started playing in 2018 I started going to all the games, I started to dive into the culture, when I started realizing what it was it became everything to me. My life no longer revolves around the Kings anymore, it revolves around LAFC now.

LAFC Punk:

I'm the exact same way.

Sean:

It's kind of funny, it's not just us, it's like that within the entire North End and the LAFC community, I've meet so many people who have said the same thing, about the Kings, Dodgers, Lakers, but now LAFC has taken that, it's kind of funny how that works.