Here's a question: Which is the most tortured sports franchise in America?
The answer? Apparently, it's whatever team you root for.
With the overwhelming majority of professional sports teams ending each year disappointed and many of them ending entire decades without much to cheer about, the act of rooting for any sports team over time can be viewed as an act of masochism. It's more often the dream deferred than the dream season. In the end, annual grief is the price we all pay for the chance at the catharsis of one victory parade. It also seems to be one thing that fans of nearly every team have in common.
When the U.S. Soccer team bowed out of the 2014 World Cup with an extra-time defeat to Belgium, fans of professional and college teams hailing from the Deep South to the Pacific Northwest commiserated and welcomed those new to such disappointment.
HEY, AMERICA. THIS IS WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE A KNICKS FAN JUST MULTIPLY THIS BY FORTY YEARS.
— Salvatore Pane (@SalPane) July 1, 2014
America, now you know what its like to be a Mizzou fan. -@TrevorPeters
— George Terlep (@terlepathy) July 1, 2014
Now the rest of the country knows what its like to be a Braves fan
— Colton Parr (@ColtonParr21) July 1, 2014
now I know what it feels like to be a jets fan #disappointed
— Nathan Bodenstein (@n_bodenstein) July 1, 2014
Congratulations, America. Now you know what it feels like to be a WSU fan.
— Brian Cobb (@BrianRCobb) July 1, 2014