Post date: Jun 13, 2019 4:43:23 PM
(As you are reading this blog you might want to have some mood music playing in the background. Click here)
Reminder: All caps means yelling.
Last night I watched the St. Louis Blues win the Stanley Cup. I was rooting for them because I’m tired of Boston winning. As a Minnesota sports fan, it’s easy to root against a team that wins all the time.
But no sooner had the celebration begun did I start seeing posts on twitter about St. Louis being vindicated for NEVER winning a Stanley cup. Although that may be a true statement, it’s meant to claim some sort of ‘woe is me’ for St. Louis sports fans. The problem is that it completely neglects the fact that their baseball team won 2 World Series in the past 15 years, and their football team won a Superbowl in 2000.
I hate to break the news to you St. Louis, but Minnesota doesn’t feel bad for you. Our last Major* sports championship was in 1991. Almost 28 years ago. That’s the longest streak running. It used to be Cleveland, until they won the NBA title in 2016 putting Minnesota atop that list.
This pity party crap seems to be a trend this summer.
It started with the NBA draft. We were bombarded with media trying to make us feel bad for the Knicks if they didn’t get the first overall pick. Because they had the worst record in the NBA and their owner is a jerk, we were all supposed to root for them to win the lottery. The Knicks have had the #1 overall pick 4 times in their history. Ever heard of Patrick Ewing? In the Wolves 29-year history, we have had the worst record in the NBA 3 times and many other years where we were close. We’ve had the #1 overall pick ONCE in our history and it didn’t come until the franchises 26th year. 26 YEARS!!! If you want an expansion franchise to survive and have some success that’s absolutely ridiculous.
Point being…Shut up New York.
Then a few weeks ago the Milwaukee bucks lost the Eastern Conference finals to the Raptors. Milwaukee’s pity party started almost immediately claiming they hadn’t won a championship since 1971.
Um….Excuse me?
All the sudden Milwaukee isn’t full of Packer fans? How do you say that with a straight face? Not to mention the Packers used to play a few games a year in Milwaukee. I’m well aware the team is based in ‘Green Bay’. But claiming the Packers don’t belong to Milwaukee is like saying St. Paul hasn’t ever won a championship because the Lakers and Twins won theirs in Minneapolis. It’s a ridiculous argument.
Shut up Milwaukee.
Then the whole St Louis thing last night. I was rooting for you, now I’m already sick of you. Your hockey team has never won a championship? NEITHER HAS OURS! Guess what? Neither has our Football team! Our NBA team hasn’t had one since the 50’s. Do you know who has? ST LOUIS!!! You had 3 NBA championships in the 60s. SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Why does everyone want to claim being a loser? Do they even understand what that entails? The heartbreak. The disappointment. The ‘here we go again’ feeling in the pit of your stomach when your team blows the lead? The nausea you feel when your kicker lines up for a field goal? Your muscles tensing every time the Manager goes to the bullpen? Not even being able to enjoy small successes because the fatalist inside knows that doom is around the corner?
What a bunch of spoiled insufferable sports fans. Congratulations on winning the Stanley Cup. But Just. Shut. Up.
*=The Major Sports Leagues are defined as the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL and possibly the MLS now. That definition is based on popularity, TV ratings and revenues. The Lynx have won 4 championships. I am a Lynx fan and watch the team regularly. I am also a huge fan of the US women’s soccer team. Minnesota also has a women’s pro hockey team, the Whitecaps, who won their championship last year. We also have a women’s pro football team, the Vixen, who are pretty damn good too. They made it to the championship in their league last year. I have defended women’s sports publicly on social media to people who take shots at them. I have coached women’s/girls sports for 20 years, even though I don’t have a daughter. I have created opportunities for girls at my school when the boys got to do something that wasn’t offered to the girls.
Having said that, comparing a WNBA title to a Superbowl is not the same thing. It just isn’t. In terms of popularity, ratings and revenue, its apples and oranges. Maybe someday it will be, but right now it’s not. I’m not saying it’s right. I’m just saying that it’s reality.