Why on earth do I put myself through this every week? I spend the week convincing myself that there is no chance of being beaten – we clearly have the superior side, our form shows we should win, my fortune reader told me so.
Until the weekend rolls around and I understand why being a sports fan should come with a piece of advice: “Warning – watching sport should be considered a cruel and unusual punishment.”
Being a supporter of the Wallabies, Liverpool Football Club, the Waratahs, Australian cricket and the rest should just be downright illegal.
Now I have to grin and bear the witty repartee of my teammates at my adopted London rugby club.
I guess it is my fault for being an optimist; life would be much easier if I expected the worst and were surprised by any win. However, it pains me to think that my life would be more enjoyable if I had only made smarter decisions as a young child.
Like most sports fans, I am a terrible loser. Thus each loss is met with pouting, yelling and storming around the room, lamenting every poor decision that my 86-year-old grandmother could have done better.
Where were my parents and fortune teller to advise me that supporting any of these sides would usually end in disappointment? Why didn’t they just spare my feelings and tell me to support the All Blacks or Manchester United?
Instead, I spend my weeks trying to think up excuses as to why we lost, pretending that it doesn’t bother me, but it still burns a hole in my heart as I live off past glories to somehow get me by until our next game.
I feel I would be better off if I just quit sport all together – maybe take up knitting or the oboe and leave all the heartache and lows behind.
However, as I lament the problems of supporting teams that have been perennial disappointment and yell at the replay of the Wallabies game hoping that the score will change, I realise that I am hooked.
Like an addict, I keep coming back. Even though I know their will be some incredible lows, I keep looking for that absolute high that only sport can supply.
Until then, I think my only solution is to suck it up and just daydream about scoring the winning trying in the Rugby World Cup final.
Or maybe spend my days watching old Disney movies, where the only endings are happy and Aladdin never slips over and misses the winning penalty goal.
I think I know which option I’ll choose.
Common sense
Guest
I see it as setting very unreasonable expectations. Simply because we have experienced extraordinary results in the past does not mean it will be the same in the future. They're only setting themselves up for almost guaranteed disappointment, shrowded by faith and sometimes delusional optimism. The Olympics is a key example. During 2000 and 2004 the team hit ridiculously above what they realistically should have been reaching, and because of that we somehow think that should be the rule as opposed to the exception. To be the best in the world in a sport that almost every country in the world competes in is a monumental achievement and we should be happy that atleast one or two of our athletes, who slog their guts out just as much for us as themselves, can be called world champions in the most competitive sports in the world. Even if they end up in the top 4 out of approximately 200 countries is amazing, especially considering most countries have multiple competitors in most events. Swimming is primarily what I'm talking about. Nearly every country either has a beach or swimming pool somewhere and are able to produce athletes able of competing in the Olympics. For a country of approximately 22 million, to have so many competitive athletes at the same time in the same event is astounding and should be recognized as monumental opposed to the standard. The way we bitched and moaned that they only won one or two gold medals in the swimming in this past tournament is embarrasing and very unsportsman like, especially considering they came home with a considerable amount of silver medals. Thats no easy feat.
alex
Guest
thats about right unless oz are [playing the poms, back oz then
AWCMONREF
Guest
Chris "We support 2 teams NZ and who evers playing Australia" :) maybe not but that is what one of our cheeky t shirts say :(
AWCMONREF
Guest
And the ABs into mine, no matter where in the world I lived :)
Chris
Guest
pls excuse me guys, I really enjoy reading all your comments. I live in Asia and hang out with mostly Aussie's and Poms, plus a few SA's and others. Having lived in OZ or a long time they are my second team despite my country men being a little anal about their big brother. Who else will a kiwi support if NZ are not playing? be gentle with me this is the first time I have ever posted a comment.
Rob, let me put it to you like this. If I were to emigrate anywhere, I will not be able to support my adopted country's team. The Boks are ingrained in my soul.
ryan
Guest
who else thinks putting folau at first five would be a good one? the whole gameplan is revolved around giving him the pill so why not just let him play there. He is probably the best athlete in union at the moment no question there and he is wasted at fullback. just give him a fair go against italy?
ryan
Guest
Im still proud to be aussie even if the wallabies suck atm? Bring on italy we'll show them what is up with that one
DR
Guest
Yes RT. it's looking promising for your lads. Looking forward to it
Chan Wee
Guest
@ Rob from Brumby Country : while ur arguement has some logic, it takes out certain portion of the population (in a world sense), who will not have a sport or team to follow. however they make concious decisions to support a team, for hat ever reason(s). this may be due to the media and marketing. for example I suppose 99% of the people in Qatar support BARCELONA becoz of the Qatar Foundation's involvement. (maybe you have seen the Qatar Air / Barcelona advert, its on youtube :) ) even in Australia , when Livrpool vsited , they had a ear full house thi year (pre-season). supporting a team due to origin is a given, but in today's inernet world fan base is more diverse.
Garth
Guest
Smart move. Says the Hurricane & Wanganui fan living in Invercargill.
Rob na Champassak
Roar Guru
BB, they used to say that you don't pick a team, the team picks you. To me that could mean several different things. I inherited my Rugby teams by being born and raised in Canberra (I support the Raiders in the NRL, naturally). So I didn't really get a choice with those. But I started following the Bushrangers in Australian domestic cricket because a schoolmate played for them for a while. I started supporting St Kilda in AFL because as a kid I learned to kick conversions with a smaller ball that just happened to be a Saints ball. I started supporting Tottenham Hotspur in 2006 because I knew nothing about the EPL and decided that a team with a Shakespearian name was too good to pass up. ;) In each of those cases, I was making a decision to support a team (nobody else in my family cares much about sports that aren't rugby and there were no local teams in any of those competitions for me to feel obligated to support anyway), and I don't feel much less loyal to any of them simply because my reasons for supporting them were more artificial (although I am definitely more loyal to Rugby and Cricket!). I think you absolutely can choose to support a team - any team - and you can enjoy it as much as any fan. You just usually have the decision made for you, by birth or other circumstance.
Rugby Tragic
Guest
If you checked out their forwards as well DR, it has given me reason to be hopeful particularly interested to see how Kaino goes with Luatua firing but also Tony Woodcock is back and we pinched Tom Donnelly... Hmmm odds might be good to commit early! If Sir Ted and Sir Jogn can get them (including Nonu v Saili) up to speed, I think there are very good reasons to be optimistic. .... its been a long time between drinks
DR
Guest
Thanks RT. Yes, bit deflating. Was there with the kids all face painted up but not be. Got to hand it to Canterbury, fantastic acheivement by them. 2014 here we come!! Looking forward to seeing the Blues run round. Quite a backline you have there!
DR
Guest
:) Did that for a year then ran home ;)
ben
Guest
Can beat that.....hurricanes and wgtn fan and living in auckland.
Bayxxx
Guest
I think it is has to be the responsibility for each of us to set our own expectations as fans.....the problem for many Australians is that their ridiculously optimistic view of the world allows them to believe that they are far better than the reality.... England were seriously poor in their first outing of the Season, but can anyone seriously suggest that the Wobs were better, and if so, in what areas of the game?
AWCMONREF
Guest
Guys try being an AllBlack supporter during the any RWC, we start believeing the hype that the AllBlacks are the best team on the planet and have got it in the bag, that can make for an absolutely painful experience, sitting in the Millenium Stadium v France ( sob) 2007 (hic) and (waaaahh)the ANZ Stadium Sydney 2003 and and and no I don't want to talk about it anymore :(
oupa
Roar Rookie
In Australia, one's patriotism is exploited by some so-called "experts" especially on Fox TV. They feed us unrealistic expectations and refuse to address the fundamental problems by being critical of highly paid professional players and coaches. They are yes-men and are not doing the right thing by the fans who expect honesty and insight from them.
alex
Roar Pro
It wasn't meant as a rub ;)