Sometimes I wonder what the hell my 14-year-old self was thinking when he became a New York sports fan. Loss after loss, disappointing season after disappointing season, terrible management and coaching. If you're a New York sports fan, you know the plight of failing franchises better than anybody. Even though my teams suck, I still watch. I'm a sports masochist.
I love the New York Jets and the New York Knicks, but neither of them have won a championship in over 40 years. That would be fine if they consistently won games, but unfortunately, that isn't the case. In fact, the Knicks and Jets usually reside at the bottom of their respective divisions. Every year I'm the butt of every sports joke because I like my bad teams. The people that are even worse are the ones who pity my loyalty. When I tell someone who I support, I frequently receive replies such as “ouch” or “man, that sucks.” Nothing is more infuriating to a sports fan.
My loyalty to bad teams comes from my love of the underdog. There isn't anything like watching a team that shouldn't win come away with the victory. It's a genuine pleasure to be surprised by a bad team's success. Every Sunday I expect the Jets to lose, but if they actually win, it boosts my day remarkably. There is something so endearing about overcoming odds that can't be matched by supporting a team that always wins.
Another reason I stay loyal is because one day it will pay off, and I'll finally be able to rub it into everyone's face that everyone made fun of my team. Living in Washington means that I have to listen to a cacophony of arrogant Seahawks fans boast about the superiority of their team to mine. It sickens me to hear them bash on something I love, but one day I'll be able to get my vengeance.
Liking a bad sports franchise is akin to a super long revenge plot. I sit, becoming bitter and wrinkly as I marinate in a pool of losses until my team becomes relevant. Then I'll finally get to enact my revenge on all of the people that made fun of them. Until that day comes, I'll have to suffer through the abuse that I receive every Sunday that the Jets play and every time the score is unfavorable at the end of a game at Madison Square Garden. It may be five years, or it may be 20, but one day my team will be good and that prospect is beyond exciting.
I don't know if I'll ever be able to fully understand why I'm so loyal to these teams. I put so much emotional stake into them, and all they do is s*** on my heart, but that's okay because we all need something arbitrary to get mad at sometimes. I love sports, underdogs, and NYC, so maybe that's enough to warrant my loyalty, even if the team alone doesn't deserve it. One day it will pay off, and when that day comes, trust me, no person that ever made fun of my beloved team will be safe.
