After 25 years… I’m out

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Donovan said:
I've resorted to this with Gopher football: I record the game and watch up to the first half. I then stop watching and watch something else or do something else. Once we are about 4.5 hours after kickoff I look up the Big Ten standings. If we see that we lost, I don't bother watching the second half. If I see we won the game, I watch the second half completely relaxed and enjoying it. I look at the standings, because I don't want to know the score, just whether we lost.

I have basically decided that I'm willing to sacrifice the surprise element, to avoid the misery of watching a loss. Probably weird to most, but it's been a real good move for me. For those at the point of quitting on the team like the OP, give this method a try.
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I just watch and assume we are the underdog during most B1G games so if we win it's a bonus! I'm also not opposed to moving on to something else if things start to go bad. I do like your idea however. I'm sure tons of the lifelong Gopher/Minnesota sports fans on here have their various coping mechanisms. It's the only way you can survive.

What's that saying, "Hope for the best, but expect the worst." Haha!
 


SeaBee_Gopher said:
I just watch and assume we are the underdog during most B1G games so if we win it's a bonus! I'm also not opposed to moving on to something else if things start to go bad. I do like your idea however. I'm sure tons of the lifelong Gopher/Minnesota sports fans on here have their various coping mechanisms. It's the only way you can survive.

What's that saying, "Hope for the best, but expect the worst." Haha!
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Having been a Gopher masochist in all sports for about 60 years now, those moments like Saturday night keep me coming back. Just wish they would happen more often.
 




CentralGopher said:
Hopefully he doesn’t come back to the forum
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The volume of posts always seems to increase after a loss. The people who are more likely to post frequently after losses seem to vanish after wins, especially big, dramatic, extremely fun, joyful wins like the USC victory.

The posted 'threats' to abandon their long-held fandom are part of the regular pattern.

So it goes.
 

RememberMurray said:
The volume of posts always seems to increase after a loss. The people who are more likely to post frequently after losses seem to vanish after wins, especially big, dramatic, extremely fun, joyful wins like the USC victory.

The posted 'threats' to abandon their long-held fandom are part of the regular pattern.

So it goes.
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To quote the great Neil Young, "It's better to burn out than to fade away".

While that may apply to rock music, as far as an internet message board I would suggest the latter.
 

Ope3 said:
To quote the great Neil Young, "It's better to burn out than to fade away".

While that may apply to rock music, as far as an internet message board I would suggest the latter.
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Let's say you're at a cocktail party and you are not enjoying yourself there.

It's better to simply leave, rather than make a dramatic announcement first. If you make a big thing out of your own exit and nobody reacts or cares it could become awkward or downright embarrassing for you.
 

RememberMurray said:
Let's say you're at a cocktail party and you are not enjoying yourself there.

It's better to simply leave, rather than make a dramatic announcement first. If you make a big thing out of your own exit and nobody reacts or cares it could become awkward or downright embarrassing for you.
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The Irish good bye.
 










DarthGopher said:
First album I ever bought - Pyromania. Something about picking that out at Musicland and taking off the cellophane wrapper brings back awesome memories.
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Great album. Photograph was maybe the fourth or fifth best song on it. Biggest band in the world for awhile there. High n Dry is probably still my favorite of their albums.
 

RememberMurray said:
The volume of posts always seems to increase after a loss. The people who are more likely to post frequently after losses seem to vanish after wins, especially big, dramatic, extremely fun, joyful wins like the USC victory.

The posted 'threats' to abandon their long-held fandom are part of the regular pattern.

So it goes.
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I think there's a desire to seek some validation in one's own feelings by making these posts, and seeing you're not all that crazy and that others feel the same. I also felt hopeless about the season when this thread popped up and had some of the same feelings. The degree of the collapse we saw between the first and second halves of the Iowa game was more jarring than any collapse I've seen under PJ, particularly in a rivalry game, and I thought the team had given up on him. Those feelings can change, mine have, but there's catharsis in shared misery, particularly when it's frustration out of love for the team and not for the sake of stirring the pot or being generally douchebaggy (which we see a lot of on here). Just my two cents, some of us don't do the bold stoicism thing very well.
 

PMWinSTP said:
Great album. Photograph was maybe the fourth or fifth best song on it. Biggest band in the world for awhile there. High n Dry is probaly still my favorite of their albums.
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Rock of Ages was probably my favorite, followed by Foolin'. Photograph at 4 or 5 I would agree.
 

mngg11 said:
I think there's a desire to seek some validation in one's own feelings by making these posts, and seeing you're not all that crazy and that others feel the same. I also felt hopeless about the season when this thread popped up and had some of the same feelings. The degree of the collapse we saw between the first and second halves of the Iowa game was more jarring than any collapse I've seen under PJ, particularly in a rivalry game, and I thought the team had given up on him. Those feelings can change, mine have, but there's catharsis in shared misery, particularly when it's frustration out of love for the team and not for the sake of stirring the pot or being generally douchebaggy (which we see a lot of on here). Just my two cents, some of us don't do the bold stoicism thing very well.
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I told Mrs. Billd last evening while watching the DVR that I'm now resigned to the fact that there will be growing pains each season under Coach Fleck. Sometimes like 2019 it's by the skin of our teeth for Ws or like this year with too many Ls. Highly unlikely we'll ever get to just reload each year, especially now with the portal and NIL.

I believe my Gopher Fan mental health will be better with this outlook. Not happy with it but just the way it is.
 

Some Day...Maybe said:
I was going to drive over to Pasadena from AZ with my son to watch the game. I have no interest now. I've cancelled the hotel and we'll do something else that weekend. Just not worth it. This program is just in a pretty sad place right now, hasn't been in a place like this since Tim Brewster. At least there was hope when they hired Kill, and steady improvement until he had to step down. There was excitement for Fleck, but since 2020 it's been a downer.
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Any regrets with cancelling your Pasadena trip? Pretty exciting 2nd Half.
 





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Gopherchase said:
I find it pretty Puss that you go track something like this down and pop it up after a big win.
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Hey, don't worry about it.

After all, Ope can't hurt anybody's feelings, because they're all gone now. They finally had their fill of bitter disappointment, and they all walked away from this train wreck.
 
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RememberMurray said:
Hey, don't worry about it.

After all, Ope can't hurt anybody's feelings, because they're all gone now. They finally had their fill of bitter disappointment, and they all walked away from this train wreck.
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While I fully cop to a certain amount of snark to posting the question about Some Day Maybe having any regrets about pulling the plug on his Pasadena plans just a few weeks out, I also was/am genuinely curious.

Heck, I had some remorse about not personally making the trip. The Gopher crowd looked solid, lots of positive reports about others enjoying their time in SoCal and then a rousing comeback victory against the Bruins, so sure I felt like I missed out.

I had tentatively planned to go, but knew by mid-July it was not in the cards, as friends family were going to have other obligations. While there was remorse, no regrets though. I pivoted and wound up in Nashville this weekend.

I got to cross a Ryman Auditorium concert off my bucket list, and saw the Colts-Titans in the same day.

I have been to Rose Bowl a handful of times already. It was fun to watch on TV.
 

I'll never completely step away. I have backed down from looking at depth charts, injury reports and knowing most of the players back stories. I just cannot be as invested when Gopher football (and basketball) do nothing but completely let me down. I'll always watch and follow. No new Gopher gear for the wardrobe. I'll catch games live when it is convenient.
 

Go Gophers Rah said:
Tens of thousands of dollars spent. Traveling to 9 bowl games. Putting my heart into this. I’m done.
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Going back to the initial post, is only 25 years long enough to build up enough scar tissue to make the proclamation? :cool:
 


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