The Other Side

jigual@theguidon.com

History can be cruel to an avid sports fan. Sometimes it takes us all by surprise, such as when one expects that you win a game when you are up by 10, with two minutes to go in the fourth quarter. Or when you are up three goals and dominating by halftime. It’s when you expect the Lakers or Celtics to be in the playoffs just because they are that established, or Arsenal and Manchester United to be in the Top 4 every season, competing for the English Premier League trophy.

When history denies you—that’s when sports becomes interesting. When the seemingly impossible has happened and is made possible, sports in general become something very interesting.

It’s these moments of utter brilliance where one player can score 13 points in 35 seconds to win a game. It’s when you can be a goal down in the Champions League Final with 2 minutes of stoppage time left, and then score 2 goals to win it.  It’s when the Yankees go up 3-0 in a best of 7 finals series and still lose when we see the magic of sports.

This same history has spoiled fans for the longest time, and oftentimes we forget that just about anything can happen on the court. Oftentimes we get a little too overconfident with the team –we think, they’ll surely be champion, they’ll surely make the final four, oh, we’ll beat them.

It has even come to a point that, at least it seems, fans go to the games expecting a victory already. In the second Ateneo–La Salle game for instance the La Salle crowd was cheering like there was no tomorrow, despite being down by double digits already. Every shot made was like a spark towards that big run the fans really hoped for. In contrast, the Ateneo crowd sat, cheered for a while when a basket was scored but generally remained seated. It was only until the last two minutes when everyone stood up again.

This has been happening almost the entire season.

History may have spoiled the La Salle fans to make them expect a final four appearance. Recently, history has also spoiled the Ateneo fans; maybe, they thought, they’ll win every game this season and sweep through the UAAP playing field and come home with another championship. That obviously didn’t happen—the 14-0 I mean.

If there’s one thing that history can teach us, it’s that stranger things have happened in the course of time; that has made history so interesting. There’s no obstacle-free linear progression to something, because there’s always this one group that will stand up and defy the odds.

It’s about time for us to get off their high horses and remember that as fans, it’s our duty to support the team by cheering and urging them on—while they’re winning, but more importantly, even when they’re losing. There’s no room for fair weathered fans here. Fans play a huge role in the morale of the team and they influence their performance on the court.

Now is not the time to be complacent. Even Arsenal’s unbelievable run of 48 games was put to a stop. Any streak will inevitably come to an end. The most the fans can do is to enjoy the ride while it’s there, and cheer on for the team. Don’t let history spoil the experience of the game. After all, anything can happen on the court.