"You cant really smile until you shed some tears": The crazy, tragic, sometimes almost magic, awful, beautiful life of a sports fan, Part 1

    If you read this blog often, you know I like to talk about being a fan of sports and what that has taught me in my life.  Someday, I'd love to publish a book with all this stuff.  But in the meantime, this is what I have been thinking about lately...........

    This year has been a frustrating one for my sports teams.  I know, I know, insert the little "firstworldproblems" hashtag from twitter here.  From the Boston Red Sox to the Runnin' Utes, the ball just has not gone my way.  

     Sometimes, when things are like this, it gives you a perspective you couldn't gain anywhere else.  

     Back  in 2004, my teams were on top of the world.  The Utes football team busted the BCS, the Red Sox finally got rid of "the curse" and the Runnin' Utes were on their way to another sweet 16.  

     Now?  Well, the Red Sox are a joke.  The football team lost last night to Arizona, which ends a streak of 9 consecutive Bowl appearances.  The Jazz are extremely average.  And the Runnin' Utes, my favorite of all teams, across all sports?  They lost to an average Big Sky team at home after being up 13 in the second half.  

     I find myself at times wishing desperately that I could get back to the time when my teams were the talk of the town.  Those were the good old days.  

     But you know what?  It will happen again.  When it does, I will enjoy the heck out of it.  

    By nature, I'm an optimistic person.  The Jazz have some young talent that's going to explode.  The Football Utes will be great in 2014.  I truly believe that we are just a stone's throw away from getting our Runnin' Utes back.  (Wait a minute, when did this blog become a Morgan Philpot political commercial?  I thought we were past that!)  

     I have been fortunate to be in a position where I get to interact with athletes from a local college.  I have greatly enjoyed it over the last three years.  At first, I was star struck.  But as I have had a chance to get to know these kids, I have learned that that's just what they are; kids.  They like to do the same things that I do.  

They don't deserve heaps and heaps of criticism when they don't win.  Sometimes, its easy to forget that these are people with feelings, just like you and me.  

     So that's the lesson I have learned through this "trying" time.  When your team is having success, enjoy it! Treasure it!  It's not going to last, so celebrate!  And when your team is down, stick by them.  They need you to stick with them through the hard times, as well as the good.  Anyone would show up when their team is good.  A true fan shows up regardless.