How do I get over this ridiculous problem?

[Ari]

While I know there are so many more important things to worry about in the world, believe it or not, I was actually a little depressed when my favorite football team lost over the weekend in the first game of the season.  Things were even worse when I was a kid, before I gained a more worldly perspective over what is important in life.  Now it really doesn't effect me all that much, but I would like to reach the point where I don't care about it at all quite frankly.  Any suggestions?

[RationalThought110]

Which team? 

[Joe Schmo]

Force yourself to not watch it for a few weeks.

Do something else.  DON'T think, "I wish I was watching football right now."

Listen to Beethoven instead.

[Tzvi Ben Roshel1]

While I know there are so many more important things to worry about in the world, believe it or not, I was actually a little depressed when my favorite football team lost over the weekend in the first game of the season.  Things were even worse when I was a kid, before I gained a more worldly perspective over what is important in life.  Now it really doesn't effect me all that much, but I would like to reach the point where I don't care about it at all quite frankly.  Any suggestions?

Read as many books, articles and listin to Shiurim about Judaism and Emuna, as possible. The last 2 days I was kinda thinking negativly because of all the pressure from school, Today the order I placed finally came in, I read some of the book= "the garden of Emuna"- by Rav Shalom Arush, and I feel great right now (even though I have been in school from 9 a.m. till 8 30 p.m. and then had to do some things). I really recommend- as do some really big Rabbis- to get these 2 books http://lazerbrody.typepad.com/emuna_beams/2007/02/the_power_pair.html (also comes with a free gift+ its a reducted price when you get both at the same time).

[JewishTeddyBear]

Your question reminds me of a similar experience in my own life.  I was just a small child in 1971, but I followed the Los Angeles Dodger baseball season extremely closely, listening to Vince Scully and Jerry Dogget for every inning of every game.  The Dodgers had been way behind first place in their Western Division of the National League, but made a run for it toward the end of the season, and actually lost to the Giants by one game on the very last day of the season.  When that happened, I felt such a loss, and even cried.  My Holocaust-surviving father mocked me.  But hey, I was only ten years old! (now everybody knows how old I am.  oh well)

Fortunately, the Pittsburgh Pirates not only beat the hated Giants in the playoffs, but beat the Baltimore Orioles in the World Series as well.  I was so happy!  The hero of the world series was known to be perhaps the kindest player to ever wear a professional baseball uniform, a man by the name of Roberto Clemente.  I remember having to help my father in his liquor store on that day that the Pirates won it all; I was so shy back then, but instinctively let out a big clap when it happened.  I think I shocked my father; perhaps he did not realize until then that behind all of my quietness, churned some very passionate emotions.

A little over a year later, Roberto Clemente rode in a private plane to help his fellow Nicaraguans in Central America, who had just days earlier experienced a devastating earthquake.  Sadly, on December 31, 1972, he was killed in a plane crash.

Normally, the Baseball Hall of Fame will not consider candidates who have not been retired for at least five years, but in Clemente's one case, they made an exception.  He was given this ultimate baseball honor by a unanimous vote.

I eventually grew out of baseball, but to this day, I follow Barry Bonds' home run record every single night, and know that the Boston Red Sox are the best baseball team this year.  I happen to like the New York Yankees, but hey, I like the Boston Red Sox team, too. 

So I only grew out of my love for baseball partially, involving myself in my school studies, and then my father got me interested in politics.  Yet I really see very little wrong with being a sports fan, um, as long as you like baseball a whole lot more than soccer or boxing.  I suppose being a sports fan can be a negative thing if it overtakes all of your life, sacrificing the quality of your work, family, and social life, but hey, baseball is so much an integral part of the best that America has to offer.

Take me out to a ballgame, take me out to the crowds...

[HiWarp]

Sit yourself down and answer the following questions.

In how many ways will my life be better when the sports team that I root for wins?

In how many ways will my life be worse when the sports team that I root for loses?

If the answer to both questions is 0, forget about it and instead use the additional free time you will have by not watching sporting events to better your life by focusing on things that you have control over.

[Vito]

While I know there are so many more important things to worry about in the world, believe it or not, I was actually a little depressed when my favorite football team lost over the weekend in the first game of the season.  Things were even worse when I was a kid, before I gained a more worldly perspective over what is important in life.  Now it really doesn't effect me all that much, but I would like to reach the point where I don't care about it at all quite frankly.  Any suggestions?

Those football players are violent criminals that turned into millionaires because they can throw a ball. Stop supporting criminals - Stop watching football... and basketball for that matter.

[Kananga]

]
Those football players are violent criminals that turned into millionaires because they can throw a ball. Stop supporting criminals - Stop watching football... and basketball for that matter.

You'll have to lay off the fried chicken and grits too.  Because before you know it, one of those black athletes will move in next door with one of his white womuns and will wanna invite himself over for dinner all the time.

[Sarah]

Have hope that they'll win next time?

[JewishTeddyBear]

kananga is funny, whoever that is 

[Ari]

Good advice everyone.  Actually it was my two teams that lost, the Jets and the Bills.  If anyone can't understand how I'm a fan of both teams in the same division, it's a long story.

[Bodhi]

   If they are your favorite team, just stand behind them 100%.....I have been a lifelong fan of the Seattle Seahawks...we were the worst team in football for so many years, and now we are winners and It's great.....it's just like anything else in life...don't stop beleiving and sooner or later your time will come.

 

[JewishTeddyBear]

Personally, I am a fair-weathered fan.  I only like my local teams, the Dodgers and the Lakers, when they are winning teams.  For similar reasons, that is why I like Barry Bonds so much: I like to watch excellence. 

[Daniel]

Personally, I am a fair-weathered fan.  I only like my local teams, the Dodgers and the Lakers, when they are winning teams.  For similar reasons, that is why I like Barry Bonds so much: I like to watch excellence. 

Does Barry Bonds really epitomize excellence? He tested positive for steroid use. We can't overlook that being a big factor in him achieving the homerun record. On the one hand, it's nice to see one of the most coveted records being broken. On the other hand, it's a bitter pill to swallow when we recognize that the steroids were a big factor to help him achieve this. I don't buy that nonsense of him never "knowingly" using steroids and that he just thought the cream that he was using was for cosmetic purposes. Baseball players usually become less strong when they get older and hit fewer homeruns. Bonds seemed to hit more homeruns and significantly bulked up in size in his later years. It's not just him getting fatter, it's clear to see how much more bloated he looks now compared to when he was younger.

[Daniel]

While I know there are so many more important things to worry about in the world, believe it or not, I was actually a little depressed when my favorite football team lost over the weekend in the first game of the season.  Things were even worse when I was a kid, before I gained a more worldly perspective over what is important in life.  Now it really doesn't effect me all that much, but I would like to reach the point where I don't care about it at all quite frankly.  Any suggestions?

I personally think it's okay to follow sports and to be a devoted fan to a team. I just think we need to attain the proper balance and perspective when it comes to following sports. It's completely normal and natural to feel jubilated when your team wins and to feel down and sad when your team loses, especially if it's a big playoff or championship game when it's a really close game. But it's not good to go overboard to the point where your entire life revolves around sports where you end up devoting all your time to watch every single game and where you will become completely depressed and devastated when your team loses. I think the best way of dealing with the disappointment when your team loses is to recognize and accept the fact that your team will lose at times, even those close important games, and to accept that it's okay and normal to feel a little down at these times. Also, recognize that while this might be disappointing, this is just a game after all where the outcome of the game does not affect your quality of life either way. However, the way you react to the outcome of the game greatly affects your quality of life, and that's the factor that's a lot more important to focus on and to be sure you're maintaining the proper perspective.

[JewishTeddyBear]

Daniel, I agree with you.  Sports seems like a quite harmless diversion; we as human beings need such distractions in our lives, especially when we are hard working family people with a lot of stress in our lives.

This interest in sports only becomes something negative when it becomes an obsession.  When one tells his spouse to wait until the game is over before she tells him about what happened to their children at school that day, that is probably a sign that a person's interest in sports has gone too far.  Or when sports team rivalries come to physical blows or lost friendships, that is also a bad sign.  Following one's favorite sports team should be a fun thing to do, and nothing more than that.

Concerning Barry Bonds, though, I have to disagree.  Yes, of course he used steroids, but so do a lot of professional ballplayers.  And let me tell you, they could give me all the steroids in the world and even design my baseball bat to be some kind of mini-rocket, and still, I would be a terrible baseball hitter.  The steroids only work for Barry Bonds because he is already such an incredible talent. 

I honestly do not understand why people feel such animosity toward him.  I cannot say it is racist, because he broke the all time home run record of another Black player, Henry Aaron.  Barry Bonds has a reputation for being a loner and maybe not a super nice guy, but who cares?  I am there to watch excellence in baseball, not to speak to my local Rabbi.  If I ever have children and find them admiring various sports figures or other people involved in entertainment, I will make sure to let them know that these people are no better than anybody else, but just happen to have a particular talent in their particular field.  Barry Bonds may be bad at every other aspect of his life, but when it comes to that one very narrow thing, which is hitting a baseball, there has been no player as good as him since the days of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.

[HiWarp]

Daniel, I agree with you.  Sports seems like a quite harmless diversion; we as human beings need such distractions in our lives, especially when we are hard working family people with a lot of stress in our lives.

This interest in sports only becomes something negative when it becomes an obsession.  When one tells his spouse to wait until the game is over before she tells him about what happened to their children at school that day, that is probably a sign that a person's interest in sports has gone too far.  Or when sports team rivalries come to physical blows or lost friendships, that is also a bad sign.  Following one's favorite sports team should be a fun thing to do, and nothing more than that.

Concerning Barry Bonds, though, I have to disagree.  Yes, of course he used steroids, but so do a lot of professional ballplayers.  And let me tell you, they could give me all the steroids in the world and even design my baseball bat to be some kind of mini-rocket, and still, I would be a terrible baseball hitter.  The steroids only work for Barry Bonds because he is already such an incredible talent. 

I honestly do not understand why people feel such animosity toward him.  I cannot say it is racist, because he broke the all time home run record of another Black player, Henry Aaron.  Barry Bonds has a reputation for being a loner and maybe not a super nice guy, but who cares?  I am there to watch excellence in baseball, not to speak to my local Rabbi.  If I ever have children and find them admiring various sports figures or other people involved in entertainment, I will make sure to let them know that these people are no better than anybody else, but just happen to have a particular talent in their particular field.  Barry Bonds may be bad at every other aspect of his life, but when it comes to that one very narrow thing, which is hitting a baseball, there has been no player as good as him since the days of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.

The controversy is not really about whether Bonds is a great baseball hitter or not (he is) but about whether or not he would have broken the record if he hadn't taken steroids.  Whose to day that Ruth and Aaron wouldn't have hit over 800 home runs had they used the same drugs.

[JewishTeddyBear]

But it is not Barry Bonds' fault that Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig did not have access to some of the things that he does.  I am sure that both Ruth and Gehrig took advantage of whatever was available to them at the time.

Once again, I have to attribute the anti-Barry Bonds crowd of thinking like liberals.  A true conservative loves excellence, strives for excellence, and admires excellence.  Liberals, in contrast, love to level the playing field, of saying that good is not so good, bad is not so bad, that we are all basically the same, and so on.

Since Barry Bonds represents excellence, the liberal mind cannot tolerate that, so it seeks to find some way to discount his accomplishments as a baseball player. 

[Ari]

Well, they both lost again.  Doesn't feel as bad as last week.  I must acknowledge they both suck.

[MasterWolf1]

Ari,  I love hockey,  I wouldn't make it my life's obsession but it is maybe the only sport for me left to enjoy without having maniacs dominating the game.   And if the team I like win great if they lose, ah no biggie.  Don't let it get to you got more important things for that.   If you like it just concider a past time nothing more nothing less.

[HiWarp]

But it is not Barry Bonds' fault that Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig did not have access to some of the things that he does.  I am sure that both Ruth and Gehrig took advantage of whatever was available to them at the time.

Once again, I have to attribute the anti-Barry Bonds crowd of thinking like liberals.  A true conservative loves excellence, strives for excellence, and admires excellence.  Liberals, in contrast, love to level the playing field, of saying that good is not so good, bad is not so bad, that we are all basically the same, and so on.

Since Barry Bonds represents excellence, the liberal mind cannot tolerate that, so it seeks to find some way to discount his accomplishments as a baseball player. 

But it is not about him having access to things that they did not have.  It is about him having access and using things that were NOT legal.  If Hank Aaron had broken Babe Ruth's home run record with a corked bat, would that mean that he was still just as great a home run hitter as Ruth?  Should his new record have been recognized or discarded?  This is the cloud hanging over Bond's head.

[Dr. Dan]

Listen, i have favorite teams too..The NY Giants, the NY Mets. NOw can you imagine, me as a big fan of the Mets losing the way the lost last year in the playoffs?

But this is what i tell myself, It's not the end of the world, there is alway next year.

NOw, losing the first game of a  season? think of it as a blessing for them to learn from their mistakes and win the rest of the games..and if they lose the rest of their games, then next year, they'll know who they need to draft to become a winning team the following year...

it's just a game.

[JewishTeddyBear]

There is a cloud hanging over Barry Bonds' head only in the mind of the liberal, who prefers mediocrity and hates excellence.  For conservatives, we simply marvel at Barry Bonds' ability and determination.

[Sarah]

Listen, i have favorite teams too..The NY Giants, the NY Mets. NOw can you imagine, me as a big fan of the Mets losing the way the lost last year in the playoffs?

But this is what i tell myself, It's not the end of the world, there is alway next year.

NOw, losing the first game of a  season? think of it as a blessing for them to learn from their mistakes and win the rest of the games..and if they lose the rest of their games, then next year, they'll know who they need to draft to become a winning team the following year...

it's just a game.

Is that baseball or American football?

[Ari]

NY Mets are baseball and NY Giants are football.  I understand the positive approach to wait til next year, and I do realize there are far more important things in life certainly.  Then again, it would be nice to see one of the teams I root for at least win once in my lifetime, lol.