Heartbreak Kids

The world is filled with ups and downs. For many the sports fans, there have been more downs lately.

For the past month 32 teams took part in the FIFA World Cup, and all but one left happy (unless you count New Zealand who finished as the only undefeated team). That means that 31 countries went home with their tails between their legs to a fan base that is dejected and must wait another four years for glory to come their way.

For the past two years, fans of the Toronto Raptors, Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat dreaded the summer of 2010 when their star players could opt for free agency and leave their team and city for a new chance of winning. In the past week, it was first Chris Bosh who left his fans in Toronto and then, as part of a one hour TV special LeBron James left Cleveland. In Toronto, but especially in Cleveland these players were important to the identity of the city and franchise and they are now gone and a void is left. The fans in Cleveland are especially heartbroken since James was a native to Ohio and they thought he would have loyalty to the city. Alas, they were wrong.

Maybe you are a baseball fan, and since we have reached the midway point of the season you have analyzed the fate of your team and decided that they no longer have a chance to play in the post-season. If you are a Blue Jays fan, this happened in April since 3 of the best teams in baseball play in your division and no matter how many home runs you hit, it won’t be enough to topple the Red Sox, Yankees or Rays.

Although, I really enjoy sports, I have had very few “heartbreak” moments as a fan. Maybe I’m not wrapped up enough in my teams (the wife would disagree), maybe I have been lucky to be a fan of teams that have won recently (that’s not it – Packers, A’s, Nuggets, Jays, Raptors) or maybe it is I’m just not emotional enough (the wife would agree).

The first time I remember being really down from a sporting memory was in 1988. At the time I followed the Jays really closely. I was also a big baseball card collector and had grown attached to the Jays players by collecting all their cards. I had team sets from 1977 all the way to the present. Watching Sports Desk one evening, it came across the screen that the Jays had sold the rights to Willie Upshaw to the Cleveland Indians (at the time I remember him being traded). Upshaw was at the tail end of his career (only played one season for the Indians) and the Jays had a first base prospect that needed to play – Fred McGriff, so if I understood the business more it would make sense, but I was young and attached to Upshaw and his contributions in 1985 and 1987. It got a little dusty in the house that evening.

The other time I remember being really down about a sporting event was in 1993. It was a great year to be a Notre Dam Fightin’ Irish football fan. The team was playing great and ranked #1 in the country after beating the previous #1 Florida State the week prior. All that was needed was a victory in the last game of the regular season over pansy and un-ranked Boston College. It was not to be. The Golden Eagles kicked a last second field goal to beat the Irish. It dropped them out of the national title picture and they have never recovered and neither have I.

What is your sports heartbreak story?