Nothing’s Fine, I’m Torn

I’ll start off by saying, kudos to those of you that recognize the reference to the Natalie Imbruglia 90’s song. As sports fans, there are so many instances where your “fandom” can blind your good sense of judgment. I’m sure that you know quite a few people that swear by the old adage, “Never bet for/against your own team.” Most of the time it’s a no-win situation, but it does lead to a thought provoking question, “Is it okay to root against my team?”

I present exhibit 1: my beloved New York Jets. There have been times where I’m fine with them tanking and taking the Machiavellian approach of the ends justifying the means. I’m ok with enduring a brutal season filled with losses if it means that the Jets will get a stud player for the next decade. What I’ve come to realize is that organizational ineptitude prevents that very thing from happening. So can I really get that mad if they start winning games?  The players are constantly being evaluated and playing for their livelihood, the coaches have mouths to feed. It may be a game, but it’s real life to those folks. Sure they’re handsomely compensated for playing a game, but it can’t be easy to sit there and lose and know your job is in jeopardy.

To further that point, I’ll give a deeper dive into my rationale. Last week in a suicide pool, I took the Colts to defeat the Jets. Was it easy for me to do, of course not. However, my mind knew they had little to no chance of winning the game. In fantasy football, I’ve been known to scour the waiver wire for defenses that are going up against the Jets. And I have to come to terms with, hey if the Jets do well so be it. I’ll be happy they proved me wrong, the problem is they haven’t given me many such occasions. Nevertheless, let’s move on to tonight. The Jets are an underdog at home to a Broncos team that is on their 3rd or 4th string QB (honestly I don’t even know or care anymore) and I have this range of emotions. On one hand, if they lose it could mean the end of Adam Gase, a coach that no Jets fan wanted except Christopher Johnson, the clueless owner. But, if they win, it’s the 1st win of the season, and maybe it can spur the team on. So no matter what happens, I’ll take a positive spin on the situation unless they lose and Gase retains his job. In reality, you can think with your head and expect the worse, but still be mad because the team sucks. There’s nothing wrong with thinking with your head even if your heart tells you otherwise!

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