For Love of the Game: Every Sports Fan's Tale of Pain

Sports consume the lives of many people.  They are played, watched, and worshiped.  Sometimes they bring happiness, other times they bring heartbreak.  As a sports fan, this is something you need to accept, but many are not willing to do so.

Whether your favorite sport is baseball, football, basketball or whatever, the chances of your team winning the championship is low. 

However, each preseason we look at our “paper” teams and project a lot of wins.  Hey, each year I felt that Mark Prior would overcome his injuries and win 20 games. 

Does this fact mean we should expect less?  Should we be content with a playoff berth?  Is a championship game appearance enough?  The answer to this question is easy: NO!

As a fan, if you ever accept anything less than a championship, you shouldn’t even get invested.  The thing that makes sports special is the hope.  Every year I hope the Cubs will win a World Series; if hope didn’t play a part, I would never watch a game.

Hope is only possible because anything can happen.  The world of sports is unpredictable; even the Cubs can win a World Series!  Anyone can be a hero.

What inspired this article is the Philadelphia sports fan.  The past several years have been very good to the Philadelphia sports fan.  The Eagles have been competitive, often ending their season in the NFC Championship game. 

Andy Reid has been unable to win a Super Bowl, but each year his team has hope.  However, he is often the recipient of hate and calls for dismissal.

The Phillies have been equally successful, actually winning a World Series Title in 2009.  However, they have been unable to recapture the title, a painful thing for Phillies fans. 

The football and baseball teams success is equaled by the Flyers.  The hockey team has been equally competitive, making a recent Stanley Cup appearance.

Does this success mean that Philly fans should be happy with just appearances? No, we don’t follow sports for our team to finish second. 

The world of sports is all or nothing; it can produce euphoria or misery. Every sports fan has their stories of pain, hopefully, you also have that story of triumph.  

Diehard sports fans are accustomed to these experiences, but it doesn’t mean losses hurt any less.  Sports have made grown men cry, a truth that won’t end anytime soon.