Touched on this earlier this week a bit, but I think there’s a few things at work here.
First, is that the loudest voices in Boston sports, especially those on the radio, are driven by getting listeners and readers. Insightful football analysis and calm, “stay the course” perspectives don’t ignite a passionate fire in people that has them calling into the station and ranting online.
It’s the old Howard Stern thing – people who hate him listen much longer than those who love him. So it’s important to understand that’s their game and it’s an effective one.
As for the fans, everyone “enjoys” sports in their own way. Whether you just want to bitch about players, coaches, performance, etc. or praise them, all sides are valid. That’s what sports are for and of course, everyone is generally happy when they win.
I gave up trying to talk people out of being miserable every time the Patriots lose a game or don’t beat a “bad” team by enough. It’s just how they “enjoy” the game and I really have no problem with it.
For me, I loved playing sports growing up and loved being part of the ups-and-downs in the journey toward trying to win a championship. I am constantly striving to understand the game better and to accurately and fairly analyze what the team does well and what they need to improve.
I don’t aim for cheap page views by writing “It’s time for the Patriots to trade Tom Brady” posts. I’m sure I could get a lot more traffic if I went that route, but that’s not the perspective I enjoy and not one I wish to try and fake.
The biggest truth to me is that each football season is a journey. Every team has those ups and downs, weaknesses and injuries to overcome, and each year we hope they can put it together to win three or four playoff games at the end.
I try to enjoy the regular season because if your enjoyment of football hinges on how the team does in the playoffs you’re probably going to be disappointed every year.
Enjoy the journey, not the destination. RIght?