Heartbreak is a topic that is hard to talk about, most specifically the relationship kind of heartbreak. I’ve experienced heartbreaks in my life, but I’ve never had a boyfriend in my entire lifetime. But doesn’t qualify me to talk about heartaches? It still does because actually, I'm talking about a different kind of heartbreak.
The sports kind. The kind where your favorite team doesn’t win an important game.
How do I know about this type of heartbreak?
I’m a Cleveland sports fan.
I grew up half an hour west outside of downtown Cleveland, so for my entire life, I breathed the Indians, the Cavaliers, and the Browns. Mostly the Cleveland Indians because that’s what got me loving sports at the tender age of four years old. I know what it’s like to not have one of our teams win a championship, that’s what I grew up living with. I would watch sports playoffs and big championship series without seeing a Cleveland team playing in it.
Up until 2015 when the Cavaliers made the NBA finals, I was so used to seeing other not Cleveland teams make the finals, but of course losing to the Golden State Warriors pulled at my heartstrings. We made it this far, and we just got LeBron James back just to get second.
But it’s okay. We still loved the Cavs. They were still the Cavs. They represented our city in one of the biggest championship games.
It wasn’t until the next year I would experience two firsts in sports.
The first was winning a championship in one of the greatest seven-game NBA finals of all time.
The second was the World Series.
The last time the Cleveland Indians were in the World Series before 2016, my parents were recently married and I was barely even a thought. Yes, I am talking about 1997. I was born August 1998, so I didn’t know what it was like to live in a city participating in the World Series until October 2016. We would lose in what my dad calls “the greatest World Series in history” no matter who won, the Indians or the Cubs.
SEE ALSO: 35 Things You Will Only Understand If You Are A Cleveland Sports Fan
This year, I would go back to understanding loss. With the Cavs losing the Finals in five games and what hurts currently, the Indians losing the ALDS to the Yankees when we were the league favorite to win the World Series. While I still hold a big grudge on the Yankees, I'm still happy for such a great season.
Losing is a part of life. There are always positives in life, even with sports. The Indians now hold the record for the longest win streak! The Cavs are about to start with a great season and I can’t wait to see what Isaiah Thomas and Dwayne Wade do for the team. I still miss Matthew Dellevadova, Kyrie Irving, and now I miss Richard Jefferson even though I still follow him on Snapchat (for little Kevin).
No matter how much my heart hurts after all of this, I still a Cleveland sports fan at heart. It’s what I grew up with and will continue to grow up a fan of.
Yes, including the Browns.
