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In sports, like in life, defeat is a necessary part of one's personal growth. It can teach us and motivate us to do better. For athletes, a loss can trigger a resolution to train harder in the offseason or study more film. It can prompt harder rehabilitation or longer hours running routes. Unfortunately, fans have no such diversions and remedies.
The problem is that sports fandom isn't life, but an escape from it, which made watching that small football sail through the uprights all the more difficult. Because no matter our devotion to our team, we are powerless. When the game ends in defeat, our hope is dashed, our dreams crushed and the worst part is, there is nothing we can do or learn that will make it a worthwhile growth experience. It is plain unadulterated misery.
"finish each day and be done with it. you have done what you could. some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. tomorrow is a new day....
Sure some of us might go out and run 3 miles, but that isn't a punishment or a demonstration of rededication, rather a release of pent up frustrations from the year that could have been.
All we can do as fans, is prepare for what lies ahead because as we all know, without sports there would be no next year.
Thank you for continually coming to the site during what has been a trying, but at times rewarding, year. Even though our run ended in disappointment, its been a pleasure writing and talking football with all of you. I am sure over the next few weeks we will continue to debate our short comings as a team in general and specifically what went wrong on the field last night. After exhausting the debates as to the reasons for our inability to stop the run or Cadwell's clock management or our poor special teams, we will eventually close the chapter that is the Colts 2010/2011 and look to the offseason and what lies ahead.
Tonight we will all wallow in self pity but tomorrow will be a new day.
- ralph waldo emerson
Keep the faith and believe in blue.
David