When Being a "Winner" Matters

It's the old adage; when a player maybe doesn't have the prototypical size or traditional skill set or just seems to have questions surrounding his potential going forward, you will occasionally hear, "but the guy's a winner!" 

Vince Young is an example. Came into the NFL with all of the accolades and national notoriety, yet he currently resides on the bench in Philadelphia as Michael Vick's backup. His problem was mental. The physical ability was certainly not conventional, but he has a winning record as a starter. However, he lacked the cerebral intangibles; the ability to take criticism and poor performance and keep moving. He was also immature and made poor off the field decisions, so being a "winner" netted him a clipboard and a seat on the sideline.

Before you think it, let me clarify what I mean by "winner" because, I know, all the guys in the league are winners. I mean that guy. The guy who did it all in college and has rarely lost a game since high school. The guy who won the Heisman or was nominated for it, won a national championship and surely had endorsement deals awaiting his John Hancock. That guy. 

Now, These days, you hear this argument used predominantly for two young quarterbacks, one more than the other: Tim Tebow and Cam Newton. Both qualify under the previously stated guidelines; tons of accolades along with an equal amount of questions about future success; yet both are heading down differing paths. Newton's "it" factor seems to serve him well and looks as though it will aid him through a successful NFL career, while Tebow's seems to be his biggest strength as opposed to his on the field ability and certainly is the biggest reason he's in the position he is in.

 So when does being a winner matter? 

As sports talk radio NFL expert Adam McCloskey put it, "Until you can tell me why Tebow has more 'it' than [Tommie Frazier] I don't buy it as anything valid." Frazier was a guy who was enormously successful in college, yet didn't ever translate it into an NFL career because, as McCloskey says "he was a QB who made it happen with his legs, not his arm, and the option doesn't work in the NFL." Sounds very similar to Tebow, doesn't it? 

Tim Tebow is in his second year in the NFL and as a Denver Bronco, albeit the first under new head coach John Fox, yet his first start week 7 against the winless Dolphins was anything but a sign of positive things to come. He did lead them on a pretty impressive come back in the final minutes, after Miami went into conservative defense mode, and the Broncos wound up winning the game in overtime, but Tebow looked pretty bad prior to the very end of the fourth quarter. 

Tim finished with merely 162 passing yards and a completion percentage under 50% while many times missing receivers by as much as ten or fifteen yards. The comeback doesn't erase what was 95% bad football. If I crap myself for 55 minutes and then clean it up the last 5, it doesn't mean I didn't crap myself for almost an hour.

Cam Newton, on the other hand, has come out of the gate like his ass is on fire. He became the first rookie QB to throw for 400 yards in his first two starts, one of those games being against the defending Superbowl champion Green Bay Packers. He is since averaging 300 yards per game through seven weeks and appears to have every ounce of needed ability and intangibles to be a truly successful signal caller at the pro level.

That's the key. If being a winner and a leader are overwhelmingly your strongest attributes, you will not be a great pro quarterback. 

You may work hard and build yourself into a serviceable guy, but you're ceiling is low. Those qualities are great ones to have, but are only truly useful if the ability to play the position is there as well. How do I know Newton is light years ahead of Tebow? Ask yourself what the reaction would be if Tebow went out and had a 315 yard, 2 touchdown game? It would be headline news. It would be vindication for his cult following. You'd see guys in blue and orange shouting "See, he did it, I told y'all!" 

Why is that a negative thing; because those kinds of games would barely be talked about for Newton. Performances similar to this have almost already become commonplace for the rookie with only seven starts under his belt. That is why his "it" matters, because he can add those intangibles to his already evident ability and they work together. With Tim, the intangibles seem to be all he's got. All you hear about from his followers is his character and leadership and that he's a winner. Why no talk about his arm or his accuracy or his decision making?

Being that guy does matter sometimes, but you are not going to make it under the shield relying on your will and determination. Matt Leinart was a winner, Ryan Leaf was a winner, and while Tim Tebow may end up marginally better off than those guys, he's nothing more than an average quarterback and eventual back up or H back. But hey, he's a winner.

Diary of a Mad Sports Fan

Imagine, if you will, something you care deeply for. Not a child or the love of your life, but something you are passionate about, a hobby maybe. Now, pretend your passion for said hobby were subject to ridicule. Other people, often times people you do not even know, making snide remarks, criticizing, even questioning your character simply based on your love of this polarizing pastime.

 Every sports fan experiences some level of this in regards to which teams they support, and they should. Debate, banter, even trash talk is part of the game. It’s what makes it fun to be a fan. However, it can eventually become exhausting to feel you are continuously beat over the head with ridicule over and over and over. I am a fan of the Dallas Cowboys and the Miami Heat, the two most hated teams in their respective sports. While Dallas has long held this title, the Heat are a recent addition and, consequently, I have become a mad sports fan.

The Dallas Cowboys have been much maligned since right around the time they were glossed “America’s Team”, before I even existed on this planet. Considering I have been a fan since I was 9 years old and that the Cowboys are a religion of sorts in my family, I am very accustomed to the beating I must endure as a result. To those who may not be aware, it is, at times, brutal. 

There are days where walking into Wal Mart with a Tony Romo jersey on is as dangerous as walking into a Tea Party town hall meeting wearing a picture of President Obama chanting “Yes We Can!” Someone is going to tell you what they think about it and, odds are, it will not be positive reinforcement. Not to mention the constant jumping on and off of the bandwagon therefore leading half of the people you speak with to assume you are a “bandwagoner.” 

You deal with it even though you want to say “I am a Dallas Cowboys fan! Not a Terrell Owens fan. Not a Pacman Jones fan. Not even a Jerry Jones fan. Just a Cowboys fan!” It would be in vein, of course, so you take the abuse, stand by your fandom and keep moving.

However, now I must endure the same treatment as a Miami Heat fan. A little background: I am not a lifelong fan such as with the Cowboys. I did not grow up watching much basketball. Still, in 2003, I decided to start following the sport. All of my other sports allegiances lied in Texas, yet I’ve spent most of my life in Florida. I went in search for a Florida NBA team. 

After comparing the two (Orlando and Miami) I decided I preferred Miami’s look and feel so I dug further. I discovered newly drafted rookie Dwyane Wade, liked what I saw and was sold. 

Being a Heat fan was relatively uneventful as it relates to disdane from opposing fans. That is, naturally, until Lebron. The second James decided he was “taking his talents to South Beach” the Heat immediately became the Dallas Cowboys of the NBA. Fans literally rooting against them, not for the other team, just against Miami. Many people saw Lebron as a bad person and the Heat as an evil empire and therefore all fans were either one of two things: A bandwagon jumper or a supporter of all that is evil.

So somehow, for completely different reasons and under totally separate circumstances, I became a fan of the two teams people currently love to see lose the most. This is not fun. Again, not only do I accept trash talk as a part of being a sports fan, I welcome it. There are few activities I love more than a good sports debate. Still, there is a limit to what even a pretty thick-skinned guy such as myself can handle. 

This all happened by accident. If I had jumped on both bandwagons, I would deserve what I got. This isn’t the case. I am an innocent bystander being rundown by almost every vehicle on the road. I am a mad sports fan. A once prideful champion for my chosen franchises beaten into a bitter, spiteful man always on the defense ready to pounce on any hint of skepticism or doubt toward my fanhood.

There is, though, a bright side that runs parallel to all of this darkness. Think back on a time where you felt the world was against you. Maybe no one liked your significant other or people were making bets on how long it would take you to quit the football team (not speaking from personal experience or anything…) What happened? You defend yourself harder than ever. 

Knowing that the vast majority of the professional athletics vewing public is praying for your teams demise carries with it “increased fandom” as a side effect. You cheer harder, longing for the “How does that taste?!” moment. 

Still, the increased passion and desire to win and prove everyone wrong only lead to twice the fall when they let you down. When the world gets their “Told you so” and you have nothing to counter with, it hurts. I know I am not alone in this. Others have had or are currently having the same experience. This is why this is not just for me. This is not my diary. This is the diary of a mad sports fan.

Real Women Watch Football

I love women as sports fans. I find that they typically have a perspective or take that is different from their male counterparts. This is refreshing, especially for someone who follows the predominantly male sports commentary as closely as I do. Not to mention that if more women watch sports, less men are missing games or fighting to follow their teams. Win win.

However, as with all walks of life, which sport the female fan base prefers varies. Sometimes due to geographical location and what sport is popular in their city. Sometimes it is home grown family tradition. Still, I would like to plead my case to all women who are maybe not pre-biased toward a sport and are open to suggestion.

The game of football, in my eyes, is the ideal sport for any woman looking to delve into the world of athletic competition. The NFL in particular, advertises to women well and has almost as much gear available as there is for men. It also, I feel, has the best looking uniforms of all sports.

I’m not stereotyping, suggesting the fashion side of things would naturally appeal to ladies, but my wife did originally choose her team (Carolina Panthers) based on their look. True story.

I’ve felt this way for a long time, but I wanted to back up my feelings with those of some women who are already fans. I talked to family. Checked out online forums. Even reached out to some of my Twitter followers. The feedback I received was even more eye opening than I had anticipated.

Many men I spoke with suggested baseball was a better fit because the gameplay was easy to follow. Yet, I repeatedly heard the strategy of the game listed as an appealing variable of football. My wife and sister also stated that the unexpected outcome of each play was far more interesting than that of baseball where, for all intents and purposes, one of only a few things can happen with each at bat.

This makes sense for one reason: Women are better in many complex mental situations than men. As wives and mothers, multi-tasking and monitoring various goings-on is commonplace. Lady fans do not need simple gameplay to enjoy a sport. Quite the contrary. They can probably, at times, follow more than we men can.

Women also love drama. I wish there was a better way to state that, but it is really that simple. From the movie preferences to the T.V. show DVR schedule to the everyday dealings with one another. This is not a bad thing. I’m not talking about high school drama, but intriguing, enticing drama is irresistible to much of the nations female population.

No sport has more drama than football, period. The fanfare is insane. Everything is big, bold and probably a little overdone. With the in game injuries, play challenges, and the unpredictable comebacks and collapses, football is littered with drama. Gritty, glitzy, dangerous, exciting, uncontrollably addictive drama.

Now, it’s important to note that many of the reasons that women prefer football are similar to those of men.

On Twitter, @Kim721 listed the importance of each game as a factor for her, stating that the NFL regular season was the equivelent of the NBA playoffs. This was a very good point. When you play 80 or 100 plus games as is the case with baseball and basketball. Lose six straight in either of those and it isn’t all that big a deal. Six straight losses in the NFL puts your season on life support. Each and every game matters so much more because there are so few in comparison.

@MissLisaDC mentioned the crazy plays, pure athleticism and strategy as hitting points for her, but she also talked about rivalries. I like this a lot. I’ve always said that the next most important thing after finding the team that you love is finding the one that you hate. Rivalries are great and are probably most prevalent in college football. Ask an Auburn fan how he feels about the University of Alabama and then take two steps back.

@BreeSison, ABC affiliate WEAR news anchor, said that she enjoys the party atmosphere that goes hand in hand with the sport. I mean really, list a game that leads to more gatherings than the Superbowl. You can’t, because, there isn’t one. It doesn’t end there either. Get-togethers cover the nation every Saturday and Sunday all through the Fall season.

One argument, however, could be the single most important reason for any lady sports fan to begin their career as a football follower.

While discussing this topic with a friend of mine, he mentioned the once-a-week format that all levels of the sport utilize. A light bulb went off. Most women that I know or have spoken to want to enjoy sports but are not interested in being absorbed in them the way many men are. A sport with games on an almost daily basis for most of the calendar year is more of a commitment than they are willing to make to athletics.

Football is compact. The season is shorter and, most importantly, limited to one day a week: Saturday or Sunday depending on whether your watching college or pro. Sure, there are Monday Night games and various other scheduling anomalies, but it is all centered around one singular time of the week.

Not only is this more enjoyable for women because it’s more casual, but it isn’t overwhelming when mixed into their already busy lives.

Really there is no right or wrong. Depending on where you are and what the individual person has grown up with, the old saying “different strokes for different folks” applies. Still, if you are a woman who enjoys competition and has no previously determined favorite or maybe are new to the world of sports fandom and are trying to find your place, your first and likely last stop should be with the oblong ball green covered fields and fully padded players of the game of football.

Number One Fan

Fan competitions are funny aren't they? The guy/girl crowned as a celebrity or athlete or team's number one fan is typically the one most willing to be humiliated or make the largest posterior of themselves in a public forum, even on television.

I find this amusing. Having maintained a personal standard for what makes a good or bad fan for many years I feel as though nothing could be more irrelevant in determining one's level of fanhood. Loyalty, passion, consistency; All important variables. Insanity, not so much. So allow me to lay out my blueprint for the true Number One Fan.

A family member of mine wanted to find a new NFL team a couple years back (this is allowed on a case by case basis depending on the surrounding circumstances). He had come to realize that when he became a fan of his current team as a child, he was more a fan of a particular player and once this player had retired years ago his level of interest in the team had dwindled.

This is a legit concern. A huge part of being a number one fan is passion. If you don't live and die by what your squad accomplishes each week, it just isn't as fun. Die hard fans have to bleed the colors of their team. Knowing that he didn't care as much as he once did about his team told me that he was with the wrong team.

For a number one fan, each game is an emotional rollercoaster. I have been on my knees either cheering or shouting obscenities on more occasions than I care to admit. If you are just lukewarm about your team, it's like being lukewarm about your spouse: a sign that change is needed. However, there are other issues to address when building a number one fan.

Of everything I told him during his search, the single most important piece of advice I gave him I also give to everyone looking for a team: Make sure this team will be your team after the current roster, coaching staff, even ownership is completely different than it is right now. People leave. Whether it be via trades or free agency or retirement, nothing stays the same for long. The last thing you want to be is that guy who's favorite teams changes every year or two.

You must identify with the franchise. Their look, logo, mascot, stadium, city/state, must be as appealing as the 53 guys who played this season. In addition, you must be willing to sit through the hard times even if they last a really, long, time. I respect Browns fans, Lions fans, Rams fans who still wear the gear to Walmart. That's a number one fan. Being loyal to a team for better of for worse, through good times and bad, as players come and go, says something about you as a person and certainly as a fan.

The next variable on the list is the one many people will disagree with, but I feel very strongly is vital to being a number one fan. Consistency. Meaning you're a fan of any player or coach who becomes a member of your team. If my least favorite person in the league became a Dallas Cowboy tomorrow, that's my guy.

It's not two-faced. It's not waffling. It's being a consistent fan. You support your team no matter what decisions they make and do not down talk them in public under any circumstances (exception being after a loss, there is a 24 hour complaint window, then you must move on). Nothing aggravates me more than people calling themselves fans and then trashing players on internet forums and radio talk shows. Fan maybe, but certainly not a number one fan.

Casual fans are cool though. We die hard's need you. Seeing you in the mall with your gear on let's us know it's all worth it. You are the support system. Without you we would all look the like obsessive maniacs that, well, we are. Still, the role of the number one fan cannot be understated. Ask teams who travel to places like Seattle or Kansas City, where the crowd noise is so deafening it affects their play on the field, how important truly passionate fans are.

Truth is, crowning a singular "Number One Fan" is silly. Being willing to eat a bucket of jalapeno's or dance a naked macarena does not prove loyalty to a team. It only proves that you are likely suffering from an emotional or psychological disorder and should probably focus on treatment. Those of us who fit the profile I laid out, as a group, share the title together. We are the twelfth man. You. Me. We, are the number one fan.