May 30, 2003

Why Do I Bother?

I realized something last night, as I was watching a really heart-breaking collapse of a good team at the end of game. People who are fans of sports teams (or individuals) are never going to be happy. In every sport, there are so many teams or players that make the chance of your team winning small to begin with. Now, look at every year. Nobody's team wins every year, and in those years comes heartache. Look at the LA Lakers this year. They lost even when everybody said they would win. Or the New York Yankees last year in the World Series. Is a fan better off losing in the championships than if his team doesn't even make the playoffs?

In particular, I'm a Dallas Mavericks fan, and they were playing a series against the San Antonio Spurs. Nobody gave the Mavs a chance to win. They won the first game (of 7) and everybody said they wouldn't win another. Their best player was injured in Game 2, they lost 3 games, and then came from behind to win a crazy Game 5. Last night was Game 6. The Mavs were ahead by 13 going into the 4th quarter, and then they just kind of stopped. The Spurs put in some old guy who warms the end of the bench, who started ripping 3 pointers, and the Mavs just looked lost. It was a nightmare. And so the Spurs are going to the NBA finals, and good luck to them. Nobody's giving their opponent, the Nets, much of a chance either.

So let's say you are a Spurs fan, and they win in the finals against the Nets. What do you get? Really happy for maybe a day or two, the chance to go to school or work and rub some faces in defeat, but then it's back to the grind, and waiting for next season. The Spurs might even win again next year, but as the Lakers discovered, three-peats are hard to do. All my life my father was obsessed with the Cardinals, in baseball, and all my life they've managed to disappoint him. To think of what he could have been doing with all those hours instead of watching his favorite team play on TV and lose (or win).

Published: June 3, 2003
Editor: stacy