CFZ Do fans ever "hang their cleats up"?

[Risen Star]

For any NFL fan:

Chances of your season ending gleefully are 32:1 against you. If you are one of those fans who DEMANDS a championship-or-else...you are going to be one unhappy loser over and over and over again.

Yeah that's not true. It would be 32 to 1 if all teams were equal. Chiefs fans don't have the same odds of disappointment next year as Texans fans.

 

[starfan1]

I still enjoy the cowboys that hasnt changed.But my expectations have. I am not a SB or bust kind of fan.If they get there fine if not, whos on next week?

 

[blueblood70]

I'm a Cowboys fan who happens to like many of the offseason moves the Cowboys have made this year. Missed out some players I would have to have seen drafted, but other than that, I don't really have much to complain about.

At the same time, I have my doubts about whether the Cowboys have done enough to catch up to the Eagles. The Eagles have been fortunate the past couple of seasons by getting rid of Carson Wentz and finding a sucker team to suck draft capital out of while scoring on their own QB in the 2nd round. So I'm not personally mad at the Eagles for being successful, just bad timing for the Cowboys.

Long story short, I'm optimistic that the Cowboys can get to at least the NFC championship, yet would not be surprised if we don't. I don't really know what the odds are for getting past the Eagles or getting deep into the playoffs or Super Bowl. I just know I am getting close to the end of my ropes. I don't think I can recover from another playoff heartbreak. And yes I felt the same way during the end of the Tom Landry era and hopped right back in when the early 90s Cowboys broke the playoff futility streak and won a few SBs.

But you get to a certain age in life and you can no longer justify being miserable on Sundays or miserable each January. Feeling like you should have spent your Sundays doing more important things. That's kind of where I'm at.

Just curious if other fans relate to that feeling.

Not me its a past time, its for entrainment, win or lose its just hobby to follow my boys since 1981 and i dont let the narratives of no sbs bother my. Each year is a one off , its all new and we just hope it will be the year, its sports, taking it that seriously is the wrong approach. sure it can irritate me game day, give me anxiety , or all the above when things dont go right but its distraction in life never meant to affect the way you feel.

I used to take the entire week between games upset and couldn't let it go now that 24hrs., not big deal more important life things need addressing but ill always be DC fan and always watch the games.. now come to sm and forums like this may end up fading away as i get older and tired of the heated debates and wars going on daily,. who knows..

 

[MyFairLady]

I still follow the team closely and watch the games on Sunday but the product is not what it once was. Players and owners are out to maximize their earnings and grow their brand. While I do not blame them for it at all it simply does not interest me. My desire is for team success. When my desires no longer align with the desires of the players or the desires of the owners it makes it very difficult to truly "care".

If I wanted to brag to my friends about how much money Dak makes or brag about how much the team is valued at that would be great. Unfortunately those things do nothing for me.

 

[Cowfan75]

There's a difference between "hanging the cleats up" and knowing we aren't going to win. I've always been too far invested in this team to not repeat the same emotions the next year regardless. But that doesn't mean I don't think we aren't winning the Super Bowl this year. In fact, I am more than confident we will never win again as long as Jerry is still alive, and that we will have even less of a chance once Stephen takes over. I mean, they pretty much tell us at the end of every season that they don't care. Then they high-five in the draft because they feel they've done enough to keep ratings up.

 

[thunderpimp91]

Good luck actually not caring, it's extremely hard to just flip that switch. I tried to do that during the Greg Hardy season, but kept coming back every Sunday. As other have mentioned I do think I look at it a little bit differently now. In my younger years a loss would ruin my entire Sunday. I lived a rollercoaster of the highest of highs and the lowest of lows with this team. Even during obviously down years I would find a way to convince myself that Quincy Carter or Drew Henson was going to be the savior of this franchise.

Any more I am still a huge fan don't get me wrong, but I've become more of a football fan in general. It's simply different and instead of the ultimate optimist i've become a little more of a realist...at least through he week. I go back 10 years and if Dallas was eliminated from the playoffs it became tough to watch the rest of the games. Now it's a bummer when they lose but I still find joy in the sport overall. I also find joy in simply studying the game, and appreciate the construction of different teams and matchpus. I love to go back and rewatch the games study schemes and player evaluation. I know 75% of everything I think when I do this is wrong, but still brings me joy nonetheless.

 

[Established1971]

When Dallas lost to the 49ers in the NFC championship game, I punched a door and had bruised knuckles for a week. Now when they lose a playoff game I think whats for dinner tonight and move on. Frankly if I had a more interesting and busy life I would probably watch much less football, but its still a good way to fill time.

 

[zrinkill]

Some do. Usually they end up in Hawaii.

And vacation with thai "girls"

 

[jazzcat22]

Hang them up? Never!

I like the off-season and what they do to improve, or at times, not improve is frustrating.
Some fans take it different ways. Some the team is always right, to some the team is always wrong. We see it daily on here. Some good debates as well, entertainment.
They don't bother me as they used to (most of the time )

I am somewhere in the 75% of most is right, as I will look at the positive side more so than the negatives. But will admit they are there, the negatives...a lot at times. But all that has been debated before.

I love each season as it starts, and what the season can bring. Yes there are times we know it will not be a good season, 1988, 89, but 1990 was fun to watch the team grow.
Early 2000's yes I knew the team was going to be down. But never hung up my cleats. Parcels gave up hope.

Once Garrett was gone, or I would have at least put them away but still watch. MM comes along and most has looked up since then.
I was not into the draft this year as I usually was, but now with the schedule release and OTA's coming up there will be news. Though it really may not mean much to some. As we will get...underwear practice posts.

Can't wait for the season to start, not just Dallas, but all football, NFL & NCAA. I have a feeling it will be a long summer though.

 

[morat1959]

I still watch the games with no expectation of winning the big one with JJ and Co. large and in charge. It’s a disappointment when we lose but it doesn’t brother like it use to. Like many have said already, it’s not about winning a SB anymore with this organization. It’s about the money and I could care less about that. I do think we’re as close as we’ve been in awhile. IMO we’re a legit QB away from making a real run.

 

[DFWJC]

I learned a while ago to just enjoy the Cowboys for what they are, entertainment.

Though I have my opinions on moves the Cowboys make, in the end, I just try to enjoy the ups and downs of a season win or lose.

Mature reply

 

[Nova]

Kind of in the same boat.

I'm in my late 30s with young kids-- if I'm able to squeeze in 3 hours of TV, I'd much rather watch a premier college match-up than the Cowboys.

I've come to realize that I don't really enjoy this team much anymore, and it has less to do with losing and more to do with the circus the Jones family has created. If I weren't a Dallas native, I'd despise this team.

I'll probably never stop caring, but in a lot of ways I have already "hung em up".

This board is the extent of my Cowboys investment.

So if ya stop seeing my posts, just know, I'm doing fine.

 

[jazzcat22]

Kind of in the same boat.

I'm in my late 30s with young kids-- if I'm able to squeeze in 3 hours of TV, I'd much rather watch a premier college match-up than the Cowboys.

I've come to realize that I don't really enjoy this team much anymore, and it has less to do with losing and more to do with the circus the Jones family has created. If I weren't a Dallas native, I'd despise this team.

I'll probably never stop caring, but in a lot of ways I have already "hung em up".

This board is the extent of my Cowboys investment.

So if ya stop seeing my posts, just know, I'm doing fine.

So if they are in the SB you will find time to watch then?

 

[Nova]

So if they are in the SB you will find time to watch then?

The Super bowl and playoffs are a bit different.

I'm going to watch the super bowl regardless of who is playing. We try to make it a fun thing for the kids and just make an event out of it.

 

[JayFord]

But why is everything about the Eagles?

Teams in the NFC go from Super Bowl to not even making the playoffs

theres no doubt in my mind DALLAS CAN BEAT PHILLY they can beat them in a playoff game as well....

Yes the eagles went to a SB but odds are they crash back down to earth and go 10-7 or 9-8

and i'd never hang it up....unless they hired Jason Garrett back then i'd just stop watching football

 

[John813]

Having kids changed my focus and priorities. I still watch the cowboys, post here etc but it’s no longer as important. Losses or wins don’t impact as much. Monday morning doesn’t get easier or harder after a game at work.

If the kids want to play during the game, I’ll play.

 

[Spottswoode]

If I ever get to the point where I lose the excitement and anticipation, maybe I’ll look in to “Real Housewives” reruns.

The excitement of sports is about the emotional swings. If you want to eliminate the lows, do the highs really have the same meaning? I think they have terms for those kind of fans.

Anyone who has played sports knows that it’s the challenges and disappointments that sharpen the saw. The VAST amount of fans will end the year disappointed…that’s the nature of sports. And that’s what makes the positives so meaningful and lasting.

 

[Mannix]

As a youngster I had four (4) NFL teams within 300 miles of me....Chiefs, Viking, Bears, Packers....I chose none of them...I chose the Dolphins, and was a DIEHARD fan....in 1974 when Csonka, Kiick, and Warfield all fled for the USFL I stuck with them until the
Sea of hands" loss in Oakland. That day, I dropped them like a bad habit....never looked back....and adopted the Cowboys. I'm too old for foolish moves like that now, but I don't lose sleep over losses like I did even 5 - 6 years ago....I've grown accustomed to being disappointed with Booger, Chuckles, and puppets as Head Coach.

 

[gimmesix]

I'm a Cowboys fan who happens to like many of the offseason moves the Cowboys have made this year. Missed out some players I would have to have seen drafted, but other than that, I don't really have much to complain about.

At the same time, I have my doubts about whether the Cowboys have done enough to catch up to the Eagles. The Eagles have been fortunate the past couple of seasons by getting rid of Carson Wentz and finding a sucker team to suck draft capital out of while scoring on their own QB in the 2nd round. So I'm not personally mad at the Eagles for being successful, just bad timing for the Cowboys.

Long story short, I'm optimistic that the Cowboys can get to at least the NFC championship, yet would not be surprised if we don't. I don't really know what the odds are for getting past the Eagles or getting deep into the playoffs or Super Bowl. I just know I am getting close to the end of my ropes. I don't think I can recover from another playoff heartbreak. And yes I felt the same way during the end of the Tom Landry era and hopped right back in when the early 90s Cowboys broke the playoff futility streak and won a few SBs.

But you get to a certain age in life and you can no longer justify being miserable on Sundays or miserable each January. Feeling like you should have spent your Sundays doing more important things. That's kind of where I'm at.

Just curious if other fans relate to that feeling.

I've adjusted over the years. Used to be the fan who screamed at the TV, jumped up and loudly celebrated big plays, etc. I was ecstatic after victories and moped for days after losses. Never made a whole lot of sense because it's just a game. But I guess that's why fan is short for fanatic.

However, years ago, I adjusted my thinking because as I get older being that kind of fan is too hard on me. Don't need to stress over a football game. So now, I mainly record the games, find out the final score and then watch it immediately if it's a victory or maybe later in the week if it's a loss. Saves me from letting a game affect my health.

I probably watched too many games live last year because as much as I try, I can't help but get caught up in what's happening and reacting to it. This year, I'm not sure that I will watch any live. I know some can't stand to do that because the fun for them is not knowing what's going to happen. The fun for me is watching my team win, so I'm OK with knowing that happened before going back and seeing how it happened. That way when they fall behind, I don't get upset because I know it's not going to last. Even with losses, I still like to examine why they happened.

 

[KJJ]

There’s some fans on this board that need to hang their cleats up. The Cowboys haven’t even won a divisional round game in 28 years, so the odds on them reaching a title game are slim at best every year. Playoff wins have been few and far between the past 30 years. Most of us are likely to never experience the runs the Cowboys had during the 70s and early 90s. Despite all that, I still look forward to the season and enjoy watching football. I’m just glad I’ve been a fan of the team for 50 years and got to experience their greatest moments. Some of you will never experience with the Cowboys what some of us have.