It's not exactly an outlandish revelation from a sports journalist, but judging by the 'code wars' epidemic that continues to be prevalent in today's society it appears not everyone is of the same opinion.

This week's to-and-from between the soccer and basketball communities highlighted just how negative rival fan bases can be as they chase their slice of the pie.

The National Basketball League broke their crowd record when over 17,500 people packed out Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena to watch the Sydney Kings battle NSW rivals Illawarra.

That should be reason for everyone to be happy, with basketball currently enjoying a renaissance after several years in the doldrums.

However, in a bigger certainty than horse racing protesters upping the ante in Melbourne Cup week, soccer fans viewed it as a change to belittle hoops supporters.

"Oh a 17,000 record crowd, that's cute," some bleated, as if their code's mere existence was being questioned simply because another sport enjoyed their time in the sun.

Sure, the NBL and A-League are direct rivals for eyeballs on TVs and bums on seats during the summer months, but surely sports groups and fans can celebrate each other's achievements without resorting to cheap shots and petty chest beating.

Refreshingly, the Kings and Sydney FC proved it's possible to work together for the greater good of both codes this week.

After the absolutely pointless one-uppmanship we experienced on Twitter, the two clubs agreed to introduce an initiative where their members would get complimentary access to a game of the other team.

There's plenty of people like myself who love a whole range of sports. Variety is the spice of life, there's plenty to go around.

Giving fans of a rival code free access to a game may not ensure they become rusted-on fans. But who knows? They may like what they see and sign up.

The constant belittling of each other reminds me of elections, where politicians spend oodles of tax payer's money making advertisements hammering their opposition, instead of outlining what improvements they will make if voted into office.

We're better than that.

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