A Painful Relationship

“Women give you two feelings: joy and ache. Joy when you meet ‘em and first get to know ‘em and ache when ya leave ‘em. Perfect joy and perfect ache. Joy, ache…joy, ache …joy-ache, joy-ache, joy-ache , joy-ache…”  - With Honors

Sports are a long term relationship that will never work out.  It’s a one-sided, selfish, emotionally abusive love affair.  You love your team with all your might, but your team doesn’t give a hoot.  No matter how much you plead, no matter how much you support, no matter how much you sacrifice for your team it makes no difference to them.

It’s a relationship where the inevitable result is utter disappointment.  Sure the downfall can be delayed for a season or two.  A championship here and title there, but eventually your team will let you down.  You will wake up on a cold Monday morning feeling empty inside dealing with the heart-wrenching pain of knowing your team failed you.  Despite all your devotion, they lost.  Now they are gone.  While you still get up and slug your way to work, your team has left you. 

Your team won’t call. Your team won’t support you during the next few months of heartache. They will go on a long vacation and forget about what they did to you. 

But then, just as you have come to grips with all the mistreatment, they come back!  With all your might you want to tell them to go bother some other shmuck.  Leave me alone!  I just got myself right and I don’t need the drama!  I’m done with you!

But wait, hold on a minute.  This isn’t the same team that hurt you before.   Sure they look similar.  They still wear the same clothes and act the same way.  But something changed about them.  They look much healthier than the last time we were together, and they are so optimistic about this working out again!

Ok, let’s give it a try.  This time it’ll be different.  This time there won't be the yelling, the doubting, and the second-guessing.  This time will be perfect!

Years will go by.  Your heart will be broken to pieces just to be glued back together.  You’ll share the highest highs that sports can offer, only to be kicked to the lowest lows. 
That just the way sports is.  It’s a beautiful, horrible, passionate, heartless relationship. No distance is far enough for you to give up.  No pain is to brutal to say enough is enough.  It’s you and your team. For better or worse, for playoffs or draft lottery, in injury and in health, until death do you part.