Sports fandom arguably has more highs and lows than anything else in the world. Day to day, week to week, year to year, so much can change. One development can turn an average team into a contender, and one injury can turn a contender into an average. It can be volatile and random, and sometimes, in those dark moments, you can question whether it’s worth it at all.
My fandom is widespread and requires a bit of an explanation. I was born into being a Dallas Cowboys fan. I became a Chicago Cubs fan at a young age because they were always playing on WGN and I loved Sammy Sosa. I loved watching Allen Iverson as a kid and was born in Pennsylvania, so I’m a diehard 76ers fan. I fell in love with the orange and white checkerboard at Neyland Stadium on TV when I was 5 years old, and it just so happened my Tennessee Volunteers had the best quarterback in the country at the time, Peyton Manning. And lastly, I enjoyed watching JJ Redick drain deep threes, so I became a Duke fan only for college basketball.
While my teams are spread out all over the country, I am a diehard fan of each of them, watch them every chance I get and read article after article about them in my free time. Seriously, while most people spend the vast majority of their phone time on social media, I spend mine on The Athletic or Bleacher Report.
As a fan of the “loveable losers,” the Chicago Cubs, I learned early on what it takes to stay committed during the lean years, when there are more losses than wins. That sentiment intensified as the 76ers coined “The Process” and tanked their way into landing Joel Embiid. While it’s not always easy being a fan of a team that goes 10-72 or loses 100 games in three consecutive seasons, I believe I mastered what it takes to get through it.
I’d say there’s one very crucial element — you have to look ahead to what could be. When Theo Epstein took over the Cubs, he spent three years gutting the team repeatedly, loading up on prospects and ensuring the Cubs landed high draft picks. Rather than dwell on the losses at the major league level, I bought into his vision and spent more time keeping up with the prospects who would eventually break the curse — Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Javy Baez and Willson Contreras. When the 76ers were embarking on “The Process,” I focused on the draft and studied which players could eventually be transformative enough to make Philadelphia a true contender.
These days, I’m honed in on Chicago’s minor league prospects once again after the Cubs traded away their core at last year’s trade deadline. I’m more concerned with what Triple-A center fielder Brennen Davis and other top prospects are doing on a nightly basis rather than the results of the big league club. While I do believe this year’s Cubs could shock some people and compete for a playoff spot, I’m not naive enough to believe they have any chance of winning a World Series.
A big key to being a fan during rebuilding years is being realistic and managing expectation. If you know your team is young and not very good, don’t focus on the wins and losses. Worry more about the development of key players.
This doesn’t just apply to professional or college sports either. It’s a lesson that can be applied to high school sports as well. The talent at various high schools is oftentimes cyclical. A team can have really high-end talent for several years then immediately have lean years with young, unexperienced players. Recognizing that reality makes it so much easier to digest the losses.
But what’s great about all those losses is when your squad does start winning, those victories are so much sweeter.
