Carps’ Conclusions

I was inspired to write this article after my college basketball team, UConn, lost to a mediocre Providence squad on Jan. 27. When I say ‘lost’, what I meant to say is, was ‘embarrassed’ or ‘shamed.’ ‘Maimed’ might be the best word. After knocking #1 Texas off of their self-righteous Longhorn a mere four days earlier, the UConn I saw against Providence was a different team.

Stanley Robinson and Jerome Dyson are a dangerous duo, averaging 16.2 and 19 points a game, respectively. Kemba Walker, only a sophomore, is incredibly quick and tosses up some phenomenal floaters when he drives the lane. Gavin Edwards is a pretty decent shot blocker, like many alums of UConn lore. Yet even with this talent, the Huskies are consistently inconsistent.

I never know which team, the good or the bad, will be playing in the next game, so I always tune in to watch. I’ll either be satisfied with a solid performance or disgusted with sloppy play. But I still watch every game I can with eyes glued to the screen.

This gets me to my driving point of this article: is it more fun to watch your team when they are not a dominant force? I say yes; the years when I watch the most games are the years when my team is not expected to win.

My cousin and former Campus Editor-in-Chief, James Kerrigan ’08.5, summed up my philosophy in a poignant conversation two summers ago.

With the Red Sox sitting comfortably atop the AL East, it looked doubtful that they would lose the top spot to the Devil Rays. When watching a Sox game after dinner, James muttered to me, “Kev. It’s not as much fun to watch the Sox anymore. It was almost better when they were losing.”

It’s true. Pre-2004 Red Sox were like the present-day Cubs; pathetic, tragically doomed to fail and, yet, incredibly captivating. Every year started with the familiar adage of ‘this is the year.’ And when Boston won the World Series in 2004, it was unbelievably satisfying. But now I scoff at Papelbon’s incompetence and Ellsbury’s cold bat. Winning seems like an expectation rather than a goal to strive for. The hope of ekeing out a first-place finish is more enticing than having to maintain excellence.

The same philosophy can apply to Yankees fans. Last year’s victory was decisive and resolute. They were the best team that money could buy. The Yanks dominated the playoffs and triumphantly trounced the Phillies. But what made the victory so sweet? The win marked the end of an eight-year dry spell. It was such a satisfying win because New York fans had not experienced it for years.

So I present an argument that is likely sacrilegious for Yankees fans: winning every year is not desirable. When you expect your team to win, you will often be disappointed. When your team never wins, the win is like ambrosia to the proverbial tongue. So in an off year you may get unexpected outcomes, which is one reason why sports are so great.

I will note that I have one exception to this rule: Lebron James. Growing up in Cleveland, I saw the Cavs go through terrible times. But now, they have Lebron. So to go against my initial ideology, I would watch Lebron no matter what the team was ranked. But, as we all know, Lebron defies normal logic or classification.