AS a youngster who played football and other sports…not well. That is actually an understatement. I fumed and was disconsolate. It took a couple of days I could shake off a loss in a football match.
One time, a friend teased about a painful loss in a championship match and I whaled away on him. And it was like that for much of my school days…anger and at the drop of a hate, fisticuffs.
I learned to not punch my way into trouble.
As a sports fan in my younger days, when the team I root for tasted defeat, it ate at me.
This too is an understatement. At night, I couldn’t even sleep. And the next day, I was irritable and it showed on my face. I threw virtual jabs online at the enemy—perceived and real.
Time and age should dampen the raging fires, and I did learn to cool my jets.
Today, when my favorite sports teams lose…well, I will be honest, it still rankles me. I feel that familiar age surging forward, but now I am able to control it. I guess, you can say that I learned the hard way about saying what I thought. And I did regret many a thing.
It still pisses me off a lot. Except now, I don’t show it.
Some will say that it’s also wrong or bad to hide emotions that rage within me.
Actually, no.
If there is anything I have learned for about 15 years now…it is to take things in stride. To find other things to do and keep busy so when my favorite sports teams lose, I have no time to feel too bad.
Make no mistake, I do care and losses still bother more. But I have long since come to terms that you cannot win every game, and that some win more than most. I have learned to be grateful for everything even the small victories that come my teams’ way.
I have learned that by being busy with a multitude of things, I have almost no time to dwell on the negative emotions. By the time I have free time, I’m too exhausted and sleepy to even think about it.
Sure it is a defense mechanism. It does work.
As my favorite football team Liverpool continues its downward spiral this season (after winning the Premier League last season along with three other major trophies), I feel bad. With every loss and the seeing what they have built over the course of three seasons (and to lose it in one) is painful.
I couldn’t care less for my side and the fans being the butt of jokes. Frankly, when you lose a lot, you know you have learned to take it.
What hurts is thinking that they could have kept this going this season. of course, all is not lost.
A top four berth is still within reach, but the optimism that was there for much of the season is now gone. I am prepared for the worst meaning no Champions League slot. No silverware at all this year. And perhaps even worse…the untimely break-up of this team that seems to have lost its verve.
But I’ll still cheer them on. It’s what a fan does. Through thick and thin.
After all these years, hope is in my heart.
They’ll be back.