Allow them to reintroduce themselves
October 6, 2015Texts from Ray: Week 4
October 6, 2015Happy Tuesday, WFNY!
Blah, blah, blah. I say “Happy Tuesday” every week, but during football season, it’s rarely actually a happy day. The hangover of Browns disappointment still lingers, we’re stuck in the doldrums of midweek blues, and now we don’t even have new music released on Tuesdays to make things better. Thanks, Obama!
My frustration with the Cleveland Browns is reaching some kind of tipping point. It’s a familiar feeling to me. I’ve felt it before. The reasons for the feeling were different, but this feeling I have today feels frighteningly similar to the way I felt on the day the Cleveland Indians traded Victor Martinez. It’s a bit of a “What’s the point?” type feeling. And I don’t like it and I don’t want it anywhere near the Browns.
I hate the way I feel about baseball and the Indians these days. I miss spending my summers caring about the outcome of Indians games. Don’t get me wrong, I still want the Indians to win; I still root for them. But I don’t care anymore when they lose. It’s far too easy for me to ignore them outside of reading the coverage from Michael Bode, Andrew Clayman, and Richard Pietro here at WFNY1. I’m fearful of feeling apathetic toward football, but this familiarity is unavoidable. It exists. Should I just embrace it? Or should I fight to keep it at bay?
*****
What’s so bad about being a fair weather fan?
In life there are certain “trigger” names. You can call friends all kinds of different names, but if you call them by one of these trigger names, the interaction will rapidly switch from playful into something different. “Fair weather fan” is certainly a trigger for any sports fan. It’s one of the worst things you can call someone. There is an enormous stigma associated with being of the fair weather variety. But why?
First of all, fair weather is pleasant. Today the high in Columbus will be 74 and the low will be 54. I consider this fair weather, and I enjoy every last bit of it. I’m comfortable during the day, I can have the windows open in my house and take in the fresh air, and at night it cools off to be the perfect sleeping weather. How is this applicable to rooting for a sports team only when they are winning?
I guess if we keep the literal metaphor going, this means that I should also profess my love for 95 degree summer weather with oppressive humidity? I should embrace the sub-zero temperatures with a wind chill well in the negatives? Maybe it’s a point of pride, maybe it’s sheer force of will and/or stubbornness. Whatever the case, there comes a point in your life where you just want to be comfortable. To enjoy the weather.
Why should sports be any different? This past weekend, I was in a friend’s wedding which kept me pretty occupied with things other than football through Saturday. Then on Sunday, the Browns weren’t on TV in Columbus2 and I just couldn’t bring myself to leave the house. I was tired and just wanted to relax on the couch. So instead I watched the Vikings and Broncos game and casually followed the Browns on my phone.
And you know what? I survived. Sure, I wished I could have watched the game. I was mad at my local CBS affiliate for not showing the Browns. I emailed them to let them know as much. But at the end of the day, did I really miss out on anything? Just another frustrating and unfathomably characteristic last second loss. I was accidentally spared the heartbreak, and it left me questioning whether suffering through the agony of the Browns is really worth it.
My whole life I’ve been staunchly anti-fair weather fans. But now I feel like they’re on to something. Isn’t it sort of juvenile or immature to get so worked up over a franchise like the Browns that cares so little about us? A franchise that can’t be bothered to do the things that all the other, normal franchises do? Why not just tune out for now and then come back when/if the Browns ever start winning?
These aren’t rhetorical questions. I really want to hear from you guys because I suspect that most of you are also in the fair-weather intolerant camp. So give it to me straight. Tell me what inspires you as fans of the Cleveland Browns. What makes all this misery worth it.
I’ll get things started.
- Community. The feeling of a shared communal experience is still powerful.
- Pride. Or maybe self-pride. Having the dignity to withstand the misery.
- The lows make the highs that much higher. If the Browns ever win a Super Bowl, the joy as a fan will be greater for those who stuck around through all the pain.
What else do you guys have? Is anyone else wavering on the Browns?
*****
New Music of the Week
Last week was obviously the week of Deafheaven. Craig and I both talked about them in our respective WWWs. Every music critic is talking about the album. It is and was a big deal. And sometimes when one album gets so much attention, other albums get lost in the wake. So here are some other recently released albums that I have really enjoyed.
Wavves – “V”
–
No Devotion – “Permanence”
–
The Wonder Years – “No Closer To Heaven”
–
Eagles of Death Metal – “Zipper Down”
*****
That’s all I have for this week, but next week will have more. As always, enjoy the balance of your week!
67 Comments
thank you …
A sports championship is definitely Cleveland’s unicorn.
I started feeling that way you describe when they fired Butch Davis. Still waiting for some positive direction/momentum that lasts more that 1.5 years. I’m fine if they don’t show the Browns in cbus for the rest of the year (as was noted in Winers/Lossers yesterday).
With a Leprechaun rider.
OHH….YOU NOTICED THE UNIFORMS?? CAN I INTEREST YOU IN A NEW LOCAL T-SHIRT PERHAPS?
Swimming in Loch Ness.
I grew up in Cleveland. I was at the stadium 12/17/1995, age 11, with my season ticket holder grandfather. I was steeped in Browns culture. After moving to the West Coast in 2008, and finding an amazing Browns backers club in LA, I got up early to go watch the games almost every week with my fellow “ex-pats”. I now live in Seattle, and although the Browns are still my team at heart, I have rooted for the Seahawks in the playoffs the past few years. Why not? I live here, and it’s exciting to be able to root for an actual contender. I wish the Browns organization could figure out a strategy for success and actually see it through for more than a season or two, but alas, here we are again. More rebuilding, more justifications, excuses, disappointment.
The scandals of the past few years, regardless of the substance behind them, made me start to question why I even care any longer. I’m still working through my thoughts on the matter, but my gut is telling me that in light of the CTE issue, being a fan of the NFL is morally dubious to say the least. I understand this conflict every time I tune in and cringe when someone lands a hard hit, or is slow to get up. So I have stopped watching.
And with all that said, I still want to see the Browns succeed. It’s bred into me and really hard to let go. So I guess what I’m trying to say, is yes, I am a fair-weather fan. If the Browns ever have the chance to be an actual title contender, I’ll probably hop back on that bandwagon. I want the city of Cleveland to have its moment.
great post post SW … i was at that cincy game as well & yes, their last home game was a victory. i remember the somber melancholy feel in the air & the deconstruction of the stadium happening during the game.
Man, so many really good albums are going to get swallowed up by this Deafheaven album. It’s not fair.
smoking is bad for you and I could never build a proper teepee
It certainly helps that OSU churns out more alums than just about every other university, but I think B-Bo and you are saying the same thing. People like winners and if the Browns could manage to win like the Steelers and Ravens do, they’d have a huge national presence.
I was considering giving the Browns through week 7 to put something together and show me that it’s worth my effort to continue watching this team once the NBA regular season begins, but I’m starting to reconsider that extremely gracious proposal. I’m too emotionally involved with the Browns, and every game they lose makes me angry for the rest of the day on Sunday. What is the correct way to watch a team with this level of incompetence for 16 straight years? I think my attitude should be that of a well-wisher rather than a true fan(atic), but that’s easier said than done. I would certainly be a happier person on NFL Sundays if I could figure out that transition.
I just saw the scandal http://finance.yahoo.com/video/fantasy-sports-industry-rocked-scandal-104944129.html
and what a surprise the people who created a way to make even more $$$ off of something turned around and out of greed basically cheated. Now because of this the fantasy world will end up being regulated by the federal government. Then we can have people/politicians complain about it.
This is a big week for the Browns IMO.
t-shirt would be better with a […] after “is”
Late to this, but I’m “fair weather” financially. I’ll tailgate for Browns games and then go watch them in a bar or at home, thus offering the team zero dollars. The only Indians games I’ve been to over the last two seasons have been credentialed, thus offering the Indians nothing in the way of my hard-earned money. The Cavs, I’m fortunate enough to have credentials, but Opening Night last season, I went as a fan. I buy merch. I invest. I’ll always know what’s going on, who’s doing what and how. But in terms of emotion and/or my wallet, only for the product worthy of such.
After I quit my previous job 13 months ago, I was blessed to get introduced to following job opportunity online which saved me … They offer online home base work . Last paycheck after being on this job for them for four months was 12,000 dollars …. Cool fact about that job is that the requirement for being able to start is basic typing and connection to the internet …..
For the site address open my P R 0 F Î L È
153