Random Things That Sons Of Anarchy Got Totally Wrong About California Motorcycle Gangs (10 items)

(#9) The President Would Have Outsourced More Club Business

Clay Morrow and Jax Teller, during their respective stints as president of SAMCRO, do a lot of the day-to-day tasks that the head of the club wouldn't have actually bothered with.

The duties of the president include holding meetings and maintaining relationships with outsiders. The other members would have had specific tasks, too. In reality, the prospects would have been the ones doing the heavy lifting, not the boss.
(#2) The Initiation Process Is Even More Extensive Than SoA Lets On

During Sons of Anarchy, the audience meets newbies like Half Sack Epps and Filthy Phil Russell. These men undergo a period of probation and some hazing, but the show hardly depicts the extent of the true initiation process undertaken by new motorcycle club members.

Called "prospects," new members undergo a plethora of initiation rituals that vary depending on the club. In some instances, they're subjected to beatings, humiliated (stripped naked and put out on display, for example), or, in extreme cases, forced to cook and consume human waste.
(#4) Women Are More Respected On The Show Than In Most Clubs

In line with Gemma Teller and her role on the show, the overall treatment of women in Sons of Anarchy is more favorable than in real motorcycle clubs.

Women in motorcycle club culture are more often treated as possessions than anything, and if an "ol' lady" isn't married to a member, she's often treated like a prostitute. Even when she is married, she may still consider herself his "whore."

There's a lot of accepted brutality directed at women in motorcycle clubs, too. Domestic violence does appear in Sons of Anarchy – notably when Clay Morrow beats Gemma Teller in season four – but in real life, it's much more intense.
(#1) SAMCRO Kills Way More People Than Real Motorcycle Clubs

Clubs get into turf wars, they fight with one another, and yes, deaths do happen, as was the case in a 2015 incident in Waco, Texas.

Jax Teller's kill count of 46 people throughout the duration of Sons of Anarchy , however, is a vast exaggeration.

SAMCRO — or Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club Redwoods Original — murders 153 people (175 if you count pre-club killings and murders carried out by excommunicated members) during the seven seasons of the show.

That many murders would have certainly been noticed by authorities to a higher degree than what's shown on screen.
(#5) Most Motorcycle Clubs Are More Explicit In Their Racial Biases Than SAMCRO

Throughout the different seasons of Sons of Anarchy, SAMCRO works with the Mayans (a Hispanic club), the Lin Triad (a Chinese crime syndicate), the One-Niners (an African American club), and numerous other groups of different ethnic origins.

This defies the mentality of many motorcycle club members, who are much less likely to work with outsiders. The cooperation on the show makes for good television, but many bikers are more "outwardly intolerant," and tattoos associated with neo-Nazis and white supremacist groups are common.

Juice Ortiz attempting to hide his African American heritage in season four is fairly reflective of the racial divide that exists within modern clubs.
(#7) Motorcycle Clubs Generally Don't Run Adult Film Studios

When SAMCRO tried to find more so-called legitimate ways of making money in season six, viewers rooted for them. Jax does his best to convince his fellow members to get out of drugs and guns, and instead turn to pornography.

In many real-life clubs, this wouldn't fly, as groups like the Banditos, the Outlaws, and Hell's Angels have been involved in trafficking substances such as methamphetamine and cocaine.

That said, some motorcycle clubs are content to avoid criminal syndicates and organized crime entirely. The 13 Rebels Motorcycle Club claims to be a "family-oriented" motorcycle club with no drugs, intimidation, or crime.