The essence of being a sports fan - Printable Version +- Cincinnati Bengals Message Board / Forums - Home of Jungle Noise (https://thebengalsboard.com) +-- Forum: Cincinnati Bengals / NFL (https://thebengalsboard.com/forum-3.html) +--- Forum: JUNGLE NOISE (https://thebengalsboard.com/forum-2.html) +--- Thread: The essence of being a sports fan (/thread-7654.html)

The essence of being a sports fan - fredtoast - 09-11-2016 I originally became a sports fan because I loved playing sports. But now that I am an old man it has a much different attraction. I still enjoy watching amazing athletes do amazing things that only one tenth of one percent of the population can do, but there is another aspect at play when I watch "my" teams play. I am emotionally invested in who wine the contest. And that is what makes sports so great for me. I could always just look at the scores after the game is over and feel either happy or sad, but there is nothing that compares with watching the game unfold not knowing what is going to happen. It is the emotional roller coaster that makes watching these games so rewarding. This weekend was a perfect example. Saturday night I watched my Tennessee Vols look like total shit for an antire quarter then somehow turn it around and win big. Then Sunday I watched the Bengals and Jets trade the lead back and forth before my team prevailed in the final minute. It is like watching a great drama play out. Sometimes they win and sometimes they lose, but as long as I LIVE IN THE MOMENT it is a great emotional experience. And that is what life is all about. Living in the moment. I don't worry about all our playoff failures in the past, and I don't say "none of this matters if we don't win a playoff game this year". Instead I just live in the moment and enjoy the emotional experience. I won't deny that I enjoy watching my teams just kick the shit out of an opponent and blow them out by 30 points. But the truth is that I get a more "full" experience from a close game or a big come from behind victory. And "living in the moment" also means that I can't let a tough loss get me down for more than a day or two. I have experiences some really gut wrenching losses as a sports fan (Reds losing playoff game 3 in '12 on a 10th inning error, Vols loss to Florida last year, Bengals playoff loss last year),but I have always been able to put them behind me. And in a way you have to suffer some losses like that to really enjoy the big victories.