I have lived one of the most horrifying lives that any sports fancould ever have.
I’m still reeling from Ohio State’s loss in the BCS National Championship Game. The defeat disrupted my life badly. Only recently have my sleeping patterns returned to normal.
But I’m a Cleveland/Ohio sports fan. Disappointment is a way of life for me. I have been hurt by sports blunders so many times that I have almost become numb to athletic failure. The key word is almost.
Preparation for a letdown could not negate the throttling OSU received on Jan. 8 though. This college football season seemed like a dream until that point. The thought that Florida could beat OSU crossed my mind, but the Buckeyes seemed untouchable. Maybe that’s why I had so much confidence, but the familiar sting of humiliation quickly slammed me back to reality.
Near misses have defined Ohio sports for most of the last 30 years. But I thought things changed with OSU’s National Championship in 2002. Maybe the curse was over, I thought. How foolish of me. And I realized how silly I really was after the sports gods dealt me another low blow.
About midway through the third quarter of this year’s title game, I realized the Buckeyes were not going to win. The worst part about the whole ordeal is the painful memories that flood over me when I think about the newest addition to my Ohio sports hall of shame.
As an adolescent in the ’90s, I watched my beloved Cleveland Indians,whom had one of the most potent offensive lineups ever, fall twice in the World Series. The Tribe was so loaded with talent that players like Manny Ramirez and Jim Thome batted in the bottom of the order.
Yet a championship evaded Cleveland. The 1997 World Series was particularly hard to swallow. That was the year Cleveland lost to the Florida Marlins in extra innings during game seven. I’m sure all Cleveland sports fans that are reading this right now just got that nauseous feeling involved with heavy disappointment. Most of them probably buried that terrifying experience deep inside their subconscious, with other traumatic events, like when they accidentally walked in on their parents having sex as a kid.
It sounds extreme, I know. But if you haven’t seen your favorite teams go down in flames year after year, it’s hard to understand how much it sucks. And I thought these memories were securely tucked away, never to crush my spirits again. What wishful thinking. All the feelings of guilt, failure, humiliation and disappointment returned in the game against the Gators. And they were magnified by the disgraceful loss.
I could go on and on with the Cleveland shortcomings: “Red right 88”, “The fumble” and “The Drive” are a few that immediately come to mind.
Michael Jordan threw more than a few daggers in my heart, too. (If you’re a Cleveland sports fan these examples should be vividly and painfully ingrained in your brain). Throw in the Browns’ departure from the NFL in the ’90s and the John Cooper era of Buckeye football and it’s easy to see why sports put me on edge. My nerves are shot from years of watching Ohio sports. OSU’s loss against Florida almost pushed me over the edge.
The game did teach me a lot though. We all need to cherish Ohio State’s 2002 national title. I now realize it truly was a miracle that we beat Miami that year. Don’t get me wrong, I believe the better team won, and I was one of the few people that gave the Buckeyes a chance.
But looking back, I thank God for that championship. Although the newness has worn off, at least I witnessed a major Ohio sports team -other than the Cincinnati Reds – win a championship in my lifetime.
If I have to, I will live on the thrill of that memory for the rest ofmy life.
Travis Minnear is a senior in journalism with a minor in professionalwriting and a staff writer for The Lantern. You can reach him [email protected].
