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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:
Nope!
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Then why **** in his cereal bowl? Another fan sees reason for optimism. You disagree. You see ruination in generic black loafers. Fine. But why deprive that fan?

Deriving pleasure from denying another of hope? That may be it for the most miserable people, but I don't think that's what you are about and I believe your "nope" to be sincere.

For the higher purpose of truth? Meh, the truth will reveal itself over time. And none of us know for certain any way.

Shared misery? Not the most gracious alternative, albeit a legit human instinct. We sometimes feel better when others share our pain. It really does take effort not to pull other people into our bull****.

To be a sheppard and help others avoid potential (or inevitable, depending on your perspective) disappointment? A more well-intentioned purpose, but the road to **** is paved with good intentions. The ends seldom justify the means.

My $.02? Time is undefeated and whatever good or bad is coming will come to pass either way. As a fellow fan, you can't change people's outlook any more than you can change the outcome of the games. Best to just let everyone drink at their own pace.

Edit: My sincere apologies if this comes off as antagonistic or condescending tone. Neither was my goal, but on re-read I could see how it may come across that way. I'm just outside enjoying a McKenna's and a cigar after a challenging week, and I happened to be reflecting on sweet sadness of learning to let go as I was reading through this thread.
 
Last edited:
Memnon said:
The happiest I’ve been as a sports fan:
(Aside from the Canes National Championships)

- Dany Bill KO’d Nongmoon Chompunong
- Eddie Bravo Triangle vs Royler Gracie at ADCC
- Marlins win the World Series in 97
- Ravens 2000 Super Bowl win
- Tiger Woods wins the US Open, British Open & PGA in 2000
- Marlins win the World Series in 03
- 2003/04 Saint Joe’s team goes undefeated & makes it all the way to the Elite 8
- Travis Pastrana lands the first Double Backflip in competition at X-Games 06
- 06/07 GTown Hoyas make the Final Four
- Kobe wins his 5th ring against the Celtics in 2010
- Eddie Bravo Calf Slicer vs Royler Gracie at Metamoris 3
- Jon Jones kicked Daniel Cormier’s head off at UFC 214
- Khabib Neck cranked Connor McGregor at UFC 229
- Miami beats Notre Dame in 2017
- Miami beats NC ST in 2020
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Khabib was a good one, one of my favorites. Also, Dan Henderson sending Bisping to the shadow realm. Craig Jones having Gordon Ryan shook a little at EBI( almost got the armbar)

Honorable Mentions
Lyoto Machida dropping Rashad Evans. Usman beating Covington twice.
 
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No_Fly_Zone said:
Then why **** in his cereal bowl? Another fan sees reason for optimism. You disagree. You see ruination in generic black loafers. Fine. But why deprive that fan?

Deriving pleasure from denying another of hope? That may be it for the most miserable people, but I don't think that's what you are about and I believe your "nope" to be sincere.

For the higher purpose of truth? Meh, the truth will reveal itself over time. And none of us know for certain any way.

Shared misery? Not the most gracious alternative, albeit a legit human instinct. We sometimes feel better when others share our pain. It really does take effort not to pull other people into our bull****.

To be a sheppard and help others avoid potential (or inevitable, depending on your perspective) disappointment? A more well-intentioned purpose, but the road to **** is paved with good intentions. The ends seldom justify the means.

My $.02? Time is undefeated and whatever good or bad is coming will come to pass either way. As a fellow fan, you can't change people's outlook any more than you can change the outcome of the games. Best to just let everyone drink at their own pace.

Edit: My sincere apologies if this comes off as antagonistic or condescending tone. Neither was my goal, but on re-read I could see how it may come across that way. I'm just outside enjoying a McKenna's and a cigar after a challenging week, and I happened to be reflecting on sweet sadness of learning to let go as I was reading through this thread.
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No need to apologize, I’m glad you shared your thoughts and took the time to articulate them so well.

I don’t take joy in causing someone else misery. I also don’t feel like sugar coating or closeting my perspective anymore. Those two realities often conflict with one another, right now I choose the latter more often than the former.

Thanks for contributing to the conversation.
 
htownkidd said:
That’s how I am about Randy Moss. Don’t want to hear **** ‘bout no **** Jerry Rice foh w that lol.
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Totally agree. Man if he had the tenacity of Terrell Owens.....he would have done unspeakable things. He was a terror even when he was bull****ing half the time lol.
 
IndayArtHauz said:
No need to apologize, I’m glad you shared your thoughts and took the time to articulate them so well.

I don’t take joy in causing someone else misery. I also don’t feel like sugar coating or closeting my perspective anymore. Those two realities often conflict with one another, right now I choose the latter more often than the former.

Thanks for contributing to the conversation.
Click to expand...

I appreciate that. And I am certain you don't enjoy potentially shattering anyone's misgivings/illusions with your honest perspective. You've also more than earned the right to express your thoughts/perspective on this board (regardless of the outlook). Respect.
 
Dees Brown said:
Khabib was a good one, one of my favorites. Also, Dan Henderson sending Bisping to the shadow realm. Craig Jones having Gordon Ryan shook a little at EBI( almost got the armbar)

Honorable Mentions
Lyoto Machida dropping Rashad Evans. Usman beating Covington twice.
Click to expand...
When Felipe Pena locked in that Body Triangle on Gordon Ryan at ADCC 2017, that was another monumental moment.

He actually tapped against Nicky Rodriguez at UFC Fight Pass Invitational 3 just last month, but because the clock ran out on the round & the ref didn’t see it he was able to get away with it lol
 
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It is fleeting and once you taste success you are never satisfied.
 
I've been lucky enough to have every one of my college and pro sports teams (sans the Pirates and Canes Hoops) win championships when I was cognizant enough to actually enjoy them too. I can think of manyyyy moments of unadulterated joy during those seasons that I wouldn't trade for anything.

I think, like anything in life, you can essentially either overanalyze things or start to rank things to the point where they seem meaningless.

Sure, are sports as important as your kids? Nope. But if we want to get realllly overly philosophical then one might also ask what is inherent in the need to actually HAVE kids to feel "fulfillment" or happiness? Like why not just adopt if you have that need? Is there more happiness in being a parent just because the kid shares your DNA?

Yup. Many people would say those are ridiculous questions or jump to religious backed answers but it does kinda get back to my point about over-thinking things until they seem absurd or diminished.
 
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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In all honesty, I totally agree with you. I lost the love for all sports, especially college football. I couldn’t wait to watch a Hurricane game, let alone any college game. I’m 52 years old and in the last 10 years I hardly watch any college football games including the Canes.
Just my two cents, @IndayArtHauz
 
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No_Fly_Zone said:
Then why **** in his cereal bowl? Another fan sees reason for optimism. You disagree. You see ruination in generic black loafers. Fine. But why deprive that fan?

Deriving pleasure from denying another of hope? That may be it for the most miserable people, but I don't think that's what you are about and I believe your "nope" to be sincere.

For the higher purpose of truth? Meh, the truth will reveal itself over time. And none of us know for certain any way.

Shared misery? Not the most gracious alternative, albeit a legit human instinct. We sometimes feel better when others share our pain. It really does take effort not to pull other people into our bull****.

To be a sheppard and help others avoid potential (or inevitable, depending on your perspective) disappointment? A more well-intentioned purpose, but the road to **** is paved with good intentions. The ends seldom justify the means.

My $.02? Time is undefeated and whatever good or bad is coming will come to pass either way. As a fellow fan, you can't change people's outlook any more than you can change the outcome of the games. Best to just let everyone drink at their own pace.

Edit: My sincere apologies if this comes off as antagonistic or condescending tone. Neither was my goal, but on re-read I could see how it may come across that way. I'm just outside enjoying a McKenna's and a cigar after a challenging week, and I happened to be reflecting on sweet sadness of learning to let go as I was reading through this thread.
Click to expand...


For whatever it’s worth, I think this was a thoughtful, well written post.
 
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