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OT: Is happiness in sports an illusion?

Is happiness in sports an unobtainable illusion?

  • Yes

    Votes: 66 40.2%

  • No

    Votes: 35 21.3%

  • It’s complicated

    Votes: 63 38.4%
  • Total voters
    164
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IndayArtHauz said:
Relly gets paragraphs and I get gifs. Its cool, I see how it is.
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DDF0014A-B2D2-4FB5-8875-8898C133F3C5.gif
 
IndayArtHauz said:
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that I both 1) care less about sports and b. am increasingly cynical about their ultimate aims. Let me establish some priors:

1. I am a Christian of a sect who believes that true fulfillment cannot be found apart from Christ. However, I do believe there are many lesser joys in life that are worthy of pursuit. so to be clear, I am not equating “happiness in sports” with anything on an eternal scale.

2. In my life I have had multiple franchises I follow in multiple sports win championships. The Canes, 49ers, Spurs, and tangentially the Cubs have all won ships, with all but the Cubs winning multiple in or around my youth/adult life. I am not a Cleveland Browns or Buffalo Bills fan who doesn’t know what winning it all feels like.

3. I think the commercialization of sports, specifically college and pro, has reduced the joy of being a fan to the ultimate ends of the sport only. Namely, winning championships, which we already refer to as “winning it all” (suggesting there is nothing left).

The last point has harmed the sports individually and collectively, especially college, and turned them into 365-days-a-year content machines. Whoever wins the Super Bowl in two weeks will have less than 24 minutes dedicated to their victory, let alone 24 hours. The content machine will immediately kick into high gear, refocusing the fans of the other 31 teams on free agency and the draft. The NFL is no different than an endless scrolling app like IG or YouTube, it just uses your calendar instead of a piece of software.

Im pro-playoff expansion in CFB, but I’ve come around more to the thoughts of my late father: he hated the idea of a playoff. I thought he was a grump, but hes been proven right on a couple of things since the sport added the BCS and playoff: 1. College football would lose its local flavor and focus. 2. The significance of conference accomplishments would vanish (I remember his profound joy when Illinois won the B10 and got to play in a Rose Bowl. A huge deal decades ago). It’s that second point that I think reverberates so strongly with me now; nothing short of winning it all matters anymore. There is no “good season” that ends in defeat, not unless you expected your team to suck.

So the significance of *not* winning it all has never been lower, and, oddly enough, the significance of winning it all has never been lower. If you can’t find joy in lesser accomplishments, and you can’t really enjoy when you win it all, has the ceiling in sports not fallen dramatically? (I think this may also explain why data-driven, “I love the sport itself” type interests and media adjacent to those interests have flourished, but that’s another issue.)

I don’t expect anyone to really read this, it’s a stupid question. Besides, there’s always next year.
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Much respect, @IndayArtHauz .

When I was a kid, I was much more passionate and invested in my sports teams. A Dolphin or Cane loss meant kind of a crappy week and for sure a miserable day.

As I've gotten older, perspective has shifted much for me. It has nothing to do with the 'business' of sports and more to do with my own priorities in life. I became a father and business owner and I realized a few things:

1) Time is precious. It's the one resource you can never get back. Time spent on sports meant less time for the things that were directly meaningful in my life. So I started investing more of my time in my true joys: my family, building my business, and now, personal experiences with my wife and loved ones (such as travel, etc.)

2) There's no one on any sports team, franchise front office, or athletic department that gives a rat's *** about me. And they certainly aren't putting food on my family's table. Why in the world would I be soooo emotionally invested in the outcomes of their games or seasons? I can now enjoy the fun of competition without it affecting my emotional well-being.

3) Sports - like movies and other hobbies - is merely entertainment. Like I said, they aren't putting food on my family's table so it's nothing more than a way to pass the time in an enjoyable, healthy way.

So now, I pretty much only watch Canes football and occasionally meet up with buddies to watch a playoff game or something - but as entertainment - not an emotional investment. Yes, I loathe the Gators, Noles, Buckeyes, and Irish but mostly because it's just in my blood and it's good fun to rib any friend who roots for those teams.

But like I said, ultimately, it's just entertainment and if you don't take it too seriously, then you can find that level of 'happiness' in it. Or at least I do.

When I see guys on this board threatening each other with physical violence at the Titanic over Butch vs Erickson or Air Raid vs Spread or whatever stupid message board disagreement, I can't help but shake my head and think, "man - you guys take this **** waaaay too seriously."

In any case, keep fighting the good fight - you are truly one of the great individuals on this board who seems to have a healthy attitude towards life and if I'm reading the tea-leaves right, are a Knoxville baby-maker that is now starting to appreciate other things like family perhaps more than whether a 4-Star from some random High School will pick us over the Gators on signing day....and that's a good thing.
 
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I had a debate with a good friend recently, and argued that sports fandom is rarely all that important identity in the US.

He vehemently disagreed. I stopped bothering because I was not going to be convinced.

This thread proves my point in spades. If this is the level of fandom on a message board then the average person in this country, quite obviously, doesn't care at all.

None of this is meant as an insult, but rather an observation.
 
This is why I have decided, that whenever--if ever--in my lifetime the Canes play in a national championship game, I will spend whatever to be there. Because success is fleeting. One minute you're on top of the world (2001) and the next you've spent 2 **** decades mired in mediocrity.
 
JeddTheFisch said:
I had a debate with a good friend recently, and argued that sports fandom is rarely all that important identity in the US.

He vehemently disagreed. I stopped bothering because I was not going to be convinced.

This thread proves my point in spades. If this is the level of fandom on a message board then the average person in this country, quite obviously, doesn't care at all.

None of this is meant as an insult, but rather an observation.
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You think this is a more recent thing? It feels to me like younger folks (the iPhone generation) don't care as much as us older folks do. I've wondered whether there are just more forms of entertainment and diversion (phones, social media, streaming, etc.) that folks don't feel as compelled to find hobbies as prior generations did.

But, anyways, I've got my kids (in particular my son) following my footsteps because I'd like to have something I can share with them. Not looking forward to being old but I am looking forward to traveling with my son once he's a good age and doing dad-son Canes travel. Hopefully, we're not still in rebuilding mode the next 15 years . . .
 
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AlexCane said:
You think this is a more recent thing? It feels to me like younger folks (the iPhone generation) don't care as much as us older folks do. I've wondered whether there are just more forms of entertainment and diversion (phones, social media, streaming, etc.) that folks don't feel as compelled to find hobbies as prior generations did.

But, anyways, I've got my kids (in particular my son) following my footsteps because I'd like to have something I can share with them. Not looking forward to being old but I am looking forward to traveling with my son once he's a good age and doing dad-son Canes travel. Hopefully, we're not still in rebuilding mode the next 15 years . . .
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I think it's an accelerating trend, for sure.

Sharing our support of clubs is the most important part of my relationship with my own father, could not imagine my life without it.
 
IndayArtHauz said:
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that I both 1) care less about sports and b. am increasingly cynical about their ultimate aims. Let me establish some priors:

1. I am a Christian of a sect who believes that true fulfillment cannot be found apart from Christ. However, I do believe there are many lesser joys in life that are worthy of pursuit. so to be clear, I am not equating “happiness in sports” with anything on an eternal scale.

2. In my life I have had multiple franchises I follow in multiple sports win championships. The Canes, 49ers, Spurs, and tangentially the Cubs have all won ships, with all but the Cubs winning multiple in or around my youth/adult life. I am not a Cleveland Browns or Buffalo Bills fan who doesn’t know what winning it all feels like.

3. I think the commercialization of sports, specifically college and pro, has reduced the joy of being a fan to the ultimate ends of the sport only. Namely, winning championships, which we already refer to as “winning it all” (suggesting there is nothing left).

The last point has harmed the sports individually and collectively, especially college, and turned them into 365-days-a-year content machines. Whoever wins the Super Bowl in two weeks will have less than 24 minutes dedicated to their victory, let alone 24 hours. The content machine will immediately kick into high gear, refocusing the fans of the other 31 teams on free agency and the draft. The NFL is no different than an endless scrolling app like IG or YouTube, it just uses your calendar instead of a piece of software.

Im pro-playoff expansion in CFB, but I’ve come around more to the thoughts of my late father: he hated the idea of a playoff. I thought he was a grump, but hes been proven right on a couple of things since the sport added the BCS and playoff: 1. College football would lose its local flavor and focus. 2. The significance of conference accomplishments would vanish (I remember his profound joy when Illinois won the B10 and got to play in a Rose Bowl. A huge deal decades ago). It’s that second point that I think reverberates so strongly with me now; nothing short of winning it all matters anymore. There is no “good season” that ends in defeat, not unless you expected your team to suck.

So the significance of *not* winning it all has never been lower, and, oddly enough, the significance of winning it all has never been lower. If you can’t find joy in lesser accomplishments, and you can’t really enjoy when you win it all, has the ceiling in sports not fallen dramatically? (I think this may also explain why data-driven, “I love the sport itself” type interests and media adjacent to those interests have flourished, but that’s another issue.)

I don’t expect anyone to really read this, it’s a stupid question. Besides, there’s always next year.
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I think the secrets to sports happiness are espn gamecast and DVR. I used to watch every single game and get really worked up over losses. I realized part of the anger was to due having spent 3+ hours watching the Canes or Dolphins lose and then regretting that I didn't do something more productive with that time. So now I have gamecast on my phone, and it hurts a lot less when I see the score is 28-3 against Middle Tennessee State while I'm at Harbor Freight looking for stuff I don't need. And on the other side of the equation, in the rare instances that we get a W, I'll go home and watch the recording and it will be a good day.
 
TimeBum said:
I think the secrets to sports happiness are espn gamecast and DVR. I used to watch every single game and get really worked up over losses. I realized part of the anger was to due having spent 3+ hours watching the Canes or Dolphins lose and then regretting that I didn't do something more productive with that time. So now I have gamecast on my phone, and it hurts a lot less when I see the score is 28-3 against Middle Tennessee State while I'm at Harbor Freight looking for stuff I don't need. And on the other side of the equation, in the rare instances that we get a W, I'll go home and watch the recording and it will be a good day.
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But to some degree, the Canes' play of the last 2 decades has desensitized us. I guarantee you that when-if?--we're relevant again, we'll all start caring a little more. It's much easier to invest when there is a ROI as opposed to what we've witnessed for 20 years.
 
Rellyrell said:
Aye, to each its own. I have a love/hate relationship w/ Moss b/c I know he would’ve been the undisputed GOAT at WR. I’ll never 4get that Thanksgiving Game against Dallas, and as a Bears fan, I dreaded playing him. But, he leaves a lot on the table which is y he can’t be my GOAT. I’ll put Megatron over him, in my humble opinion. Not trying to change urs, at all; just stating #facts.

Lol
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Rice is the GOAT WR, no question. Got the records and all the hardware.

I would claim Randy Moss may be the most physically gifted WR of all time. Had he been fortunate to have his head on straight and play his full career in NE with Brady he may have surpassed Rice.

And for good measure, Megatron perhaps the same.
 
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TemplarCane said:
Rice is the GOAT WR, no question. Got the records and all the hardware.

I would claim Randy Moss may be the most physically gifted WR of all time. Had he been fortunate to have his head on straight and play his full career in NE with Brady he may have surpassed Rice.

And for good measure, Megatron perhaps the same.
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What makes Rice The GOAT, imo, is we seen him shatter records no matter who the QB was. We saw him w/ Montana, who’s still arguably considered in the convo for The GOAT at QB position. We then saw him w Young, same thing. We then saw him w/ Jeff Garcia, & when ppl doubted his abilities at the age of 38 as he was being phased out for T.O, he then goes to the F’ing Raiders at the age of 39 & 40, & put himself right back in the convo for best WR those two yrs w/ Rich Gannon, earning a SB trip.

Dude, 39, & 40 yrs old putting up 2300+ yrds & 16 TDs in 2 seasons, in a league that wasn’t as we see today where CBs can’t touch u. That’s f’ing unimaginable! That’s LBJ status, except LBJ is playing in a scoring friendly league today while Jerry still was putting these numbers when u could get smoked going across the middle!
 
Rellyrell said:
What makes Rice The GOAT, imo, is we seen him shatter records no matter who the QB was. We saw him w/ Montana, who’s still arguably considered in the convo for The GOAT at QB position. We then saw him w Young, same thing. We then saw him w/ Jeff Garcia, & when ppl doubted his abilities at the age of 38 as he was being phased out for T.O, he then goes to the F’ing Raiders at the age of 39 & 40, & put himself right back in the convo for best WR those two yrs w/ Rich Gannon, earning a SB trip.

Dude, 39, & 40 yrs old putting up 2300+ yrds & 16 TDs in 2 seasons, in a league that wasn’t as we see today where CBs can’t touch u. That’s f’ing unimaginable! That’s LBJ status, except LBJ is playing in a scoring friendly league today while Jerry still was putting these numbers when u could get smoked going across the middle!
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100%.

Rice’s work ethic is legendary. Even by the time he‘s ‘Jerry F-N Rice’ he’s running routes and working out in early Spring to prepare for the next season like he’s fighting for a job.
 
I started following sports in the early 90’s, became a diehard Houston Oilers, Orlando Magic, and Miami Hurricanes fan. I was living near Tampa when the Oilers moved to Tennessee, forcing me to adopt a new team because fvck Tennessee I didn’t have ties there. So what do I do? I became a Miami Dolphins fan because I was moving to South Florida and the Bucs used to suck.

Do you realize how arbitrary it was that I became a Dolphins/Magic fan instead of a Heat/Bucs fan? That’s two Super Bowls and 3 championships I never experienced. Over some completely random ish. So no, I don’t know happiness as a fan save for the Canes of old.
 
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Poptimus said:
I started following sports in the early 90’s, became a diehard Houston Oilers, Orlando Magic, and Miami Hurricanes fan. I was living near Tampa when the Oilers moved to Tennessee, forcing me to adopt a new team because fvck Tennessee I didn’t have ties there. So what do I do? I became a Miami Dolphins fan because I was moving to South Florida and the Bucs used to suck.

Do you realize how arbitrary it was that I became a Dolphins/Magic fan instead of a Heat/Bucs fan? That’s two Super Bowls and 3 championships I never experienced. Over some completely random ish. So no, I don’t know happiness as a fan save for the Canes of old.
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A good friend of mine‘s favorite teams are almost all one of the teams he watched on TV for the first time as a child. He’s from Los Angeles, so his first NBA and CFB games were Lakers and USCw games. He’s a fan since. NFL was an exception, he followed the Bucs after Trojans HC John McKay became their expansion HC. He dumped the Bucs when they fired Tony Dungy. MLB and NHL? Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Bruins.
 
My2Sense said:
Much respect, @IndayArtHauz .

When I was a kid, I was much more passionate and invested in my sports teams. A Dolphin or Cane loss meant kind of a crappy week and for sure a miserable day.

As I've gotten older, perspective has shifted much for me. It has nothing to do with the 'business' of sports and more to do with my own priorities in life. I became a father and business owner and I realized a few things:

1) Time is precious. It's the one resource you can never get back. Time spent on sports meant less time for the things that were directly meaningful in my life. So I started investing more of my time in my true joys: my family, building my business, and now, personal experiences with my wife and loved ones (such as travel, etc.)

2) There's no one on any sports team, franchise front office, or athletic department that gives a rat's *** about me. And they certainly aren't putting food on my family's table. Why in the world would I be soooo emotionally invested in the outcomes of their games or seasons? I can now enjoy the fun of competition without it affecting my emotional well-being.

3) Sports - like movies and other hobbies - is merely entertainment. Like I said, they aren't putting food on my family's table so it's nothing more than a way to pass the time in an enjoyable, healthy way.

So now, I pretty much only watch Canes football and occasionally meet up with buddies to watch a playoff game or something - but as entertainment - not an emotional investment. Yes, I loathe the Gators, Noles, Buckeyes, and Irish but mostly because it's just in my blood and it's good fun to rib any friend who roots for those teams.

But like I said, ultimately, it's just entertainment and if you don't take it too seriously, then you can find that level of 'happiness' in it. Or at least I do.

When I see guys on this board threatening each other with physical violence at the Titanic over Butch vs Erickson or Air Raid vs Spread or whatever stupid message board disagreement, I can't help but shake my head and think, "man - you guys take this **** waaaay too seriously."

In any case, keep fighting the good fight - you are truly one of the great individuals on this board who seems to have a healthy attitude towards life and if I'm reading the tea-leaves right, are a Knoxville baby-maker that is now starting to appreciate other things like family perhaps more than whether a 4-Star from some random High School will pick us over the Gators on signing day....and that's a good thing.
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This is one of the best responses in the thread, imo. There have been some great thoughts shared on what legitimately was a bunch of "toilet thoughts" I cobbled together Sunday afternoon.

To your point, 2sense, @JHallCanes said something revelatory outside of this thread: essentially what's happened is I/we have "regressed" a healthy level of fandom. It isn't the singularity of our day, let alone week, let alone month. It's just a game.
 
IndayArtHauz said:
This is one of the best responses in the thread, imo. There have been some great thoughts shared on what legitimately was a bunch of "toilet thoughts" I cobbled together Sunday afternoon.

To your point, 2sense, @JHallCanes said something revelatory outside of this thread: essentially what's happened is I/we have "regressed" a healthy level of fandom. It isn't the singularity of our day, let alone week, let alone month. It's just a game.
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My man. I think what @My2Sense is saying kinda ties in with what you and I were talking about as well where in the past I wanted the teams to win for my happiness and it would feel like an accomplishment for me. But now I want them to win so I can be happy for them, which is probably why the Canes continue to be my favorite team overall because they are young kids (not to rehash that debate).

You get a little older and you have kids or you find yourself mentoring younger people and the focus shifts from you to them. Not that I don’t care about the NFL and pro sports or aren’t happy for them, but they’ll be fine whether they win or lose.
 
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