Taking our sports teams too seriously & having anxiety over it.

[ChiFan4lyfe]

I've been a long-time lurker here since 2003-2004... The 2015 year hasn't been a great start for our Bulls, and any type of losing streak can cause aggravation/frustration/etc. A friend of mine (hardcore Celtics fan) and I had a conversation about taking sports too seriously the other day. My friend was devastated after Boston blew a double digit lead in game 7 of the 2010 finals. That game was one for the ages, as he ended up calling in sick for work the next day after multiple whisky shots to forget the game. Ever since, watching Celtic games hasn't been the same for him. If they're getting smacked by the opposition, he'd turned off the TV as finishing the game would put him in an awful mood. Therefore, he wouldn't be in the best of mood to go out and do something afterwards. Nowadays, his routine is to not watch live games anymore, just check the scoreboard, and watch the replay if the Celtics won. He mentioned that this routine doesn't create tons of anxiety although it kinda sucks the fun of watching live gut-wrenching moments to determine the game. Has anyone in this board experienced something similar to this extent? From a logical standpoint, sports is only for pure entertainment and something to take us away from mundane reality. Unless we have some sort of financial stake on the team, winning or losing should not have an effect on our personal life after the game is over. Unfortunately, there are some people who treat winning or losing like they were the ones playing in the game themselves. Why worry over things you can't control? Like D-Rose's season ending surgeries. Jay William's motorcycle accident. Frustrating and devastating to the franchise and fans? Hell ******* yes. But what control do we have over those things? Zero, zip, zilch, nada.

[fleet]

[kdapiton]

I get really worked up during and after a bad night in the game/PG threads but it stops there. Rarely, if at all, does it carry over to my normal life. And I have some jitters before a big game but I wouldn't call it anxiety at all.

Yeah if you have to take a day off of work to deal with something like that then it may be time to take a slight step back. Doesn't seem healthy at all, but then again idk the guy.

[Ben]

I've been a long-time lurker here since 2003-2004... The 2015 year hasn't been a great start for our Bulls, and any type of losing streak can cause aggravation/frustration/etc. A friend of mine (hardcore Celtics fan) and I had a conversation about taking sports too seriously the other day. My friend was devastated after Boston blew a double digit lead in game 7 of the 2010 finals. That game was one for the ages, as he ended up calling in sick for work the next day after multiple whisky shots to forget the game. Ever since, watching Celtic games hasn't been the same for him. If they're getting smacked by the opposition, he'd turned off the TV as finishing the game would put him in an awful mood. Therefore, he wouldn't be in the best of mood to go out and do something afterwards. Nowadays, his routine is to not watch live games anymore, just check the scoreboard, and watch the replay if the Celtics won. He mentioned that this routine doesn't create tons of anxiety although it kinda sucks the fun of watching live gut-wrenching moments to determine the game. Has anyone in this board experienced something similar to this extent? From a logical standpoint, sports is only for pure entertainment and something to take us away from mundane reality. Unless we have some sort of financial stake on the team, winning or losing should not have an effect on our personal life after the game is over. Unfortunately, there are some people who treat winning or losing like they were the ones playing in the game themselves. Why worry over things you can't control? Like D-Rose's season ending surgeries. Jay William's motorcycle accident. Frustrating and devastating to the franchise and fans? Hell ******* yes. But what control do we have over those things? Zero, zip, zilch, nada.

This probably won't get picked up as a big conversation piece by others here, but if people were interested it could be the basis for a very interesting and fruitful discussion. I had a similar experience with the Cubs that your friend had with Boston. At a certain point I realized that following the team closely was just too emotionally draining for me to justify. It happened after the Bartman season. I had a young child and another on the way, my career was demanding my time and attention, and I realized that for years and years I'd been shoveling far too much of my emotional energy into a black hole. I cut my Chicago sports-following time down to one team, the Bulls. I still love the other Chicago teams, especially the Cubs-- there are those here who'll mock that, but as Bulls fans we can all agree that you love who you love-- but I don't spend much time following them. When in 2008 the Cubs had the best record in MLB, I missed all of the highs of that season but I also didn't lose any sleep when they lost early the playoffs.

Late April and May of 2012 were still ruined for me when Derrick when down with his knee injury, so I can't claim that I've resolved the problem entirely. When the Bulls are good and then they lose, it's still going to hurt me . That's the nature of being a fan. My way of dealing with it has been to cut down the number of teams in which I'm deeply invested, and probably in being less deeply invested in the Bulls than I once was. But you can't eliminate it entirely without giving up on being a fan.

[fleet]

I believe what it is in reality, the your sports team gives you something to take you away from your normal anxieties and problems. When all sports hope is getting crushed, you have nothing else to do but to face your soul stealing life, or have an affair..or get high.

[Rerisen]

That's what this forum is for. Type out your exasperated thoughts here, move on with a clear conscience.

[fleet]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKj3Zwcy7ME[/youtube]

[kulaz3000]

As much as I experience the highs and lows of being a devoted Chicago Bulls fan, and being that this is the only sports franchise I truly follow it can be tough. But the 2000's in which I was still very much a Bulls fans has hardened me up, so a season like this is a freaking breeze.

Plus, real life prevents me from getting too crushed by Bulls loses, I mean, sports is meant to be a getaway from real life problems and stresses, not to compound it, but that's just me.

I find that it's an odd time for such a topic when we're having a relatively good season, and our franchise player is back, healthy and playing very well. We can't win them all, and no matter what, we're going to be winning a lot more than we lose for several more years yet, so sometimes a little prospective on the situation can be useful.

[dice]

i just want to watch good basketball. entertainment value. if the bulls sucked i probably wouldn't be watching, just like i didn't for years after the dynasty broke up. there's really no good reason to invest myself to any significant degree emotionally. giving complete strangers that kind of control over my life is asinine

[ChiFan4lyfe]

As much as I experience the highs and lows of being a devoted Chicago Bulls fan, and being that this is the only sports franchise I truly follow it can be tough. But the 2000's in which I was still very much a Bulls fans has hardened me up, so a season like this is a freaking breeze.

Plus, real life prevents me from getting too crushed by Bulls loses, I mean, sports is meant to be a getaway from real life problems and stresses, not to compound it, but that's just me.

I find that it's an odd time for such a topic when we're having a relatively good season, and our franchise player is back, healthy and playing very well. We can't win them all, and no matter what, we're going to be winning a lot more than we lose for several more years yet, so sometimes a little prospective on the situation can be useful.

I vividly remember the 49 point game that we put up against the Heat during the season after PJ, MJ, Scottie, and etc left the team. I also can't forget trotting out the likes of Dragan Tarlac, Dalibor Bagaric, Kornel David, and all the other lovable scrubs that true Bulls fans will remember for a lifetime. As a Bulls fan living in LA, I was kinda glad that I didn't have WGN on our cable network up until the mid 2000's when Paxon took over the team. That 49 point game against the Heat was one to remember for a lifetime.

[fleet]

that said, the Seattle Seahawks have just changed my life for the better for a year

[SteelerSpartan]

losing sucks but it doesn't really bother me more than it should unless it's to people/teams I deem dirty/douches. I don't have to name names I'm sure everybody has their own villain list.

it's just the karma of it all.....enough ass bags control the rest of world life, hate it when it must force it's way into my sports.

However there is a line that people need to be aware of. I can't believe some of the people who go so far as to make actual threats or vandalize a player/teams property

[TyrusRose2425]

Once you know what winning feels like, it's the best thing in the world and worth the pain. I'm a huge Germany soccer and Bayern fan, started watching a few years before the Bulls. I was too young to remember the Bayern Champions League win against Valencia, but I remember perfectly well how Germany lost the 2002 World Cup final, or how they lost the 2006 World Cup semi final in the 119th minute against Italy in our home country, or the 2008 Euro Final, or the 2010 World Cup semi final loss, or the 2012 Euro semi final loss. Of course you can't forget the 2010 Bayern Champions League final loss, or the absolutely heartbreaking 2012 Champions League final loss at home to a completely undeserving Chelsea team. But 2013 Bayern won the Champions League and 2014 Germany the World Cup and it was easily the best thing ever.

[DRoseCantStop]

that said, the Seattle Seahawks have just changed my life for the better for a year

New England killed us.

[[e]]

Depending on how the games go, I can be in a pretty terrible mood after a loss. The opposite is also true, a good win puts me in a better mood.

I try not to let those things get in the way of things going on in my life, but being a diehard Bulls fan is part of who I am. Regular season games aren't as bad. I can shake a loss shortly after the game, but the Playoffs are different.

Remember Derrick Rose's ACL hit me hard. More so feeling so bad for him and the rest of the team that had a legitimate chance to do something.

[Krazy!!!]

I'm a New York Mets fan....and the lesson I learned from their 2007 and 2008 regular season implosion is that I cannot be emotionally fixated over a team to the point where it affects your work week.