While many sports fans enjoy cheering on their beloved teams, some struggle to stay optimistic after watching them lose time and time again. Game after game, millions of fans from every major athletic league must endure this experience.
Every week, these fans watch their team get on the field, diamond, rink, pitch or other area of play, and lose on a regular basis. This can lead fans to develop a poor outlook on their team and become discouraged.
Teams don’t always start their seasons out badly; their defeat can accumulate as the season goes on, hitting some fans even harder.
Senior Jack Kelley of Monmouth Beach is a New England Patriots fan, and his team started their season with an unexpected victory against the Cincinnati Bengals. As the season progressed, the Patriots have dipped to last place in the AFC East with a slim chance of making the playoffs.
“It kind of breaks my heart,” Kelley said. “Especially when you have a good start to the year like beating the Bengals. It’s just kind of sad.”
Senior Sam Kovach of Avon-by-the-Sea, a Brooklyn Nets fan, spoke on the team’s unsuccessful 2023-2024 season, asserting that the immense losing record “completely fits the criteria of sucking.”
Kovach also gave some insight into the positives of the teams that can’t seem to win.
“The one thing that keeps me excited is Nic Claxton. I love watching him on the court,” said Kovach.
Claxton is a center for the Nets and has played as a member of the team for five consecutive seasons. Although Claxton is described as a valuable player to the team by both the fanbase and coaching staff, his contributions did not produce a successful outcome, as shown through the Nets’ poor record of 32-50 at the end of their 2023-2024 season.
But there is a reason that fans of awful teams still watch: fans find joy in the idea of a comeback for the team. Many foster a hopeful attitude, hooked on the possibility of a redemption.
For junior Shawn Retta of Keansburg, this concept is what motivates him and his team to keep their heads held high.
Retta is not only a fan of the Keansburg Titans but also a member of their offensive line. Though the Titans have a losing record in their 2024 season, he does not let this discourage him. Retta thinks that if the team shows even the slightest progress, fans will respond with even more support than before.
“If you can see progress within the team from week to week, then you can at least have hope for the next week,” Retta said. “[This] is what happened when we beat Pemberton.”
After four straight losses, the Keansburg Titans defeated Pemberton with a score of 21-14. This close victory, following a loss of 41-0 against the Shore Regional Blue Devils, revived the morale of Keansburg fans heading into the rest of their season.
Like Retta, many other fans, no matter the sport, regain their optimistic spirits after watching the slightest bit of success from their team. Motivated by the idea of improvement, they continue to root for their team.
The experience of being a fan of a poor-performing team is not always great, but regardless of how bad a team is, the chance of redemption persists with its fans.
Kovach bluntly summarizes a mantra such fans can take with them. “It’s only up from here,” he said.
