Sports Hate Me
Hello internet travelers. My name is Sean McCarthy. I'm 23, a recent graduate of Ohio University, I grew up just north of Columbus, Ohio, and I have been a lifelong fan/sufferer of Ohio sports. The title of the blog is a statement of fact. Sports really do hate me. I have three teams: the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Cincinnati Reds, and the Cincinnati Bengals. These teams are like my children. Like my ugly, stupid, deadbeat children. I never chose to like these teams. They were thrust upon me.
I didn't know any better when I became a Bengals fan, the Reds were world series champions in 1990, no choice there either, and the Columbus Blue Jackets were gifted to me when I was still young enough to think that Patrick Roy was a cool guy.
In the conscious years (defined as age 5 or around 1992) since adopting these guys I have seen 3 playoff wins (They all belong to the Reds from the 95 NLDS in case you were wondering). I've seen a collective 4 playoff appearances and together these teams are on a 14 game playoff losing streak, which includes the Reds' loss to the Mets in a one game playoff in 99. Every year I watch teams from other cities not only make the playoffs, but advance. I have no idea what that's like. Seriously, what's that like?
I didn't know any better when I became a Bengals fan, the Reds were world series champions in 1990, no choice there either, and the Columbus Blue Jackets were gifted to me when I was still young enough to think that Patrick Roy was a cool guy.
In the conscious years (defined as age 5 or around 1992) since adopting these guys I have seen 3 playoff wins (They all belong to the Reds from the 95 NLDS in case you were wondering). I've seen a collective 4 playoff appearances and together these teams are on a 14 game playoff losing streak, which includes the Reds' loss to the Mets in a one game playoff in 99. Every year I watch teams from other cities not only make the playoffs, but advance. I have no idea what that's like. Seriously, what's that like?
I'm also a fan of college sports and I will admit to getting caught up in Ohio State's 2002 National Championship. I can't bring myself to cheer against the Buckeyes considering OSU is the reason I'm alive, but alumni parents aside, I decided against making Ohio State my college of choice and with each passing year I become more disillusioned with the football program.
Instead of OSU, I opted for Ohio University (known affectionately as OU), which is about an hour and a half down the road. The Gorgeous campus and a sense of community amongst the students were what attracted me to the school. As far as sporting accomplishment and my alma-mater go, athletic achievement is about as rare as literature discussions between Jersey Shore cast members. Last March, my Bobcats upset Georgetown as a 14 seed in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The few thousand students that hadn't left town for spring break immediately flooded the main drag with an impromptu celebration that lasted well over 90 minutes. I had a front row seat from a fraternity brother's balcony and I do count this as one of my favorite moments in sports. That said, two days later they were trounced by Tennessee in the second round. It's the life of a MAC sports fan. Realistically, the best you can hope is that your football team wins the MAC Championship and their third tier bowl, and that your basketball team causes some damage in the tournament. Outside of that, there are few moments to get excited for.
Instead of OSU, I opted for Ohio University (known affectionately as OU), which is about an hour and a half down the road. The Gorgeous campus and a sense of community amongst the students were what attracted me to the school. As far as sporting accomplishment and my alma-mater go, athletic achievement is about as rare as literature discussions between Jersey Shore cast members. Last March, my Bobcats upset Georgetown as a 14 seed in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The few thousand students that hadn't left town for spring break immediately flooded the main drag with an impromptu celebration that lasted well over 90 minutes. I had a front row seat from a fraternity brother's balcony and I do count this as one of my favorite moments in sports. That said, two days later they were trounced by Tennessee in the second round. It's the life of a MAC sports fan. Realistically, the best you can hope is that your football team wins the MAC Championship and their third tier bowl, and that your basketball team causes some damage in the tournament. Outside of that, there are few moments to get excited for.
People always ask me why I stick with these teams and I always say that it's too entrenched. Cheering for anybody else would just feel wrong and I know that if I left, the Bengals, Reds, and Blue Jackets would suddenly somehow become competent organziations. That, and I have too much memorabilia. Do you have any idea how much it costs to replace an authentic NHL jersey? Switching to another team isn't in the budget at this time. I will say that this will not be a blog dedicated to whining about my teams. This will chronicle my interest in sports and most of that will come out in my reactions and thoughts to how my guys do on the playing surface and maybe one day I'll get to write about a championship.
Thanks, folks and I'll see you later.
No comments:
Post a Comment