On being a fan these days
It's very obvious that I'm a sports fan. Over the years, Shan has asked me why I do this to myself -- why do I watch sports when each loss by Penn State's football and volleyball teams causes me pain? I know that people who don't enjoy sports don't really understand this, and I have to admit that I don't quite understand it either -- but I have to admit that it really does have a strong effect on me. The highs are high (Penn State 17, Ohio State 10 anyone?), but the lows are low (Iowa 6, Penn State 4).
I have to admit, that as I'm getting older, I'm starting to enjoy it less. A recurring theme here has been cropping up again, and it is getting to me even worse than ever. This past week at the Penn State / Notre Dame game, there were many, many fans around me who weren't the usual suspects. Almost everyone sold their tickets for some ungodly sum, so the season ticket holders who are usually around me weren't there, and instead the drunk guy who bets on every game was there instead. Like always, the morons were harping on Morelli from the moment he stepped on the field. If he threw a textbook pass to a receiver, there was silence. If he missed an open receiver, though, the groans and comments about how he was personally responsible for the end of civilization started.
I can't stand it. Every QB that has ever played for Penn State has been universally vilified by our own fans. They beg for Joe to put in the backup, and as soon as that guy is in the game, he's the subject of ridicule within 15 minutes of being the new starter. It reached an all time low when one of our "fans" cheered when Zack Mills was on the turf obviously hurt.
I do my best to bite my tongue, but I cheer louder than normal whenever the QB does well hoping to be a role model. It doesn't work, but I won't give up.
This time, though, I snapped. Morelli threw about a 40 yard strike to a receiver that set up a TD, no one said anything, and I turned around and growled "That was Morelli!" One guy in particular looked at me like I'm insane, and for that minute I was. Of course, after that pass, Morelli was sacked on the very next play, and he underthrew a receiver on what was I think his only other pass attempt after that (by that time, the score was out of hand, and Joe chose to run the ball for the rest of the game). So all the idiots were laughing at me as they jeered Morelli's mistakes after I exploded trying to defend him.
So as much as I love football in general and PSU football in particular, the fun of attending a game in person is running out. I can't block the morons out anymore.
I guess it is the usual "kids these days" kind of thing, but it really feels like it is getting worse. There was just an article about a Texas fan walking into a bar in Oklahoma, and well, I can't even bring myself to type what happened. We had another case of a fan from the opposing school writing to our paper to complain about how horrible our fans were during the PSU / ND game, and I can't really be too critical. I'm starting to hate our fans, too.
I have to admit, that as I'm getting older, I'm starting to enjoy it less. A recurring theme here has been cropping up again, and it is getting to me even worse than ever. This past week at the Penn State / Notre Dame game, there were many, many fans around me who weren't the usual suspects. Almost everyone sold their tickets for some ungodly sum, so the season ticket holders who are usually around me weren't there, and instead the drunk guy who bets on every game was there instead. Like always, the morons were harping on Morelli from the moment he stepped on the field. If he threw a textbook pass to a receiver, there was silence. If he missed an open receiver, though, the groans and comments about how he was personally responsible for the end of civilization started.
I can't stand it. Every QB that has ever played for Penn State has been universally vilified by our own fans. They beg for Joe to put in the backup, and as soon as that guy is in the game, he's the subject of ridicule within 15 minutes of being the new starter. It reached an all time low when one of our "fans" cheered when Zack Mills was on the turf obviously hurt.
I do my best to bite my tongue, but I cheer louder than normal whenever the QB does well hoping to be a role model. It doesn't work, but I won't give up.
This time, though, I snapped. Morelli threw about a 40 yard strike to a receiver that set up a TD, no one said anything, and I turned around and growled "That was Morelli!" One guy in particular looked at me like I'm insane, and for that minute I was. Of course, after that pass, Morelli was sacked on the very next play, and he underthrew a receiver on what was I think his only other pass attempt after that (by that time, the score was out of hand, and Joe chose to run the ball for the rest of the game). So all the idiots were laughing at me as they jeered Morelli's mistakes after I exploded trying to defend him.
So as much as I love football in general and PSU football in particular, the fun of attending a game in person is running out. I can't block the morons out anymore.
I guess it is the usual "kids these days" kind of thing, but it really feels like it is getting worse. There was just an article about a Texas fan walking into a bar in Oklahoma, and well, I can't even bring myself to type what happened. We had another case of a fan from the opposing school writing to our paper to complain about how horrible our fans were during the PSU / ND game, and I can't really be too critical. I'm starting to hate our fans, too.
posted by Chris at 1:38 AM
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