For any sports fan, the last few weeks have been a prime example of why it is that we love sports. Everyone loves a Cinderella story; they’re fun, engaging, and even inspiring.This year, I think it’s safe to say that the Portland Trail Blazers have been just that. Just over halfway through the season, this team has already surpassed all expectations. Nobody ever thought they would even contend for a playoff spot, and yet, here we are. At 34-31, the Blazers sit comfortably in the sixth seed of the Western Conference standings. But what happens when they don’t? What happens when they start to lose? What happens when they don’t make the playoffs?
We’re all guilty of it. We a see a team doing the unexpected, and we’re hooked. There’s nothing quite like watching athletes defy the odds. But somewhere along the way, we subconsciously raise our standards, and “doing the unexpected” starts to become the expected. There is a direct relationship between an underdog’s high performance and it’s fans’ increasing frustration when they lose. In that regard, we as fans set our teams up for failure, and they can really do no right. We’re annoyed when it’s another “throw-away” season; but then we’re also annoyed when our teams, who were supposed to be playing poorly, start excelling, and then lose as previously projected. I call it “Cinderella’s Dilemma.” It is perhaps the most unfair and unfounded criticism in all of sports, and the Blazers are it’s latest victims.
We all mean well, and our hearts are in the right place. We’re excited to see our Blazers playing so well in such a surprise season, and we just want them to continue doing so. But the reality is, Portland, we’re not doing ourselves or our guys any favors. Watching the ups and downs of the last few games, I got frustrated like every other fan; screaming genius analysis at the T.V. like “What were you thinking⁈”, “How could you miss that⁈”, along with other insightful four-letter expletives that will surely fix the problems. But at some point, we all need to stop and give ourselves a serious reality check: We weren’t supposed to be here in the first place.
Let’s face it, we could all be a bit more grateful for what this special team has done this season. Some humility wouldn’t hurt us either. This is a brand new cluster of very diverse athletes who had no idea what they were getting themselves into this season, nor did we. As we move forward with the season, it’s important that we don’t forget that. Whether it’s a win, loss, injury, or a trade, we have to remember what it was that first got everyone watching this team. They’re the team that nobody bet on. They’re the team that everyone counted out.They’re a Cinderella story.
But as it goes with any Cinderella story, at some point, the clock will strike midnight on the Portland Trail Blazers. ESPN news coverage turns back into a local news station, the nationally televised games turn back into Comcast SportsNet, and they’re no longer that shiny new surprise team. And when that happens, will we stop watching? Or will we keep watching because maybe, just maybe, the glass slipper actually fits?
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