10 Worst Excuses Sports Fans Make for Losing
Some fans refuse to believe their team just flat-out lost a game. The loss couldn't possibly be because of inferior performance—oh no. There has to be some other reason. The quarterback's girlfriend is causing a distraction. The refs were biased. There is a curse on the team.
Come on, people. Sure some calls go the wrong way, and sometimes a particular player is having an off game. In general, however, there are many factors that add up to a game's ultimate outcome in team sports. With a couple of exceptions (looking at you, Duke football team), it's tough to blame an entire loss on any one thing.
That doesn't mean some fans don't try, though. The following are 10 excuses fans use to explain away losses. None are good, but some are worse than others.
Sometimes even good teams lose, and guess what? It's never Olivia Munn's fault.
Player Injuries
1 of 10
To blame an injury (or injuries) for a loss is definitely warranted sometimes. Who knows what would have happened in the NBA Finals if Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving had played the entire series for the Cleveland Cavaliers?
Still, injuries (along with officiating) are too often the go-to excuse for losing games. Is Aaron Rodgers banged up? It sure looks that way. But that's certainly not why his receivers aren't getting open.
Conversely, Lionel Messi went down for two months with a knee injury, and Barcelona forged on as Neymar stepped up to help the team in the absence of its superstar.
Sports fans are often too quick to forget that health is important, but so is depth. Just look at the Notre Dame football team. Despite the loss of seven projected starters due to injury, the team still has just one loss through November 27.
Play-Calling
2 of 10
Coaches are like referees—only human. Sure sometimes certain play calls can be perplexing (hey, Pete Carroll), but the problem with fans is, too often, they think they can do better.
Even in the case of the didn't-give-the-ball-to-Marshawn-Lynch Super Bowl call heard 'round the world, fans should understand there is a method to the madness.
The Seattle Seahawks head coach texted NFL media columnist Michael Silver after the game: "You could run on 2nd down, call timeout, have to throw on third and score, or incompletion and have to choose (run or pass) on the final down. That's ball logic, not 2nd-guess logic ... you never think you'll throw an interception there, just as you don't think you would fumble."
The point is this. Was the play call confusing for some? Sure. But let's not forget the Seahawks players on the field who allowed an interception to happen.
It's [Insert One Athlete]'s Fault
3 of 10
When Serena Williams lost to Roberta Vinci in the U.S. Open, that was on her, obviously, (or Drake, depending on who you ask).
In team sports, however, blaming one single individual for an entire team's misfortune is a bit extreme. Even when that one player is as crucial as, say, an NFL quarterback, there are still many other factors that play into the ultimate outcome of a sporting contest.
For instance, to blame Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck alone for his team's woeful start to the NFL season would be too easy. Even though he notched the league's worst passer rating through the first three games, his team certainly had other offensive issues outside of the QB position.
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It's the Head Coach (Only)
4 of 10
Like blaming one singular athlete, blaming one singular coach is also a mistake. The Houston Rockets didn't start the NBA season at 4-7 solely because of head coach Kevin McHale. All their woes won't be immediately fixed now that he has been made the scapegoat.
The logic of "making a change" by letting McHale go makes some sense. But to blame him for the entirety of the team's issues would be unfair and misinformed.
Weather
5 of 10
This one doesn't need a lot of explanation other than this: If there is inclement weather during a sporting matchup, it is inclement on both sides. Snow, rain and air temperature are conditions both teams have to deal with.
Even wind shouldn't be a huge deciding factor, since football and soccer teams, for example, switch directions of play during the game.
Fortunately, most sports fans seem to be aware of this, so it's not an oft-used excuse. Key word: most.
Preferential Treatment from Refs
6 of 10
Bad calls happen in sports. This is a fact becoming even more apparent as the NFL season unfolds.
Referees miss things. They blow inexplicable whistles and become slaves to the rules of nonreviewable penalties. The "what is a catch" question in the NFL continues to be as perplexing as Byron Scott's coaching decisions. But preferential treatment?
It takes it a bit far any time a fan suggests the refs "had it out" for his team in any way. Sports officials are only human, after all. They're not perfect, and to suggest an intentional bias is a pretty serious allegation.
Anything They Did
7 of 10
Sorry, fans. Unless you're inside Arrowhead Stadium, you are never going to have anything to do with the outcome of a game.
Despite this rather obvious fact, fan superstitions are widespread in the sports world. From the pregame meal to the outfit choice or spot on the sofa, it just doesn't matter.
Superstitions can be fun. But the fact that you put cheddar instead of American on the cheeseburgers had nothing to do with that interception. The other team didn't score because your lucky shirt accidentally got thrown in the wash.
Any Type of Curse
8 of 10
There are people who believe in curses. There are others who do not.
The Chicago Cubs' century without a championship has nothing to do with a goat.
The Boston Red Sox did not have an 86-year World Series drought because the team sold Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees in 1919.
In sports, it's play on the field that matters. Front office management, coaching, talent—these are the things that matter. Goats do not matter.
Blaming the Steve Bartmans of the World
9 of 10
You know what else the Chicago Cubs' World Series drought has nothing to do with? A fan named Steve Bartman.
Bartman, a Cubs fan, interfered with a foul ball during the National League Championship Series in 2003, and he'll probably never live it down.
Fans are quick to blame him for Chicago's eventual series loss, but they conveniently forget a few things. First, even if then-Cubs outfielder Moises Alou had caught the ball Bartman was going for, it wasn't the third out of the inning. It also wasn't the ninth inning.
Second, after the Bartman play, Cubs shortstop Alex Gonzalez made an error on a ground ball that could have ended the inning on a double play.
Finally, this all occurred in Game 6. Sure the Cubs led the series 3-2, but they still went on to lose a game after the incident.
This is just one example, but it is indicative of a pattern fans have—a pattern of blaming one instance of fan interference, one quirky play or one twist of fate for the entire outcome of a game (or even a season). Things just aren't that simple in sports.
Celebrity Significant Others
10 of 10
When an athlete with a nonfamous significant other has a bad game, does anyone speculate it might be the fault of that person?
For some reason, if a star athlete has a celebrity partner, his/her subpar performance often falls on the significant other's shoulders, at least in terms of speculative fans.
Just ask Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers about this.
A three-game losing streak caused Packer fans and media alike to speculate about what might be wrong with Rodgers. Some even suggested it had to do with his girlfriend, actress Olivia Munn. Rob Demovsky of ESPN referenced Munn in an article titled, "Five reasons Why Packers Quarterback Aaron Rodgers Is Struggling."
This is, hands down, the worst excuse fans could ever use for not winning games. Kudos to Munn for fighting back, tweeting to Demovsky that he was "Playing it fast & loose" with journalism.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
