As a huge supporter of the University of Michigan and their football team, I had high hopes as always for this season. Even though it was a "rebuilding" year, my idealistic views stayed strong. I truly believed that Michigan's current streaks of 31 straight bowl game appearances, 40 straight non-losing seasons and 287 straight games without being shutout or held to zero points. All of these streaks are the longest current streak in Division I-A football. Are these streaks at risk? As an idealist, I said no at the beginning of the season. Now my views are starting to turn more pragmatic. Can we truly beat four out of the five remaining opponents to reach a bowl game? These opponents include the 12th ranked Ohio State Buckeyes, the 20th ranked Michigan State Spartans and the 6-1 Northwestern Wildcats. After witnessing Michigan lose on a blocked field goal to Toledo on October 11th, my hopes for a good season were shut out. At the beginning of the year, I truly believed that we could have a good season, but since have enduring many discouraging remarks from friends and even teachers such as my long time Ohio State supporting, biology teacher. After getting blown out by Notre Dame, my friend sent me this painfully discouraging video picking fun at Michigan's six turnovers in the game.
After defeating 9th ranked Wisconsin on September 27th, I became hopeful. I continued to leech onto this hope when we were leading in the second quarter against a very good Illinois team two weeks ago. In the end, Juice Williams and Illinois went crazy and beat us 45-20. Yesterday, I found myself feeling more pragmatic, even when Michigan was leading 17-14 in the third quarter against 3rd ranked Penn State. It seems only right that Michigan went on to lose the game 46-17. Now, sitting with a depressing 2-5 record, it seems my hope has run out. My idealistic views have left me feeling depressed, so now maybe I will try being more pragmatic. We probably won't make the National Championship game, let alone a bowl game, but it would be nice if we did.
2 comments:
the roller coaster effect happens to me (and every other football fan with the exception of the regular season New England Patriots' fans). But thats just part of the game. When you become emotionally attached to the outcome of a team's season, you know you're a fan. In this case, David, you can start to hang out with Bill Swerski and his superfans because you are one of their own. Michigan may not be the Chicago Bears, but you can consider yourself forever a fan. But I wonder: Is there anyone (who is a fan) who isn't on the same roller coaster as the rest of us? Is there anyone who doesn't get emotionally attached?
I would say that a majority of sports fans are idealistic at the beginning of a season, and as the year keeps moving, a fan's view becomes more and more pragmatic. Even though I'm not a big fan of the Wolverines, I can still say that you have to keep an idealistic attitude about your team, or you'll lose interest in the team. I'm sorry to give you this pragmatic prediction, but Michigan will absolutely not make a bowl game this year.
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