Bloggin 365: Day 7

My favorite football team lost today. The Minnesota Vikings. I have been a fan since the late 70′s. Never have I been a fair weather fan and in most cases I would react somewhat irrationally whenever they would loose.  Some of the behavior even included not going to work the next day after a Sunday loss.  Silly I know but for a time that was my response.  Not to the loss though,  it was my response to my perception of the teams effort. Follow me………

Things began to change for me after the major disappointment at the end of the 15 & 1 1998 season. The money I spent as a season ticket holder and the time invested, emotions and semi-heated exchanges with Packer and Bears fans caused me to reflect on the other side of things. What was really going on?

In 1998 we had an awesome wide receiver named Randy Moss. The up side: he was really really good. The down side: He would emotionally loose it, throw tantrums and on occasions take plays off while on the field. When I began to evaluate things a bit more closely, what I saw were other issues that I could deduce were really more about the organization than any one player or situation I disliked. Follow me……….

Football games are supposed to be entertainment I’m told, so If this is entertainment and I’m having negative emotional responses to what I’m experiencing in a game, them I’m only satisfied if my desire is to be pissed off; or at the very least on an emotional roller coaster. Question: who goes to see a comedy at a movie theater with the intention to laugh, gets a boring unfunny movie and says they loved it?

What I failed to realize was that for 8 home games a year I paid nearly $2000 dollars and that money went out with some expectations I didn’t know were attached. I expected to feel like the team gave maximum effort. (something I can never know) I expected the coach to make consistent good decisions in important game moments. (like I really know what an NFL head coach is supposed to do in every circumstance) I expected satisfaction while not clearly understanding what that means as it pertains to this team………….. My point, If I’m going to spend $2000 dollars on entertainment, I’m going to be entertained! I need $2000 worth of entertainment dammit. Thehehehehehe. (how do I qualify that?)

I have never stopped being a true Vikings fan and I suspect I never will. However I am clear about this, I was shown some very valuable insights during my Vikings fan obsession and season ticket holding. I will share two of them here.

1) I’m not naive believing that I don’t carry expectations into all of my interactions with the world, but I’m clearer now more than ever that every expectation attached to anything outside of myself is a set up for potential disappointment and can have long lasting affects on me. Affects lasting well beyond the situation I carried the exceptions into and other party(s) have moved on.

2) A clearer recognition of the difference between entertainment and escape. ($2000 dollars to escape?)

The Vikings lost today and so did my fantasy football team. I even lost a steak dinner to my boy Kev Duke betting on these games. He and I trashed talked off and on during the whole Vikings game and we will build on our friendship over that steak dinner. (13 plus years and growing) When the game was over I continued enjoying the remainder my day of rest. (I get my chill on on Sundays) I was entertained………….. I exchanged great smack talk with my boy and everybody in the Vikings organization got paid. I’m happy! I can’t speak for them.

God was here today! REL.