Mods, if you want to move this, go for, it is tangentially related to ND.

 

As another season of non-title winning ND football winds down, I'm realizing that I haven't been able to celebrate many titles with "my" teams.

 

For this exercise, consider your teams those that are appointment viewing for you. You don't miss many games. You are bothered by losses. You are a passionate fan of this team.

 

For example, I like the Blackhawks and watch on occasion, but I'm not a diehard Hawks fan, so I don't count those. Same with the Bulls. I liked them growing up and watched their 6 titles, but I don't remember being enthralled by it. I was 8 for the '88 ND title, so I'm not counting that.

 

For me, my teams that meet the criteria are: ND Football, Chicago Cubs, Illinois Basketball and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

 

So basically, I've had 1 title and a handful of soul crushing close calls. Illinois lost in title game in 2005. ND in 2012. The Cubs with Bartman. Dale Jr. never really got close.

 

So I'd guess I have about 60 seasons where I was actively engaged and 1 title to show for it. 1.7% Championship percentage. Not great for so much time invested!

 

What about you?

I admit I'm kind of a spoiled sports fan aside from nd football which kicks me in the gut every year haha. I grew up in Pittsburgh and the Steelers and pens are just a notch below the Irish for me but still I'd consider myself a hardcore fan of both. I've been to many pens games and went to multiple steeler games every year growing up with my uncle's and cousins who have season tickets. So I've seen the Steelers win titles in 05 and 08 and the pens in 09 and the last 2 seasons.

 

I was born in 83 so not old enough to remember the last Irish title my first real Irish memories are the snow bowl in 92 I think it was, against Penn State and then the back to back fsu and bc games in 93. If the Irish ever win another title it'll be the best sports moment of my fandom for sure

Edited November 14, 20177 yr by goirish83

Well, if we are doing this. I had a pretty good. Especially, when the Cubs won and I thought would never happen.

 

Cubs -1

Bulls - 6

ND Football - 1

Blackhawks - 3

Indiana (bb)1

49ers - 2 all though I’ve pretty much given up on the NFL. Just not exciting to me anymore.

 

These were all teams i followed and still follow religiously. Although, like the 49ers, the Bulls and NBA have fallen by the way side. Loved Dale Earnhardt but when he died, so did Nascar

Great thread idea

 

Notre Dame: I was alive for the 88 championship, but didn't start following ND till 97. So never really got to experience a truly dominant ND team. You can also guess as to where my constant apprehension with this team comes from by looking at the year I started following ND

 

Los Angeles Lakers: Been a little blessed here and actually got to experience them winning multiple titles....having said that, we haven't been competitive for the past 7 years and probably won't be for a while

 

Los Angeles Kings:

Los Angeles Dodgers:

This applies to both the Kings and Dodgers. I grew up fans of both teams, but never really got to revel in their recent success (Kings: 2012 and 2014..LAD just lost in the World Series) because I didn't really follow them so I felt like I would be a bandwagon fan if I started cheering for them lol

 

Grew up watching the San Francisco 49ers with Joe Montana and Steve Young...lost interest in the NFL once I got into Notre Dame. I didn't jump on the bandwagon when Harbaugh took them to the Super Bowl and felt like I should support whatever team comes to LA. So I guess I'm a Los Angeles Rams fan

Edited November 14, 20177 yr by Franco

ND Football, ND Basketball, St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Blues, St. Louis Rams (F**k Kroenke)

 

ND Football: No titles in my lifetime, '02 is really the first good season I actually remember, '12 was the year after I graduated

 

ND Basketball: Steady improvement under Brey, back-to-back Elite Eights in '15 and '16, hopefully a Final Four soon

 

St. Louis Cardinals: Champs in '06 and '11, lost in '04 and '13

 

St. Louis Rams: Greatest Show on Turf - Champs in '99, lost in '01

 

St. Louis Blues: Nothing but heartbreak - lost in the Conference Finals in '01 and '16 which is the closest they've been in my lifetime

 

So, I've seen 3 championships and have had my heart broken more often than not. ND football is the team I care about most - I would give up seeing any of my other teams make the playoffs for the rest of my life if ND could win 1 national championship.

ND Football : 0

Atlanta Braves: 0 [wasnt old enough to appreciate the 95 series]

 

 

....been a rough go.

I was happy for the cubs as my brother is a genuine fan and has lived and died with this team for years.

 

But, sadly, tragically, I follow one team. In one sport. I don’t even watch the nfl. I don’t have time for baseball. And March madness is the only time of year I deviate from Notre Dame football (and yes, i cheer Notre Dame basketball).

I was happy for the cubs as my brother is a genuine fan and has lived and died with this team for years.

 

But, sadly, tragically, I follow one team. In one sport. I don’t even watch the nfl. I don’t have time for baseball. And March madness is the only time of year I deviate from Notre Dame football (and yes, i cheer Notre Dame basketball).

 

Finally someone with the same plight! I stopped watching baseball years ago, so I'm with you. Big goose egg!

Born in 92 (25 years)

 

MLB: Athletics (0)

NFL: Titans (0)--AFC Champs in 99

NCAAF: Irish (0)--Music City Bowl, Pinstripe Bowl, Sun Bowl, Hawaii Bowl, Cotton Bowl x2

NCAAB: Memphis (0)--Final Four 2008* Vacated

NBA: Grizzlies (0)

 

 

0%---no signs of change in near future

 

 

Rank by Desire

 

1) Irish Natty

2) A's World Series

3) Grizzlies Title

4) Titans Super Bowl

5) Tigers Natty

 

Honestly it's somewhat sad that the Irish have come the closest besides the Titans miracle run looking at those bowl wins

Edited November 15, 20177 yr by yikityyakirish

Use to really be into all sports. Now I really only care about ND Football and to a lesser extent ND Basketball. Was an FSU fan as a little kid but wont count that. Still care about the Miami Heat but not on the same level as ND.

 

But over the years:

 

ND Football: Zero and only a spark of hope left.

 

ND Basketball: Zero but im more hopeful w this than football.

 

Miami Heat: Miami Heat: '06, '12 and '13 and I expect more eventually. Great franchise.

 

Miami Dolphins: Zero and no hope.

 

Florida Marlins: '97 and '03. Stopped being a fan since Loria destroyed the franchise and robbed the fans. Might give them another shot with the new ownership but zero expectations for more.

 

Valencia CF: Became a passive fan a few years ago. Hard when you only can see a few games a year. Sitting 2nd in La Liga but have no expectations for a Champions League title.

 

Basically, besides the Heat I am hopeless. Id put Conor McGregor on this list if I could. Loved celebrating his KO win over Aldo.

 

Id trade all the titles to see one ND Football title

Edited November 15, 20177 yr by PJackson'sDred15

ND 1 (1988) I was 10 but will never forget that season. Tony Rice taking it to the house vs USC had me screaming!

 

Dodgers 1 (1988) Too young to remember 1981. I was crushed about 2 weeks ago... it still hurts soo bad!

 

Kings 2 (2012, 2014) Really cool and different playoff runs both seasons.

 

Lakers 7 (1987-88, 2000-02, 2009-10) Ten in my lifetime. The early 2000's were great because I was of age to rage! The last two were meh... soured on the NBA.

 

Buccaneers 1 (2002) That was awesome and will never ever happen again.

 

Oct. 15, 1988: Greatest day of my sports watching life

 

ND beats Miami and later that night Kirk Gibson walk-off HR

Edited November 15, 20177 yr by Irish88

ND Football: I've seen 2 titles, '77 and '88

 

San Francisco 49er's: Due to Montana, I was a huge 49er's fan while he was the QB, so I went through 4 Super Bowl wins with them.

 

Chicago Bears: Was also a pretty big Bears fan as a teenager and saw 1 Super Bowl with them through the Ditka era.

 

I am a casual fan, if at all, of a few other sports such as Baseball (Cubs) and Basketball (Bulls) but their wins or losses never affected me.

tl;dr, sports will make you sad

 

I was young but remember all of the Bulls 90s titles so that was pretty awesome, as were the Blackhawks titles to a lesser extent.

 

ND Elite 8 runs have been fun.

 

ND Football 2012 was an amazing season, I was at like 8 of those games including @ SC.

Misery loves company...I always tell people how much I HATE being so emotionally invested in a sports team

Misery loves company...I always tell people how much I HATE being so emotionally invested in a sports team

I used to let ND games ruin my weekends but 2012 broke the curse for me, very much an emotionally divested fan now. Happy when we win but less bummed when we lose.

I used to let ND games ruin my weekends but 2012 broke the curse for me, very much an emotionally divested fan now. Happy when we win but less bummed when we lose.

 

I got that way after Texas last year, but this season pulled me back in! ughhh

I started watching ND in 1965. I saw National Championships in 1966, 1973, 1977, 1988 and we barely missed in 1989, 1993 and a few year's during Ara's era when USC was the best team in the nation and we lost to them. So, between 1965 and 1993 (28 years) we won 4 National Championships and could have won at least 5 more. Unfortunately, Notre Dame doesn't care to win like that anymore. It's a shame. It was once a glorious time to be a Notre Dame fan.

Edited November 15, 20177 yr by Frankus

I started watching ND in 1965. I saw National Championships in 1966, 1973, 1977, 1988 and we barely missed in 1989, 1993 and a few year's during Ara's era when USC was the best team in the nation and we lot to them. So, between 1965 and 1993 (28 years) we won 4 National Championships and could have won at least 5 more. Unfortunately, Notre Dame doesn't care to win like that anymore. It's a shame. It was once a glorious time to be a Notre Dame fan.

 

I think I hate you now. I thought it was great in the late 80’s and early 90’s, but to see winning for 30 plus years is something.

I think I hate you now. I thought it was great in the late 80’s and early 90’s, but to see winning for 30 plus years is something.

 

Well, think of this: My Dad played for ND in 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949. The record? 36-0-2. No losses in four years. He thought Ara and Lou were underacheiving. lol!

I started watching ND in 1965. I saw National Championships in 1966, 1973, 1977, 1988 and we barely missed in 1989, 1993 and a few year's during Ara's era when USC was the best team in the nation and we lost to them. So, between 1965 and 1993 (28 years) we won 4 National Championships and could have won at least 5 more. Unfortunately, Notre Dame doesn't care to win like that anymore. It's a shame. It was once a glorious time to be a Notre Dame fan.

 

Can you explain how you think ND doesn't want to win like that anymore? I'm asking because I don't know how things were different then.

 

Back then, weren't you allowed more than 85 scholarships? Was the South the player factory it is now? Why did only Rockne, Ara and Leahy win? Why did guys like Faust, Kuharich and Brennan struggle during the same era? Was ND trying to win less with them? Are you suggesting Nick Saban couldn't win a title at ND today?

 

It seems Kelly is looking at a 3rd top 12 finish in the last 6 years. That seems pretty good for a school who doesn't want to win. Why wouldn't a better coach be able to do even better than him?

 

Are you saying ND just doesn't want to pay a top coach? What specifically is ND doing to "not care to win like that anymore"?

Can you explain how you think ND doesn't want to win like that anymore? I'm asking because I don't know how things were different then.

 

Notre Dame's academic standards have gotten stricter. All you have to know is that Urban Meyer asked for 5 exceptions per year for the first 4 years to get recruting rolling and that was a deal breaker for ND.

 

Back then, weren't you allowed more than 85 scholarships? Was the South the player factory it is now? Why did only Rockne, Ara and Leahy win? Why did guys like Faust, Kuharich and Brennan struggle during the same era? Was ND trying to win less with them? Are you suggesting Nick Saban couldn't win a title at ND today?

 

Everybody was allowed more than 85 scholarships back then. The South had great teams back then too, but Leahy beat SMU and Tulane who were powers back then and Ara and Lou beat Alabama and Miami.

 

I can only speak for Leahy from being my dad's son, but I know he was loved by his players while simultaneously working them to the breaking point and beyond.

 

I can only speak for Faust, whose teams I watched, but he lost because his high school success didn't translate to college. His teams were always soft and undisciplined. You could tell the change with Holtz immediately. His teams were hard hitting and disciplined.

 

I don't think Nick Saban would come to ND because of the academic restrictions. Why come to ND when you can go to Alabama and have an easier time winning? Alabama, OSU and many other universities will match ND when it comes to money. So, coaches who are looking to be legends and have the skills are going to those universities.

 

It seems Kelly is looking at a 3rd top 12 finish in the last 6 years. That seems pretty good for a school who doesn't want to win. Why wouldn't a better coach be able to do even better than him?

 

Pretty good is what ND is, except when we go 4-8. That's a far cry from what we used to be. I feel sorry for you and the younger crowd who have to accept that. I wish ND would have given Urban Meyer his exceptions. I think he would have won a NC at ND.

Edited November 15, 20177 yr by Frankus