Sports

It sure can be tough being a sports fan, especially when you live in a city, or root for certain teams that don't have a lot of success. I grew up in Houston, Texas, a town that has had the good fortune to celebrate two basketball championships, but has never had a football or baseball team win the big prize. The Astros did make it to the World Series once, but neither the Oilers or the Texans have ever played in the Super Bowl.

I am impressed by how loyal and determined Houston sports fans are. Season after season, the Astros and first the Oilers, then the Texans, have had up seasons, down seasons, exciting seasons, and disastrous seasons, but the fans continue to show up. They rejoice in the good times and commiserate in the bad times. But they don't give up. They get frustrated sometimes, but they still buy tickets, memorabilia, hot dogs, and popcorn. Houston fans are hearty souls.

I grew up with a few people who were die-hard Houston fans, but were also unfortunately sore losers. They turned me off from watching sports, because I hated dealing with their temper tantrums and angry moods when games were lost and seasons ended in failure. I enjoy the excitement of sporting events, especially when I have the opportunity to watch with people who are rooting for the same team that I am. But I don't like overly competitive individuals that can't deal well with a team loss.

I don't get angry when my team loses. But I do feel bad, for the players that worked so hard for a win, and for the fans that spent money to attend a game and were expecting to witness a successful outcome. 

The Astros are currently in the playoffs. If they win tomorrow, they will advance to the next round, the series before they would go to the World Series. When they played on Monday afternoon in Houston, they were six outs away from winning that game and moving on. In the seventh inning, they got home runs from Carlos Correa and Colby Rasmus. They were leading Kansas City 6-2. The fans were ecstatic. Success was in everyone's sights.

And then came a stunning reversal of fortune. In the eighth inning, KC got 7 runs. In the span of a few minutes, the score flipped from 6 - 2 in favor of the Astros, to 9 - 6 in favor of Kansas City. Success was in our grasp, and it was cruelly ripped away. I was so sad for the players, and the fans. Luckily, we still have one more chance to advance. But if we don't, the storied season will be over.

I endeavor to be a healthy sports fan. I squeal and clap and get excited when we win. But I don't let it ruin my day when one or more of my teams loses. And I definitely do not take my frustrations out on the people around me when I am disappointed about the outcome of a sporting event.

librarianintx