sports :(
People who are not sports fans or who don't follow sports seem, understandably, to not get why some other people get so emotionally invested in sports. It does seem kind of dumb, but then again everyone gets too invested into something or other. Unless they are just really boring. You know, some people get wayyyy too into their job or relationship or politics or activism or whatever. Ideally, you balance your emotional investment out into several different areas. Then you have less chance of losing, ala "diversification" when playing the stock market.
Anyway, part of my "portfolio" is sports. I have been a fan of the baseball Orioles, the football Bills, and the hockey Sabres pretty much forever. My parents (Dad in particular) instilled in me that you pick a team and you are loyal to that team- good or bad. Winning is sweeter when you soldier through the bad times. The problem for me is, my teams lose all the time. They often lose in heartbreaking fashion. Even when they are good (rare), these teams find a way to tease me into thinking they may go all the way but then lose in the worst ways. It has gotten to the point where it is very psychologically depressing.
When I was 7 years old, the Orioles won the World Series. Since then, none of my teams has won a single championship, and I have been repeatedly traumatized by heartbreaking and illogical defeats. Scott Norwood and "wide right" in 1991. Four straight superbowl losses 91-94. Fluke "Music city Miracle" Bills loss in 99. 10 straight awful years for the Bills 2000-2009. 3 straight heartbreaking one-in-a-million fluke losses on Monday Night Football 07 08 09. Sabres "No Goal" in 99. Team that should/would have won the Cup in 06 if it were not for a rash of fluke injuries right at the end (and they still almost did it). Playoff heartbreak in 07. Oriole fluke loss in 96 Championship "Jeffery Maier" game . Heartbreaking 97 playoff loss. 12+ years of being awful and never getting the right players and losing at least 10-15 embarrassing games a year. It is ALL bad. The only good moments led to, later, bigger disappointment. It is just very depressing. Picture a job, or a relationship, were you just ALWAYS LOST.
Again, lucky for me, sports is not my life (I'm not a total loser). But it is a big enough part that I think it has seeped into my way of thinking. It's like having a stone in your shoe while hiking. It is not going to stop you, but it makes you very uncomfortable. I dunno, the "expect to lose" mentality I have with my teams is just really bad when combined with my cynical views on politics, society, and humanity in general. I'm not saying a Bills Super Bowl win would turn my way of thinking, or my life, around. But it would be nice to win. Just once.
Anyway, part of my "portfolio" is sports. I have been a fan of the baseball Orioles, the football Bills, and the hockey Sabres pretty much forever. My parents (Dad in particular) instilled in me that you pick a team and you are loyal to that team- good or bad. Winning is sweeter when you soldier through the bad times. The problem for me is, my teams lose all the time. They often lose in heartbreaking fashion. Even when they are good (rare), these teams find a way to tease me into thinking they may go all the way but then lose in the worst ways. It has gotten to the point where it is very psychologically depressing.
When I was 7 years old, the Orioles won the World Series. Since then, none of my teams has won a single championship, and I have been repeatedly traumatized by heartbreaking and illogical defeats. Scott Norwood and "wide right" in 1991. Four straight superbowl losses 91-94. Fluke "Music city Miracle" Bills loss in 99. 10 straight awful years for the Bills 2000-2009. 3 straight heartbreaking one-in-a-million fluke losses on Monday Night Football 07 08 09. Sabres "No Goal" in 99. Team that should/would have won the Cup in 06 if it were not for a rash of fluke injuries right at the end (and they still almost did it). Playoff heartbreak in 07. Oriole fluke loss in 96 Championship "Jeffery Maier" game . Heartbreaking 97 playoff loss. 12+ years of being awful and never getting the right players and losing at least 10-15 embarrassing games a year. It is ALL bad. The only good moments led to, later, bigger disappointment. It is just very depressing. Picture a job, or a relationship, were you just ALWAYS LOST.
Again, lucky for me, sports is not my life (I'm not a total loser). But it is a big enough part that I think it has seeped into my way of thinking. It's like having a stone in your shoe while hiking. It is not going to stop you, but it makes you very uncomfortable. I dunno, the "expect to lose" mentality I have with my teams is just really bad when combined with my cynical views on politics, society, and humanity in general. I'm not saying a Bills Super Bowl win would turn my way of thinking, or my life, around. But it would be nice to win. Just once.