The 20 Types of Depressed Sports Fans

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How about big comebacks? Any big OMG Gophs come back to win football games? I don't recall any but my viewership is tiny compared to they folks who have been watching since the 60s.
 

They're missing #21, the Gopher fan. He goes into the game with a sense of pessimism as his teams never seem to prevail in the big game. Suddenly, his team finds itself in a sizable lead in an important game and he lets his mind wander toward celebration mode. The team is within striking distance of the big win and something negative happens, he thinks "this can't happen again, right?" After another improbable turn of events and ONLY a 10 point lead with less than 5 minutes remaining, he's resorted to his fate. He stares in quiet belief as the opponent easily manages those final 14 points. He shoots of a mean email to the Athletic Director, heads to the bar, and swears off his team until next Saturday.
 

There are some of each, and several of many, right here on GopherHole.
 

I am trying to think of where to put NU 00' and 08'? The hail mary game definitely was part 3, 5, and 19 for me.

20 is my annual denial mode...
 


I think I've become a #18 guy more than anything. It used to be one of the first few.
 

How many Gopher (football, primarily) and/or Vikings fans are not at least a good part #9. Maybe not vocally, but you know what the end-game is and it's usually correct. It's just the bizarre ways in which the end-game is realized that are the unknowns.
 

As long as it's confession time; my wife and I went out to Las Vegas last year to take in the sights and the Gopher Game. We had an awesome time and it was to be capped off with the Gopher Game. I made her leave after regulation time! She kept saying that it was getting to the exciting part and we should stay (oh how I wish I would have listened to Mrs. Rescooter). I told her that we had had such a great time that I didn't want to put a damper on it by seeing them lose in overtime. I've stuck around for games like this only to be disappointed and I couldn't bear it. The rest is history.

I hate being a #16.
 

Haha...I'm #16. If the game is going poorly, there's usually one lousy play (like a shanked punt) that puts me over the edge, and I just get up and leave. Usually take this time to calm down, use the restroom, visit the concessions, and then return. I get it from my dad. If the Gophers are playing poorly, he's go mow the lawn or fix the gutters.
 



While #20 might be true, for 3-4 hours every Saturday there is nothing more important. A tough loss used to eat at me for a few days, I think I've got that down to a few hours to a day depending on the outcome.
 

Nokomis said:
Haha...I'm #16. If the game is going poorly, there's usually one lousy play (like a shanked punt) that puts me over the edge, and I just get up and leave. Usually take this time to calm down, use the restroom, visit the concessions, and then return. I get it from my dad. If the Gophers are playing poorly, he's go mow the lawn or fix the gutters.
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I'm a combo of #2 (one F-Bomb) and #16. I'll give the bomb and then regret it and leave for a while.
 

I would say I'm #2, 9, 16 & 18. They may as well just brand this your "Gopher number", similar to your sleep number.
 

The Wisconsin blocked punt I was #3, #11, #6, #5, #2, and #19 in fast succession. Normally I'm a #2 with some analysis that might border #5, #6 or #11. Though when I'm at the game I do try to keep my f-bomb under my breath or wait until I'm in the car. Not saying I've never let one go, but I do try not to at the games...

They forgot the fan that is so hammered it doesn't hit them until the next day. Not proud that was me at the Michigan game.
 




What # is the old guys at the basketball games that stand, wave both hands once in a forward-downward motion, and then sit back down? It's a universal gesture among the 60+ crowd at Gopher bball games. It's become a running joke with my wife and is now our go-to gesture of frustration.
 

Michigan - #16 followed by #8... even today I'm a #5.
TT - #18 followed by #10 in the days after.
Wisc - #2.

Typically... I don't even know. I'd like to say #20, but I post on Gopherhole, so I know that's not true. Probably some combination of #2/#11 in most losses.
 

Nokomis said:
Next shanked punt, lets meet at the beer tent.
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When I become #16 guy the scene usually plays out like this: I mumble the F-Bomb as I already have my head in my hands staring at my shoes for a long moment. Then I say something like, "I....I have to go somewhere else for a while." I then head to the bathroom whether I need to go or not. The beer tents aren't much farther, so that sounds better.
 

I was definitely #2, then #8, then #19 at the '03 Michigan game. That was the biggest gut punch of a game in my life. After that, I became #9 and #10 as a coping mechanism.

I tell myself to be #20 but it never works out. In my 30's, I'm turning into my Dad, who is #15 and/or #16.

BTW, 10 years later, the Michigan game still hurts. At the time, I knew it was the biggest Gopher game in my lifetime. That's still the case today. 10/10/13 will be the 10 year anniversary.
 

Nokomis said:
What # is the old guys at the basketball games that stand, wave both hands once in a forward-downward motion, and then sit back down? It's a universal gesture among the 60+ crowd at Gopher bball games. It's become a running joke with my wife and is now our go-to gesture of frustration.
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Lets make that #22. I have used it. I am in my 60's, and it goes well with 2,3,5,6,10, or 11. Actually, I have used the 2 with 11 it was in the wind and rain at Northwestern.
 

Man, have I had some of these feelings. I'm mostly a 9 and 11 combo. What I typically do is yell, "Stupid!!" about 15 times a game. I'm usually at the back of the room in my "coach's crouch" (hands on knees with sweaty palms). I was at the TT game in Tempe and yelled "Stupid!" about 100 times. I was also telling these guys near me (4 local guys who were just taking in the game) that the Gophers would find a way to blow it when we were up by 30+. They laughed and thought that I was crazy. When I started yelling "Stupid!!" as the game slipped away they also thought that I was crazy, but a different kind of crazy.
 

Nokomis said:
What # is the old guys at the basketball games that stand, wave both hands once in a forward-downward motion, and then sit back down? It's a universal gesture among the 60+ crowd at Gopher bball games. It's become a running joke with my wife and is now our go-to gesture of frustration.
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You're on to something here! In Section 243, we've got an old guy who's reactions to things are a bit slow. During the Michigan game (when we had more than our share of referee missed calls), the whole stadium started booing the referees. It never sunk in to the old guy until about 5-minutes later during a TV timeout. He proceeded to stand up and calling out the referees using a #11 type meltdown. I couldn't believe the tyrade this guy was on. 5-miutes earlier, yes, but during the TV timeout....it was crazy and senile. And yes, he ended it with the Universal 60+ gesture. You've got to love our older fans. I only wish things sunk in a little faster.
 


imthewalrus said:
xyz...
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College football is ONLY a game. You win some...you lose some... If you get your head handed to you, you pick yourself back up and try it again. There is so much that happens on a Game Day Saturday that win or lose, the events that make college football happen still go on whether the team wins or loses.

Probably those of you who drink too much really go on roller-coaster-rides as a result of what some 18 to 24 year old players do...or don't do on the football field. Some of you drink before, during and after the game. Probably those who fancy themselves as the worlds biggest experts about college football want to get all hostile and bent out of shape over the calls...the second-guesses and "should have...would have...could have been better." stuff that might or might not have happend on a football field for our team...or their team or any team... that drives so many pent up emotions in so many football fans.

Probably those of you who are incredibly retentive are still obsessing over something that happened yesterday...last week...last year...five years ago...a decade ago...50 years ago...it is SO good to retain that stuff, isn't it? I know some of you...heck...make that maybe some of us will take it with us to our graves. Football stuff is just so GREAT to hang on to...

And the thing some of you ...or...some of us like the very best is when the administrators extend, then buy out and fire another coach. Of course, some of just LOVE to try to insure that no one EVER says anything that is less than glowingly positive about the current coach...until the day when some of us turn on that coach and start calling for his head.

And so many of us say we totally supported some coach...but...know that it was the very best thing for the program to fire that coach we supported and have our support for the new coach go off the charts while the new coach is getting his clock cleaned during his first season...and some of you are making excuses for why that new coach shouldn't be expected to win many games for the next four seasons...(at which time some will most likely be calling for the head of that coach who never really did as well and hardly ever did better than one of the four previously fired coaches....

Just remember it is ONLY a game people. It is only a game...At least that is what I remind myself when I find myself taking the darn game of football just a little bit too seriously. I suppose we all do it sometimes. But, that still doesn't change the fact that it is just a game. Life will go on. Loosen up...relax...watch STUFF happen.

And don't get quite so excited the next time the administration fires a coach. Most likely things really aren't going to improve all that much. It will most likely just be the same thing...over...and over and over again...no matter what any of us may say, think or do.

And, getting to a bowl game most seasons is pretty much as good as it gets for MOST college football programs. Quit focusing on the BIG WINNERS and start focusing on all the rest of the programs that aren't so terribly different than our own program...now that we have our own stadium on our own campus.

Life really isn't so bad...in fact, it really is pretty darn good!

; 0 )
 

imthewalrus said:
College football is ONLY a game. You win some...you lose some... If you get your head handed to you, you pick yourself back up and try it again. There is so much that happens on a Game Day Saturday that win or lose, the events that make college football happen still go on whether the team wins or loses.

Probably those of you who drink too much really go on roller-coaster-rides as a result of what some 18 to 24 year old players do...or don't do on the football field. Some of you drink before, during and after the game. Probably those who fancy themselves as the worlds biggest experts about college football want to get all hostile and bent out of shape over the calls...the second-guesses and "should have...would have...could have been better." stuff that might or might not have happend on a football field for our team...or their team or any team... that drives so many pent up emotions in so many football fans.

Probably those of you who are incredibly retentive are still obsessing over something that happened yesterday...last week...last year...five years ago...a decade ago...50 years ago...it is SO good to retain that stuff, isn't it? I know some of you...heck...make that maybe some of us will take it with us to our graves. Football stuff is just so GREAT to hang on to...

And the thing some of you ...or...some of us like the very best is when the administrators extend, then buy out and fire another coach. Of course, some of just LOVE to try to insure that no one EVER says anything that is less than glowingly positive about the current coach...until the day when some of us turn on that coach and start calling for his head.

And so many of us say we totally supported some coach...but...know that it was the very best thing for the program to fire that coach we supported and have our support for the new coach go off the charts while the new coach is getting his clock cleaned during his first season...and some of you are making excuses for why that new coach shouldn't be expected to win many games for the next four seasons...(at which time some will most likely be calling for the head of that coach who never really did as well and hardly ever did better than one of the four previously fired coaches....

Just remember it is ONLY a game people. It is only a game...At least that is what I remind myself when I find myself taking the darn game of football just a little bit too seriously. I suppose we all do it sometimes. But, that still doesn't change the fact that it is just a game. Life will go on. Loosen up...relax...watch STUFF happen.

And don't get quite so excited the next time the administration fires a coach. Most likely things really aren't going to improve all that much. It will most likely just be the same thing...over...and over and over again...no matter what any of us may say, think or do.

And, getting to a bowl game most seasons is pretty much as good as it gets for MOST college football programs. Quit focusing on the BIG WINNERS and start focusing on all the rest of the programs that aren't so terribly different than our own program...now that we have our own stadium on our own campus.

Life really isn't so bad...in fact, it really is pretty darn good!

; 0 )
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How many words did it take you to explain how it's only a game? :cool02:
 

tikited said:
How many words did it take you to explain how it's only a game? :cool02:
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A lot less than it takes wren to explain why Maturi/Brewster are the devil reincarnated. He had one post on this subject that made A.J. Barker's 4,000 word manifest look like a paragraph in comparison. Then he re-posted it several times.
 

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