What I am about to write may upset a few people I'm close with, but I cannot hold it back any longer. It's time to finally come clean and face the cold, hard truth.
l no longer consider myself a fan of the Kansas Jayhawks.
Okay, so maybe the opening lines were slightly dramatic, but I got you interested, didn't I?
When the #2 Kansas Jayhawks lost to the Texas Longhorns on Saturday afternoon, I was unscathed. In fact, I didn't even find out about it until that night when I saw the score flash across ESPN's Bottom Line.
Here they are in conference play, going up against another great Big XII team, with a 69-game home winning streak on the line. Yet, I didn't care that they lost. Didn't care that they blew a 15-point lead.
What's wrong with me? How did this happen? There was a time in my life where KU Basketball was THE TEAM I followed closer than any other in all of sports. In middle school I remember saying, "I don't care how well my basketball team plays, as long as the Jayhawks win this weekend."
At age 11, I remember crying when the 1997 team (who had lost only one game all season) was ousted by Arizona in the Sweet 16.
l no longer consider myself a fan of the Kansas Jayhawks.
Okay, so maybe the opening lines were slightly dramatic, but I got you interested, didn't I?
When the #2 Kansas Jayhawks lost to the Texas Longhorns on Saturday afternoon, I was unscathed. In fact, I didn't even find out about it until that night when I saw the score flash across ESPN's Bottom Line.
Here they are in conference play, going up against another great Big XII team, with a 69-game home winning streak on the line. Yet, I didn't care that they lost. Didn't care that they blew a 15-point lead.
What's wrong with me? How did this happen? There was a time in my life where KU Basketball was THE TEAM I followed closer than any other in all of sports. In middle school I remember saying, "I don't care how well my basketball team plays, as long as the Jayhawks win this weekend."
At age 11, I remember crying when the 1997 team (who had lost only one game all season) was ousted by Arizona in the Sweet 16.
 |
| Michael Lee's 3-pointer getting blocked as time expired in the 2003 National Championship. Excruciating. |
At age 17, I remember the heartbreak and agony when Carmelo Anthony and Syracuse upset the Jayhawks in the Championship game.
But last year... when Northern Iowa defeated Kansas (the #1 overall seed) in just the 2nd Round, I remember being a little disappointed, but that was it. I was actually scared that I wasn't more affected by the loss.
And now this year, I haven't even had the desire to watch more than 10 minutes of a single game.
Once again I ask, "How did this happen?" Well, I have a few theories:
1) I never attended the University of Kansas.
Growing up, I always thought I was going to be a Kansas Jayhawk. My dad attended KU. My sister attended KU. So naturally, I was going to KU. I was also going to play on the basketball team and lead the team to a National Championship. (But that idea disappeared after I watched a video tape for the first time of me playing basketball.) But even after that harsh reality, I still pictured myself sitting in the student section at the Phog and cheering like crazy.
Instead, I got a great scholarship to Pittsburg State University, and the choice was easy. But even while at Pitt, I was still a KU fan. One of the happiest memories I have is watching Mario's Miracle with my closest friends. But I think a big reason why I still had that passion is because I thought there may be a chance of grad school at KU. But now I'm realizing if I do go back to school one day, chances are it won't be in Lawrence.
2) I only have so much fandom in me.
Believe it or not, as much as I love sports, I only have the capacity for so much of it. Being a fan is just like life. There are only 24 hours in a day. So when you begin going to the gym an hour each day, what did you have to replace? In the past 5-7 years, I have:
-- Taken a major interest in the Pittsburg State Gorillas football team. (a direct result of me going to school there.
-- Become extremely passionate about Fantasy Football. (See blog entry.) Although it's not a real team, I act like it is.
-- Increased my interest in the Atlanta Braves exponentially. I've been a Braves' fan since I was old enough to watch their games on TBS. But now they are by far my favorite team in sports, and I follow them religiously.
-- And it's worth noting that I still love the Buffalo Bills, despite their terribleness over the past decade.
With all this going on, I don't feel like I need another team in my life.
But last year... when Northern Iowa defeated Kansas (the #1 overall seed) in just the 2nd Round, I remember being a little disappointed, but that was it. I was actually scared that I wasn't more affected by the loss.
And now this year, I haven't even had the desire to watch more than 10 minutes of a single game.
Once again I ask, "How did this happen?" Well, I have a few theories:
1) I never attended the University of Kansas.
Growing up, I always thought I was going to be a Kansas Jayhawk. My dad attended KU. My sister attended KU. So naturally, I was going to KU. I was also going to play on the basketball team and lead the team to a National Championship. (But that idea disappeared after I watched a video tape for the first time of me playing basketball.) But even after that harsh reality, I still pictured myself sitting in the student section at the Phog and cheering like crazy.
Instead, I got a great scholarship to Pittsburg State University, and the choice was easy. But even while at Pitt, I was still a KU fan. One of the happiest memories I have is watching Mario's Miracle with my closest friends. But I think a big reason why I still had that passion is because I thought there may be a chance of grad school at KU. But now I'm realizing if I do go back to school one day, chances are it won't be in Lawrence.
2) I only have so much fandom in me.
Believe it or not, as much as I love sports, I only have the capacity for so much of it. Being a fan is just like life. There are only 24 hours in a day. So when you begin going to the gym an hour each day, what did you have to replace? In the past 5-7 years, I have:
-- Taken a major interest in the Pittsburg State Gorillas football team. (a direct result of me going to school there.
-- Become extremely passionate about Fantasy Football. (See blog entry.) Although it's not a real team, I act like it is.
-- Increased my interest in the Atlanta Braves exponentially. I've been a Braves' fan since I was old enough to watch their games on TBS. But now they are by far my favorite team in sports, and I follow them religiously.
-- And it's worth noting that I still love the Buffalo Bills, despite their terribleness over the past decade.
With all this going on, I don't feel like I need another team in my life.
 |
| Rooting for the Gorillas! Just one of the reasons why KU Basketball doesn't mean the same to me. (I'm in the rainbow wig on the far right.) |
 |
| Paul Pierce left KU early. Several others followed. |
3) Who are these guys?
I remember in 1998 when Paul Pierce announced we was forgoing his senior season to enter the NBA Draft. That was the first KU player I remember leaving early. Then it was Drew Gooden. He was followed by Julian Wright, Brandon Rush, Darrell Arthur, and one-and-done Xavier Henry... just to name a few. It's to the point now where there's not much consistency from year-to-year. It really takes away from the excitement when there's so many moving parts.
I remember in 1998 when Paul Pierce announced we was forgoing his senior season to enter the NBA Draft. That was the first KU player I remember leaving early. Then it was Drew Gooden. He was followed by Julian Wright, Brandon Rush, Darrell Arthur, and one-and-done Xavier Henry... just to name a few. It's to the point now where there's not much consistency from year-to-year. It really takes away from the excitement when there's so many moving parts.
I'll close with this... I take being a fan very seriously. It ticks me off when someone says they're a "fan" of the New York Yankees but can't name three players on the entire roster. Some fan, huh? For me being a fan is having an emotional attachment to a certain team. And I just don't have that with KU anymore.
Come tournament time, I'll probably still root for the Jayhawks. It'll be hard not to. I'll also be rooting for the Packers in the Super Bowl, yet I'm not a fan of the Packers. I just simply want them to win.
My point is that some people just outgrow their favorite pair of jeans. The key is realizing it and coming to terms with it before you get a big hole in the crotch.
Come tournament time, I'll probably still root for the Jayhawks. It'll be hard not to. I'll also be rooting for the Packers in the Super Bowl, yet I'm not a fan of the Packers. I just simply want them to win.
My point is that some people just outgrow their favorite pair of jeans. The key is realizing it and coming to terms with it before you get a big hole in the crotch.
No comments:
Post a Comment