Notre Dame Fighting IrishFrom my experience, watching one of your favorite sports teams lose on a consistent and devastating manner can really ruin your week. Of course I realize it is just a game and in the scheme of life, it is relatively inconsequential. But still…it really, really bothers me and if I let it and put me in a horrible mood for longer than it should. Talking about a loss which can bother you until the next game is one thing, but rooting for a team that is truly bad, well that is quite another.

Not to put too fine a point on things, but I’m speaking specifically of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team. I just watched them go down for the 5 game in a row this season. They are 0-5 this year and all of the loses have been by 15 points or more. They rank statistically in the bottom for just about every category. They are bad. They are a comedy of errors, missing two extra points and a field goal in one game. The games previous to the Purdue game were like watching a high school team play. Truly, truly disheartening to endure.

Back to my situation. On one hand I no longer feel convicted to watch every game and my weekends have opened up my schedule for which my wife is very happy. But I also now have no college football game to look forward to. So what do I do? I recored the game and watch the beginning, then I start fast forwarding with the 3 and outs, the turnovers, the missed blocks, the bad play and the poor coaching rear the heads. I have turned 3 1/2 hours of football into 40 minutes of condensed football. It has really saved on time and since I don’t have to be at home to watch it live (after all, they are probably going to lose) I can spend the day in the nice Virginia weather.

Don’t get me wrong, it still bothers me greatly. I just finished watching the loss to Purdue, and thus prompted me to write this post. Being a fan of a really awful, bad sports team has taught me a few things:

  1. I am an optimist inwardly (Until we are down by 28 points or more)
    I still look forward to every game, against my better judgment, and really believe they are going to win. I still hold out hope for the comeback even when nothing has shown me my team has the talent or heart to make it happen.
  2. I am more appreciative (Come back Lou!)
    I remember criticizing Lou Holtz for a few non-spectacular seasons near the end of his tenure as coach. Wow, what I wouldn’t give to have Sweet Lou back and be a consistent 9-3 every year. Rooting for bad team, makes you long for the mediocre years.
  3. I am a cynic outwardly (I always know every bad play will happen, right after it happens)
    With every botched play, poor coaching call or bad decision I say how I expected it, but with every good play, few that they are, I say I can’t believe it.
  4. I know there is next year (I can’t wait for it)
    0-5 means I’m already thinking about next year. And with that thought I find hope, because there is no way Notre Dame can be this bad two years in a row. No way. Of course, this decision is based on my first self discovery of optimism.
  5. I have a unconditional love (Or a masochistic nature)
    I don’t believe in booing the home team except for specific reasons. You can read the Bill Simmon’s article on booing to see those reasons. I cheer them and always defend them with being tauted by other fans. Believe me, Notre Dame is either loved or hated with no middle ground, so I get lots of taunting. I feel for the team, especially Jimmy Clausen, and hope the best and stick with them through the bad. While it may be hard to do this some weeks (Georgia Tech game, yikes!) it makes is all the more sweet when the do have a season to remember. See optimism point above.

So when it is all said and done, I have no choice but to root for my team, hope for the future and tough it out while it is happening. Much like a mutt you didn’t mean to adpot your team and you are stuck together whether you like it not. During the midst of the bad season(s) I try to ease off and focus on other activities, focusing on something beside the score of the game that day. Your peace of mind and sanity will thank you. Probably your blood pressure too!

Thanks to The Fire Pit blog post on the Irish futility for the idea to post this.

Update 10/7/2007: Notre Dame Football got its first win on the 2007 season and I’m still not impressed with the offense. ND defeated UCLA 20-6 and without the 7 turnovers by the Bruins the Irish couldn’t have done it. But still, I’m very happy they have broken the losing streak and I’m sure things will turn around now. See eternal optimism point above.

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