Heartbreak in Charleston

Photo Credit: Tormenta FC

This was always part of the deal. 

We know this when we sign up. We don't like to talk about it. But it's always there. We focus on the other parts. The parts that excite us. The parts that make us hug and high five complete strangers in the stands. That's the appeal. That's what we watch for.

The exhilaration that comes from your goalkeeper making back-to-back saves to keep your team in the game. The thrill that comes moments later when your striker gets in behind the defense and then waits to make a perfect pass to the oncoming forward who manages to tie the game in the final 10 minutes. The joy that comes from seeing a perfectly played through ball to a streaking forward who beats the goalkeeper and makes you start to believe that maybe this will be your night. 

You've already looked ahead, because that's part of the deal too. You see what awaits with a victory that seems more and more possible. An unprecedented matchup with Goliath that would be played on David's home field. You start to dream of what that experience is going to feel like. The crowd that would be buzzing all week leading up to the game. The energy in the stadium. The sense of anticipation and buildup that makes it hard to concentrate on the day of the match is also part of the deal.

That's the part of the deal we focus on when we invest our time, energy and emotions in to loving sports. The communal highs that we share with each other and the experiences that bond us, leading strangers to become friends, even if just in the stands each week as we see each other throughout the course of the season. The celebrations. That's what we're sold when we sign up for this deal and when it delivers, there's nothing that matches that feeling. 

We don't like to talk about the other part of the deal. That's the part we ignore. We don't think about it. Why would we talk about it? It's not going to happen to us. That's for the other teams. The teams that don't quite reach their goals. But that's not going to be us. Have you seen our team? Our coaching staff? We got this.

We don't talk about the bitter disappointment that comes when an opposing players scores his third goal of the match in quite literally the final minute of extra time to dash all those hopes you had. The dreams of hosting Goliath. The dreams of advancing further in the tournament that you'd ever advanced before. To be one of the final 16 teams left standing. 

We don't focus on the potential for heartbreak that comes from your team not winning because that's not what we signed up for. We know it's a possibility, but it's not actually going to happen. That happens to other teams. The teams we play. The teams we beat. They suffer the crushing sadness of having their hopes and dreams dashed. Not us.

But that's part of the deal too. Being a sports fan means you take the risk of a crushing loss because that pain, no matter how agonizing and painful it is, is worth it because there's the hope and chance that tonight is your night. It's the night you upset the best team in a division above you. The night your team shocks the world. 

And when it doesn't happen, we're not prepared for it as we have spent all our time imagining a different future. A future where you did win. But fate had a different agenda and we're left wondering "what if?" The sadness and/or frustration and/or disappointment will dissipate over time. But it will be there. That, too, is part of the deal. It won't be as acute as it in the immediate moments or days after the game, but it's there. A disappointment that you just can't shake.

But all those strangers who became friends, either at the stadium or at the bar or even online, they are there with you. It's not a disappointment you have to carry alone. That's not an explicit part of the deal, but it comes with it. You get a support group. You get people to go through the losses with you. 

There are other matches left and other competitions to be won. New highs and lows to experience. New dreams to dream. That's the final part of the deal. There are always more games to be played. More chances to experience the highs that come with winning and, unfortunately, chances to experiences the depths of losing. That's the deal we signed up for and the one we renew each day.