Can’t handle the build up

[amk8930]

I'm the same age as you (28) and I checked the score on the bottom of the ticker growing up and hoped that the Gophers would win, but I remember being sad they lost, but not making a big deal about it.

I first really got into the Gophers in '99. I remember being at my Grandparents when Penn State happened. We didn't have cable, so I saw the field goal on like the ESPN+ game having a cut in or something and I remember it being all over the news that night. We then won the Pig and I instantly started paying attention to Gopher football. I was crushed in the 99 Sun Bowl since I could actually watch the game and seeing them choke it away Minnesota sports style made me sad until I woke up just in time for 2000 to hit.

Honestly, the let down of Minnesota and Gopher sports has made me a Negative Nancy, not going to lie, and I always assume the worst hoping for the best. It's almost like a movie where it's so bad it's good. Well, I'm so negative that I almost feel it helps the team. The more I have said they would lose, the more they won. Iowa was the first game this year I had the opposite, and thought they could win, but look what happened there.

I said last night when they had a story about Gameday coming, I said, "I want them to win so so badly, but I know I have seen this before." (Looking at you '99 and '10 NFC Championships with the former being the first year I ever got into Football period)

I would be so excited if they won, but knowing my history with sports and the better I feel about a game, the opposite happens. I have to keep my expectations low. Honestly, if they do lose, I hope people remember that going to a January/solid bowl game will still be a good season. Especially since, as people have said, we would normally hoping for a bowl game or to get out of the bottom ones, and could only dream of playing in like the Outback, Citrus, etc.

 

[Panthadad2]

Who knew how much winning would take a toll on us. A different type of toll completely from losing.

Winning can take a toll on the wallet too (and gladly). Tailgaiting longer and better $$. Buying more brew and dogs at the game $$. Spending more per ticket $$. Screwing around on Gopherhole instead of working $$. Spending to travel to Indianapolis I hope $$$. Spending even more to go to a great bowl game $$$$.

 

[mjfelton15]

You aren’t alone my friend! I’ve been a DIE HARD Gopher fan for over 40 years. I was the nerdy kid glued to his cheap AM radio on Saturday’s to listen to virtually every game. I still hear Ray Christiansen’s voice in my head. If we won, it was a happy weekend. If we lost, it took me a couple of days to somewhat get over it. After the Lou Holtz betrayal and the historic heart-breaking losses (Michigan affected me the most), followed by the string of mostly average to mediocre coaches and teams, I never thought this day would come. I had ZERO hope, yet I continued to be a huge fan, just hoping for average-ness and an ocasional big win.

Now, I am over-the-top excited-just like you. I couldn’t even watch most of the Penn State game until it was over. I recorded it, and got busy working on house projects and would sneak a peak at the score on my phone. After seeing we had the lead, I could watch a bit until it got too close. That’s how bad I want the good guys to win! I will be in seventh heaven if we beat the Badgers.

I have to ask: Are you going to the game? If not, will you be watching from home? Do you have your heart medicine ready?

I love to hear stories like yours. It’s been tough to stay a true and loyal fan over the past few decades. My Dad always told me it’s tough being a Minnesota sports fan when I was little, and I found that out when he brought me to the game against Wisconsin where the punt was blocked into the end zone, the famous Michigan meltdown, the Iowa taking our goal posts, Brees throwing for 500 yards and 6 TD’s almost every time he played us, etc. I was able to see the Michigan stop on Mitch Leidner at the half yard line. I was at the Badger game in 2016 where Leidner threw 4 INTs in the 4th to lose us a game we had in the bag. I’ve had my share of bad games to see.
But to answer your question, I was at the Penn State game and stormed the field, and I’ll be at this game on Saturday. Hoping to be there by 7am and get a good spot to watch the GameDay events. I’m hoping we can storm the field two times in the same year this year. I’ll also be DVR’ing the game so I can have it forever like the Penn State recording.

 

[mjfelton15]

I'm the same age as you (28) and I checked the score on the bottom of the ticker growing up and hoped that the Gophers would win, but I remember being sad they lost, but not making a big deal about it.

I first really got into the Gophers in '99. I remember being at my Grandparents when Penn State happened. We didn't have cable, so I saw the field goal on like the ESPN+ game having a cut in or something and I remember it being all over the news that night. We then won the Pig and I instantly started paying attention to Gopher football. I was crushed in the 99 Sun Bowl since I could actually watch the game and seeing them choke it away Minnesota sports style made me sad until I woke up just in time for 2000 to hit.

Honestly, the let down of Minnesota and Gopher sports has made me a Negative Nancy, not going to lie, and I always assume the worst hoping for the best. It's almost like a movie where it's so bad it's good. Well, I'm so negative that I almost feel it helps the team. The more I have said they would lose, the more they won. Iowa was the first game this year I had the opposite, and thought they could win, but look what happened there.

I said last night when they had a story about Gameday coming, I said, "I want them to win so so badly, but I know I have seen this before." (Looking at you '99 and '10 NFC Championships with the former being the first year I ever got into Football period)

I would be so excited if they won, but knowing my history with sports and the better I feel about a game, the opposite happens. I have to keep my expectations low. Honestly, if they do lose, I hope people remember that going to a January/solid bowl game will still be a good season. Especially since, as people have said, we would normally hoping for a bowl game or to get out of the bottom ones, and could only dream of playing in like the Outback, Citrus, etc.

Well I know a lot of people in the same boat as you, I’m just hoping the trends can change and there will continue to be less and less things to be negative about. It’s going to take years to undo the pessimism in our fan base. It’s been ingrained for decades. I believe it’s a great season, and it will only be the beginning of a lot of solid seasons that we’re not used to. Even if we do lose Saturday. We’ll still get a great bowl game that we never seem to get even if we lose too. But I’m going to continue hoping for the W.

 

[Jeshurun]

I love to hear stories like yours. It’s been tough to stay a true and loyal fan over the past few decades. My Dad always told me it’s tough being a Minnesota sports fan when I was little, and I found that out when he brought me to the game against Wisconsin where the punt was blocked into the end zone, the famous Michigan meltdown, the Iowa taking our goal posts, Brees throwing for 500 yards and 6 TD’s almost every time he played us, etc. I was able to see the Michigan stop on Mitch Leidner at the half yard line. I was at the Badger game in 2016 where Leidner threw 4 INTs in the 4th to lose us a game we had in the bag. I’ve had my share of bad games to see.
But to answer your question, I was at the Penn State game and stormed the field, and I’ll be at this game on Saturday. Hoping to be there by 7am and get a good spot to watch the GameDay events. I’m hoping we can storm the field two times in the same year this year. I’ll also be DVR’ing the game so I can have it forever like the Penn State recording.

What will your sign say at GameDay? If I see you I’ll say hello.

 

[mjfelton15]

Winning can take a toll on the wallet too (and gladly). Tailgaiting longer and better $$. Buying more brew and dogs at the game $$. Spending more per ticket $$. Screwing around on Gopherhole instead of working $$. Spending to travel to Indianapolis I hope $$$. Spending even more to go to a great bowl game $$$$.

Yeah it’s money well spent in my opinion, it’s best often we get a season to go broke.

 

[mjfelton15]

What will your sign say at GameDay? If I see you I’ll say hello.

I’m still caught between some different ideas for a sign. I was going to make one honoring my Dad that passed away, he was the biggest Gopher fan I’ve ever known. He passed in 2017, so he didn’t get to see all this exciting Gopher football. He was born in 1965, so he also wasn’t able to see the Gophers back in the day when they were great. Kinda sucks knowing he only lived to see Gopher mediocrity, and just missed the chance to see all this by a couple years. If I don’t make one for him, I was going to go with

Wisconsin-
Serial Killers: 4
National Championships: 0

or the picture of the score against Illinois with the spread next to it.

 

[oak_street1981]

I am still in chicago and a bit removed from the hype, but the manic state I have been in since psu week is starting to wear on me.

I will be driving back Thanksgiving day, and the pressure will start to ramp up again.

 

[oak_street1981]

I’m still caught between some different ideas for a sign. I was going to make one honoring my Dad that passed away, he was the biggest Gopher fan I’ve ever known. He passed in 2017, so he didn’t get to see all this exciting Gopher football. He was born in 1965, so he also wasn’t able to see the Gophers back in the day when they were great. Kinda sucks knowing he only lived to see Gopher mediocrity, and just missed the chance to see all this by a couple years. If I don’t make one for him, I was going to go with

Wisconsin-
Serial Killers: 4
National Championships: 0

or the picture of the score against Illinois with the spread next to it.

My dad died in 2016, so at least he got to see the Detroit bowl win his last season. I got to go to the citrus bowl with him.

He was at the 1962 rose bowl and I was hoping the gophers would get back in time. It did not happen but this is magical. There will not be a lot of dry eyes on Saturday

 

[mjfelton15]

My dad died in 2016, so at least he got to see the Detroit bowl win his last season. I got to go to the citrus bowl with him.

He was at the 1962 rose bowl and I was hoping the gophers would get back in time. It did not happen but this is magical. There will not be a lot of dry eyes on Saturday

Sorry for your loss. Yeah my Dad and I made the trip to the Citrus Bowl with my sister, uncle, and cousins too. That was the year he was diagnosed. In fact he’d just had a surgery about 3 weeks before the bowl game. He was quite the trooper, not to mention we drove, so he had to sit through a 27 hour car ride with a big stitched surgical wound on his abdomen. I had bought us tickets to go out to the Big House in 2017 to see the Gophs play Michigan. It was a big dream of ours to start going to one road Big Ten game a year, never got to. He died the day of the Michigan State game, October 14th 2017. We did go to Madison in 2016 together, but that didn’t seem like a real “road trip” for an away Big Ten game being only 4 hours away. My wife and I went to the game in Michigan instead.

Like you said about wanting your Dad to see the Rose Bowl again someday, my Dad’s ultimate goal was to take me to see it with him if the day ever happened. Another dream sadly unfulfilled. This Saturday will be a very emotional game for people like you and I. Outsiders to this team, and even many fair weather fans, don’t see that there’s a lot more to these Saturday’s than just a college football game.