Unrequited Love: Sports Fan Edition

Andrew Donaldson

Born and raised in West Virginia, Andrew has since lived and traveled around the world several times over. Though frequently writing about politics out of a sense of duty and love of country, most of the time he would prefer discussions on history, culture, occasionally nerding on aviation, and his amateur foodie tendencies. He can usually be found misspelling/misusing words on Twitter @four4thefire and his food writing website Yonder and Home. Andrew is the host of Heard Tell podcast. Subscribe to Andrew's Heard Tell SubStack for free here:

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4 Responses

  1. Doctor Jay says:

    It is a little shocking to see the Cincinnati Reds show up on the Spots Misery list. It is not so shocking to see the Mariners. My beloved Mariners. I love them for reasons far removed from winning and losing. It’s more that their history is intertwined with mine. I saw the first game they ever played (Diego Segui lost to Frank Tanana 7-0) and the second (Nolan Ryan pitched for the Angels, and the Mariners scored a run).

    Also, we had Junior Griffey and Edgar Martinez in their time. Life was good. They literally saved the team and inspired the vote for a new stadium.

    MrsJay is sorely vexed this year by the performance of the Minnesota Twins, but they don’t make the misery list.Report

    • I grew up a Reds fan; after the Big Red Machine you have the ’90 title but that was sandwiched between Pete Rose and Marge scandals and following years of futility.

      I was in attendance for Buhner Buzz Night in the Kingdome circa ’96, does that count for anything?Report

  2. Michael Cain says:

    The Denver Nuggets finished 50 years of futility this season, never reaching the Finals in either the ABA or the NBA. I’ve been here for 30 of the 50. I’ve had various theories over the years for why the Nuggets fail (sometimes they just suck). I currently go with the notion of a conspiracy that the league, working through its referees, has a list of teams that aren’t allowed to get that far. Much like the X-Files episode where the cigarette-smoking man’s assistant is leaving the office late and asks if there’s anything else. “Yes,” says the cigarette-smoking man, “as long as I’m alive, the Buffalo Bills don’t win the Super Bowl.”Report

  3. InMD says:

    I dissent. My two biggest rooting interests have spent the last 20-25 years as mostly losers, with only sprinkles of (very) fleeting success. Without the lows there can be no real highs, nor the comraderie of shared experience.

    If everyone took Thompson’s approach there’d be no one out there yelling in body paint or ridiculous hats or shirtless in 5 degree weather. It’d kill the fan culture.Report