As a Chicago Bears fan, I know a little bit about bad football. I might not be a Cleveland Browns fan, but I have experienced a period of massive disappointments, especially in the past couple of years. The Bears haven’t been to the playoffs since 2010, and since their last trip, they have had three different head coaches. We were close to the playoffs one or two times since 2010, but now we are bottom feeders. Just last weekend I watched the Bears lose to the Titans. Not only do we have Matt Barkley as quarterback, but we lost due to our receivers dropping a record number of passes, one of which would have won us the game.
The Bears are currently 2-9 and have no chance of making the playoffs, but that’s okay with me. I’ve learned to cope with it. You want to know how? It’s quite simple really.
Come in with no expectations. If you expect no wins, a single win gives you a little joy. This might be little consolation to Browns fans at the moment (Sorry, too soon?), but most professional teams should at least win one game. When the Bears win, I am pleasantly delighted, and when they lose, I am not surprised.
The next step is to keep a look out for positive plays. Your team is bound to have at least a couple during the course of the game. You can call back the memory of these good plays when you see the final score of the game or when you witness the horrible performances your team will inevitably put forth. It’s even better when some of your young players make these plays because then you can fantasize about how good you’ll be in the future. Keep in mind that this might be completely unfounded. You never know, though (just look at those Raiders).
I would also suggest to live up the weeks (or maybe just the week) in which your team gets a victory. You’ll need the celebration to get you through the tough months ahead. Another consolation is that your team will have a high draft pick, so at least you’ll get a lot of coverage of them when draft time comes around.
Whether your team wins or not, don’t be afraid to wear your jersey and gear. You have to be comfortable with your team and how bad they truly are. Once you accept this and are able to converse with random strangers about how horrible your team really is, you can be sure that you have effectively coped. Don’t worry; I’m sure that your team will be in the Superbowl before you know it, just like the Bears will be next year.
