This is an interesting topic for open mic, because there is a lot of room for interpretation. As a registered sports-aholic anonymous member, I’ve seen my fair share of disappointing performances, finishes, choke-jobs, broken-records, and scandals.
Hell, we’ve probably all lived through them together. Particularly lately with the prominence of mass media giants like the NFL Network and ESPN. But the first thought that jumped into my head when I read the call for articles was the outline of a Honolulu-blue lion profiled in attack position.
The emblem of my beloved Detroit Lions.
It’s word association and in my mind the Lions and disappointment are one and the same. When someone tells me they had a disappointing day, I’m literally thinking,”Detroit Lions.” Probably much like Chicago fans that walk around thinking, “Da Bears,” though with considerably less precision.
My therapist would tell me that this warrants further examination, so here we go. I warn you this is a journey to confront my most virulent demons and is not a trip taken lightly.
Where to begin?
It’s probably relevant to start out with the truth that I love football most, out of all the major sports in America. Though I have great appreciation for all competition and I am a loyal and knowledgeable fan to all my teams, of the large professional four I would rate them: 1) Football 2) Basketball 3) Baseball 4) Hockey.
And, I’m a Detroit Fan. Enough said. There is no scenario where I would even consider rooting for another team. Send me to Guantanamo G.W., but it ain’t going to happen.
So if other Lions faithful may deride me for exposing my team, the truth of the matter is, that something can only be truly disappointing if you love it.
So I can point to other Detroit sports disappointments such as the woeful 2003 Detroit Tigers season that set the mark for American League futility. I can also take solace in the fact that the Tigs have won a championship in my lifetime (1984) and have fielded intermittently good clubs over the years.
I could also point to the dagger that “Big Shot Bob” plunged into my back during the 2005 NBA finals that denied the Pistons their second straight NBA title (and some say over-all legitimacy), but their continued excellence over the years more than makes up for that.
Unfortunately, my greatest love is unrequited, and isn’t that the very essence of emotional pain? I send them flowers, buy them sweets, tell them I love them, but somehow I can’t get them to come upstairs for a drink.
In my lifetime the Lions are 194-314-1, a winning percentage of 38%, which is far and away the worst of any other professional football team during this tenure.
Honestly, that seems a little high.
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