Well, I'm not as devastated by last night's Cavs loss as I thought I'd be.
Maybe it's due to some sort of self-preservation mechanism, but I've become a bit numb to these things, you see. Don't get me wrong - I still love my teams. I still want them to win, and I was still swearing up a storm during the final seconds of those heart-stopping playoffs games. But my recovery from the losses was much quicker than I expected. And the intensity of my emotions is much duller.
Admittedly, I'm probably less than half the Cleveland sports fan I used to be. I have vivid memories of the big heartbreaking Cleveland sports moments.
But then something happened to me. I became a mother.
Now, I know plenty of moms who are still rabid sports fans, but for me, the combination of more chaos and deeper sleep deprivation in my life meant something had to give. The first thing to go? My fantasy sports teams. Next up? My coordination of various sports pools*. Following that, I scaled back on mere *participation* in sports pools (with the exception of my March Madness pool with Vic, but that's only because the winner gets a Hassle-Free Fun Day and what mom in her right mind would miss out on the possibility of that?)
It's healthier this way, I think. I don't want my boys to ride the same Cleveland sports fan rollercoaster Vic and I have ridden most of our lives. It may be too late for Nico, I'm afraid. He was in bed when the game started so he didn't get to see any of it. He pounded his fist and stomped his feet when I told him about the outcome of yesterday's game. "SHUCKS!" he cried. "SHUUUUUCKS!" (He hasn't discovered stronger words to use - yet.)
Nolan, I have a feeling, will be much mellower. He's only a year and a half, but he seems naturally mild-mannered. Even though we may have started him down the wrong path by dressing him in Cleveland sports team infant outfits, he seems to take it all in stride.
I still care about Cleveland sports, but I will no longer let team losses sink me into a deep funk. In fact, this morning, I told Vic, "Well, the good news is I can move on to other things and think about having a fun summer."
*Note: This year was an exception.
2 comments:
I remember having an email discussion w/ Chris and his buddies, well before we were even dating, about sports fandom. They were moaning some Michigan thing, I'm sure.
I have had a very up-and-down (mostly down) relationship with many sports teams over the course of my life. Love when they win, more or less eventually get over it pretty well when they lose (the exception is Fourth and Twenty Six, which I don't want to talk about).
I told the guys it's because I'm a criminal defense lawyer, and thus used to losing--and losing stuff that is actually important. So I always learn to look for the bright side in any sporting event. Usually, it's, "Well, at least I got in some good drinking."
Words of wisdom. You're welcome.
Also, my god, where did you find that video clip? That is just the saddest freaking thing I've ever seen.
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