Glutton For Punishment:

What makes a sports fan follow a team even though they know full well they will be let down most or all of the time? Unless you are a fair-weathered fan that jumps ship to the Yankees, Red Sox, Patriots, Cowboys, Lakers, and Celtics after they win a championship, then you know exactly what I mean.

Fan is short for fanatic, which by definition means: a person with an extreme and uncritical enthusiasm or zeal. So when my Seahawks, Indians, and Jazz start every new season, I have an uncritical enthusiasm for them, hoping that this year will be the year. The year that they will go all the way in their respected sport. I am 28 years old and I have not seen a championship in any sport from any of the teams I follow. Never. Not a single one. The Utah Jazz and Seattle Seahawks don’t have a single championship between the two of them. They have both been right there, but failed to win the big one. And the Cleveland Indians have not won a championship since 1948.

So why do I continue to follow these teams? Secretly, I guess I like punishment. I like to be let down. I enjoy getting pumped only to realize that my hopes and dreams will be shattered like a bat trying to hit a 98 mph fastball high and tight. Each year of every season always starts the same. I follow the team’s off-season moves and convince myself that they made the move that will put them over the top. T.J. Houshmandzadeh….. Championship! Carlos Boozer opts in, and Paul Millsap resigns……. no one dares bring the ball inside now! The Indians added a couple sluggers last off season to boost their run production….. now we have all the pieces!

And what happens? The Indians go 65-97, unload 2 of their 4 best players mid season for minor league players who may never see a single inning in the big leagues. The Seahawks have started 2-5 and will be lucky to finish 8-8. And the Jazz already look disappointing only 3 games into the season. The Jazz are the only one of my teams that can still turn it around, but let’s be honest. Even if they do, can they get past the Lakers, Nuggets, Spurs, and Mavericks? And if they can, can they even contend with the Cavs, Magic, and Celtics?

Didn’t I know this was coming? Didn’t this happen last year, and the year before that? Sure it did. But that’s what keeps me, as a fan coming back for more. I convince myself that a new year means new opportunity. But all it really means is another chance for the teams I love to break my heart.