Author Topic: As a fan, are championships the only thing that matter?  (Read 19784 times)

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Re: As a fan, are championships the only thing that matter?
« Reply #60 on: February 05, 2013, 09:34:50 PM »

Online Roy H.

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Hmmmm. How do I put this delicately?  Yes championships are the only thing that matter.  Maybe out there somewhere in Losertown they like watching loser players and loser franchises, but I'm a New England fan and I absolutely don't.   I have to think a franchise and players are at least aspiring to being a championship team.  That's why I would never have been a Clippers fan if I had lived in LA. Your players and whatnot have to at least put some fear into the other team.  That's why Boston wasn't supporting the Bruins for a long time and stopped supporting Pitino. It was clear he didn't have the ability to win. Then he had the gall to try to tell us no good players would be walking through the door while being paid as coach and GM. Go to Loserville Kentucky.  This is New England. We don't tolerate mediocrity here. Yes the last 12ish years have been really good to us. I'd say it's akin to dating kinda ok looking girls, then suddenly girls are kinda coming after you and you start dating Euro models. You can go for the personality. I ain't going back. Loser.

And if Boston goes to war with New York some day I'm not going to play for second place then either.

Sorry this decade has been so full of failure for you.  It must have sucked, all those years without championships.


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Re: As a fan, are championships the only thing that matter?
« Reply #61 on: February 05, 2013, 09:46:10 PM »

Offline Cman

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Great topic, TP to Roy for bringingi it up.
I love getting into certain players, and the journey is fun, and potentially also heartbreaking (Pats loss to Giants in 2008 Super bowl is still the most painful sports memory for me).
But the team matters more to me than certain players.

All that said, pro sports are just a form of entertainment.  Some people get really into Disney; I get really into the Celtics. It is important not to lose sight of the fact that, at the end of the day, it is all just paid entertainment.
Celtics fan for life.

Re: As a fan, are championships the only thing that matter?
« Reply #62 on: February 05, 2013, 09:48:20 PM »

Offline BASS_THUMPER

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Re: As a fan, are championships the only thing that matter?
« Reply #63 on: February 05, 2013, 09:54:42 PM »

Online Roy H.

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rings are icing on the cake
i love watching this team playball
im proud to say im a Boston Celtics Fan

To me, this is exactly right.  I want to see the team win titles, but if I was guaranteed that the team would never win a ring again in my lifetime, I'd still watch.


I'M THE SILVERBACK GORILLA IN THIS MOTHER——— AND DON'T NONE OF YA'LL EVER FORGET IT!@ 34 minutes

Re: As a fan, are championships the only thing that matter?
« Reply #64 on: February 05, 2013, 09:58:25 PM »

Offline Celtics18

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rings are icing on the cake
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Well put. 
DKC Seventy-Sixers:

PG: G. Hill/D. Schroder
SG: C. Lee/B. Hield/T. Luwawu
SF:  Giannis/J. Lamb/M. Kuzminskas
PF:  E. Ilyasova/J. Jerebko/R. Christmas
C:    N. Vucevic/K. Olynyk/E. Davis/C. Jefferson

Re: As a fan, are championships the only thing that matter?
« Reply #65 on: February 05, 2013, 10:08:09 PM »

Offline slamtheking

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this.  well put.  TP for you.

Re: As a fan, are championships the only thing that matter?
« Reply #66 on: February 05, 2013, 10:08:29 PM »

Offline Eja117

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Hmmmm. How do I put this delicately?  Yes championships are the only thing that matter.  Maybe out there somewhere in Losertown they like watching loser players and loser franchises, but I'm a New England fan and I absolutely don't.   I have to think a franchise and players are at least aspiring to being a championship team.  That's why I would never have been a Clippers fan if I had lived in LA. Your players and whatnot have to at least put some fear into the other team.  That's why Boston wasn't supporting the Bruins for a long time and stopped supporting Pitino. It was clear he didn't have the ability to win. Then he had the gall to try to tell us no good players would be walking through the door while being paid as coach and GM. Go to Loserville Kentucky.  This is New England. We don't tolerate mediocrity here. Yes the last 12ish years have been really good to us. I'd say it's akin to dating kinda ok looking girls, then suddenly girls are kinda coming after you and you start dating Euro models. You can go for the personality. I ain't going back. Loser.

And if Boston goes to war with New York some day I'm not going to play for second place then either.

Sorry this decade has been so full of failure for you.  It must have sucked, all those years without championships.
Of course they did. But hey, if you have lots of Celts calendars and posters you keep from the 90s or something, then as long as you're happy I guess.

Re: As a fan, are championships the only thing that matter?
« Reply #67 on: February 05, 2013, 10:11:27 PM »

Online Roy H.

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Hmmmm. How do I put this delicately?  Yes championships are the only thing that matter.  Maybe out there somewhere in Losertown they like watching loser players and loser franchises, but I'm a New England fan and I absolutely don't.   I have to think a franchise and players are at least aspiring to being a championship team.  That's why I would never have been a Clippers fan if I had lived in LA. Your players and whatnot have to at least put some fear into the other team.  That's why Boston wasn't supporting the Bruins for a long time and stopped supporting Pitino. It was clear he didn't have the ability to win. Then he had the gall to try to tell us no good players would be walking through the door while being paid as coach and GM. Go to Loserville Kentucky.  This is New England. We don't tolerate mediocrity here. Yes the last 12ish years have been really good to us. I'd say it's akin to dating kinda ok looking girls, then suddenly girls are kinda coming after you and you start dating Euro models. You can go for the personality. I ain't going back. Loser.

And if Boston goes to war with New York some day I'm not going to play for second place then either.

Sorry this decade has been so full of failure for you.  It must have sucked, all those years without championships.
Of course they did. But hey, if you have lots of Celts calendars and posters you keep from the 90s or something, then as long as you're happy I guess.

There were lots of good memories from the Celtics in the 90s, yeah.  Even though the teams stunk, I enjoyed rooting for Dino Radja.  That guy was a trip.


I'M THE SILVERBACK GORILLA IN THIS MOTHER——— AND DON'T NONE OF YA'LL EVER FORGET IT!@ 34 minutes

Re: As a fan, are championships the only thing that matter?
« Reply #68 on: February 05, 2013, 10:36:22 PM »

Offline KGs Knee

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rings are icing on the cake
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To me, this is exactly right.  I want to see the team win titles, but if I was guaranteed that the team would never win a ring again in my lifetime, I'd still watch.

Yeah, I wouldn't go that far.  If I knew for a fact my favorite team was guaranteed to never win, I don't think I could possibly get too enthused.

Re: As a fan, are championships the only thing that matter?
« Reply #69 on: February 05, 2013, 10:41:38 PM »

Online Roy H.

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rings are icing on the cake
i love watching this team playball
im proud to say im a Boston Celtics Fan

To me, this is exactly right.  I want to see the team win titles, but if I was guaranteed that the team would never win a ring again in my lifetime, I'd still watch.

Yeah, I wouldn't go that far.  If I knew for a fact my favorite team was guaranteed to never win, I don't think I could possibly get too enthused.

There's something to be said for seeing basketball played at an extremely high level, even if the team ultimately falls short.

There isn't a great example with the Celtics, because generally when the team has had great players they've won.  Using a baseball example, though, I'd gladly re-live the 40s and 50s as a Red Sox fan.  That's decades without a title, but the chance to watch Ted Williams every day.  I think getting to witness that is special in its own right.

If this team had missed on a title in 2008, would we look back on the past five years and consider it a waste of time?  Do people now feel that way about 2009 until the present?  Or, do they look at the special opportunity we've had as fans to watch amazing basketball and to enjoy a lot of thrills along the way?


I'M THE SILVERBACK GORILLA IN THIS MOTHER——— AND DON'T NONE OF YA'LL EVER FORGET IT!@ 34 minutes

Re: As a fan, are championships the only thing that matter?
« Reply #70 on: February 05, 2013, 10:44:08 PM »

Offline CelticConcourse

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rings are icing on the cake
i love watching this team playball
im proud to say im a Boston Celtics Fan

To me, this is exactly right.  I want to see the team win titles, but if I was guaranteed that the team would never win a ring again in my lifetime, I'd still watch.

Yeah, I wouldn't go that far.  If I knew for a fact my favorite team was guaranteed to never win, I don't think I could possibly get too enthused.

There's something to be said for seeing basketball played at an extremely high level, even if the team ultimately falls short.

There isn't a great example with the Celtics, because generally when the team has had great players they've won.  Using a baseball example, though, I'd gladly re-live the 40s and 50s as a Red Sox fan.  That's decades without a title, but the chance to watch Ted Williams every day.  I think getting to witness that is special in its own right.

If this team had missed on a title in 2008, would we look back on the past five years and consider it a waste of time?  Do people now feel that way about 2009 until the present?  Or, do they look at the special opportunity we've had as fans to watch amazing basketball and to enjoy a lot of thrills along the way?

It's all about the memories.

Heck, I've never watched a game live in my life and I'd say the Celtics changed my life after a short year and will, forever!
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Re: As a fan, are championships the only thing that matter?
« Reply #71 on: February 05, 2013, 10:53:23 PM »

Offline KGs Knee

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rings are icing on the cake
i love watching this team playball
im proud to say im a Boston Celtics Fan

To me, this is exactly right.  I want to see the team win titles, but if I was guaranteed that the team would never win a ring again in my lifetime, I'd still watch.

Yeah, I wouldn't go that far.  If I knew for a fact my favorite team was guaranteed to never win, I don't think I could possibly get too enthused.

There's something to be said for seeing basketball played at an extremely high level, even if the team ultimately falls short.

There isn't a great example with the Celtics, because generally when the team has had great players they've won.  Using a baseball example, though, I'd gladly re-live the 40s and 50s as a Red Sox fan.  That's decades without a title, but the chance to watch Ted Williams every day.  I think getting to witness that is special in its own right.

If this team had missed on a title in 2008, would we look back on the past five years and consider it a waste of time?  Do people now feel that way about 2009 until the present?  Or, do they look at the special opportunity we've had as fans to watch amazing basketball and to enjoy a lot of thrills along the way?

I don't need any guarantee the team will win, but if there was a guarantee they wouldn't, that would be tough.

As to feeling as if I wasted my time when my team doesn't win, no I don't feel that at all.  As long as there is at least some small level of hope, or hope of progress towards being competitive, I'm good.

Also, loyaly is important to me as well, it just varies depending on the specific players (as I said in an earlier post in the thread).

Re: As a fan, are championships the only thing that matter?
« Reply #72 on: February 05, 2013, 11:03:10 PM »

Offline CelticConcourse

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rings are icing on the cake
i love watching this team playball
im proud to say im a Boston Celtics Fan

To me, this is exactly right.  I want to see the team win titles, but if I was guaranteed that the team would never win a ring again in my lifetime, I'd still watch.

Yeah, I wouldn't go that far.  If I knew for a fact my favorite team was guaranteed to never win, I don't think I could possibly get too enthused.

There's something to be said for seeing basketball played at an extremely high level, even if the team ultimately falls short.

There isn't a great example with the Celtics, because generally when the team has had great players they've won.  Using a baseball example, though, I'd gladly re-live the 40s and 50s as a Red Sox fan.  That's decades without a title, but the chance to watch Ted Williams every day.  I think getting to witness that is special in its own right.

If this team had missed on a title in 2008, would we look back on the past five years and consider it a waste of time?  Do people now feel that way about 2009 until the present?  Or, do they look at the special opportunity we've had as fans to watch amazing basketball and to enjoy a lot of thrills along the way?

I don't need any guarantee the team will win, but if there was a guarantee they wouldn't, that would be tough.

As to feeling as if I wasted my time when my team doesn't win, no I don't feel that at all.  As long as there is at least some small level of hope, or hope of progress towards being competitive, I'm good.

Also, loyaly is important to me as well, it just varies depending on the specific players (as I said in an earlier post in the thread).

All teams must naturally have hope or their owners would be losing money and they would sell the team to someone else, who would actually make money... Which requires fan support and hope.
Jeff Green - Top 5 SF

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Re: As a fan, are championships the only thing that matter?
« Reply #73 on: February 05, 2013, 11:14:08 PM »

Offline D.o.s.

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rings are icing on the cake
i love watching this team playball
im proud to say im a Boston Celtics Fan

To me, this is exactly right.  I want to see the team win titles, but if I was guaranteed that the team would never win a ring again in my lifetime, I'd still watch.

Yeah, I wouldn't go that far.  If I knew for a fact my favorite team was guaranteed to never win, I don't think I could possibly get too enthused.

There's something to be said for seeing basketball played at an extremely high level, even if the team ultimately falls short.

There isn't a great example with the Celtics, because generally when the team has had great players they've won.  Using a baseball example, though, I'd gladly re-live the 40s and 50s as a Red Sox fan.  That's decades without a title, but the chance to watch Ted Williams every day.  I think getting to witness that is special in its own right.

If this team had missed on a title in 2008, would we look back on the past five years and consider it a waste of time?  Do people now feel that way about 2009 until the present?  Or, do they look at the special opportunity we've had as fans to watch amazing basketball and to enjoy a lot of thrills along the way?

I don't need any guarantee the team will win, but if there was a guarantee they wouldn't, that would be tough.

That's the way I feel about it too. In sports, whether you're a participant or a vested spectator, winning falls short of the joy of watching the game unfold (though it certainly beats losing).

At least a goldfish with a Lincoln Log on its back goin' across your floor to your sock drawer has a miraculous connotation to it.

Re: As a fan, are championships the only thing that matter?
« Reply #74 on: February 05, 2013, 11:14:10 PM »

Offline nickagneta

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Some of my most enduring memories about certain sports has nothing to do with winning a game or a championship.

I'll never forget where I was or what I was doing when Reggie Lewis died. It truly felt like I had lost a close friend. And the bitterness to think it might have been averted.

I'll never forget that All-Star game at Fenway in 1999 where they brought Ted Williams out and all the players went out there to meet Ted and talk baseball with him. From current superstars all the way to guys who have been members of the Hall of Fame, they stood there, talked to Williams, swapped pleasantries and stories and it was amazing to see the absolute best of several generations all standing there having "hero worship" for a true American hero.

I will never forget the absolute joy I had in coaching my sons during a year of sports at organized competition.

I remember when I was young and the year that my mother got me this Patriots Blue and Red Puff Ball topped Patriots winter cotton woven hat. Except the Patriots sucked and wearing Patriot's anything at school automatically made you a loser. Well, when it got cold I wore that hat and took my share of ribbing. By Christmas, everyone wanted the hat I had been wearing all along because the 1976 Patriots came out of nothing to within a play of beating the Super Bowl champ of that year, The Oakland Raiders.

I loved that hat. I think only my 2004 Red Sox hat I wore during the 2004 season had more times worn in my lifetime. Over a span of months I went from loser to fashion setter and Patriots fan; because I was 11 and poor and hated cold ears, so I wore the hat my mom bought me by mistake(I will not discuss who's hat I was asking for.)

So, to me, no championships aren't all that matter. Being a team fan or a sport fan means so much more. Like family and life and joy and hardship and youth and heroes and friends and so so much more.