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Are some teams just destined for heartbreak each season?

28th January, 2010
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Roar Guru
28th January, 2010
24
1657 Reads

Jamie Soward and Dean Young during the NRL, Round 4, Brisbane Broncos v St George Illawarra Dragons match at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Friday April 3, 2009. Dragons won 25-12. (AAP Image/Action Photographics, Colin Whelan)

There are losses, and then there is what happened to the Minnesota Vikings in last weekend’s NFC Championship Game. Vikings fans thought 1998 was horrible, but this puts that to shame.

In 1998, Vikings’ kicker Morten Anderson missed a field goal which would have clinched the game — at least then they got to kick.

This time the Vikings kicker didn’t even get onto the field because Brett Favre was picked off throwing a pass he didn’t need to throw.

The game went into overtime, the Vikings lost the toss, and they didn’t touch the ball again. Although one thinks that had they won the toss they still would have found a way to throw it away.

It raises the question – are some teams destined for heartbreak?

No matter what the sport, you see examples of this, be it the Cronulla Sharks, Western Bulldogs or Chicago Cubs. Why are there some teams that just don’t know how to win?

Often it is the self-belief, or lack thereof, which is the biggest stumbling block. And when the dam breaks, it does so in a big way. This happened with the Queensland Bulls, Sydney Kings and Boston Red Sox.

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To be a fan of one of these down-on-its-luck clubs isn’t easy. You are conditioned to disappointment and coming short, but you allow yourselves to think there is something different about them this year.

You start to hope, and with that comes expectation and excitement.

Come the playoffs, an all too predictable and familiar feeling comes back. It all unravels.

And while it’s a different year, it’s the same result.

You don’t need to look any further than St George or St Kilda fans to see this. They would still be feeling the pain of their September fadeouts.

Maybe it would be better for your well-being if you weren’t so connected to the team, but to quote Brokeback Mountain: “I can’t quit you”.

The year it all clicks is the year all the pain and agony becomes worth it. The Sydney Swans fans of 2005, the West Tigers fans of 2005 and the Philadelphia Philles fans of 2008.

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As a sports fan, you tie yourself to the fortunes of your team. You allow them to take you on an emotional roller-coaster and there is nothing you can do about it.

What can’t kill you will make you stronger.

Then again, you could always be boring and support Manchester United, the New York Yankees, or the Los Angeles Lakers.

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