Sports fans... preferred way to lose?

[sam_gordon]

Whether you follow professional, college, or youth sports, what is your preferred way to lose?

Blowout- Whether the other team is better, your team just isn't getting "bounces", you're just blown out and there's no doubt about the outcome.
Can't score at the end- everything is setup for last second heroics, but the team can't pull it off.
Can't stop the other team at the end- other team scores on a "last second" play and your certain victory changes to defeat in a heartbeat

Sorry, no "other" in this case. Chose from these three or don't vote.

 

[starvenger]

It depends on the context. If it's a win or go home playoff situation, you never want your team to go out in a blowout loss or the gut punch walk off. So I would say that for the playoffs, not being able to pull it out in the end is the best of the losing options.

Regular season... blowout loss is fine. Then you can stay until the bitter end or leave early. Doesn't really matter at that point.

 

[hertamaniac]

I chose can't score at the end. To me, it indicates that any necessary adjustments to exploit a weakness throughout a whole game has failed.

 

[Disneylover99]

I chose blowout, but really, for me, there is no preferred way to lose.

 

[cabanafrau]

I feel best with a result where both competitors brought their best and gave it all. If I lose, then I know I did everything possible and I lost to an opponent who gave their best to win.

 

[sam_gordon]

I chose blowout, but really, for me, there is no preferred way to lose.

Of course, no one prefers to lose.

The advantage of a blow out loss is there's time for your brain to adjust to it. Then the end of the game is a mercy, and you're not kicking yourself (or the team lol). There's just something about a last second loss (either giving up points or not making points) that is just slightly harder to accept.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

My mind went to DD15 and softball when I read this.

I hate a blowout. They're even boring when we're the ones blowing out the other team...although, far less demoralizing when it's us on the winning end of one.

If it's a case where we can't stop the other team, it means the other team had home team advantage and our defense cost us the game. This usually results in a lot "I cannot believe we lost that" discussions.

So, I picked can't score at the end. In this case, we had the advantage and blew it. If we can't win in this scenario, I feel like the loss is truly deserved.

 

[soccerdad72]

I chose blowout, but I suppose I was thinking regular season. As anyone posted mentioned, it might be harder to deal with if it was the playoffs.

The most heartbreaking loss (IMO) is the last second (e.g. walkoff) variety, when the other team scores at the very end.

 

[bcla]

I've seen plenty of blowouts. Once it wasn't quite a blowout, but the guy I sat next to for that game knew his history and called him "A poor man's Bobby Knight" since he was known for kicking over chairs and occasionally getting ejected. It was a 4 team tournament and his team was upset in the first game and he didn't end up playing the host. He didn't dissapoint. He was an absolute loudmouth and did kick over a chair several times during the game but stayed until the end. The strange thing is that he came back for another game in a few years and that game he managed to get ejected as the game turned into a blowout. His traveling party was trying to restrain him since it looked like he might physically attack the officials. This was a Catholic university, so that included a priest trying to hold him back.

I also worked in the same area and once we rented a meeting room (we had a large product review with coworkers from another site) at a local hotel where some visiting college teams stayed. I went to the game the night before (Washington State at Cal) and I think it was a 30 point Cal blowout. I saw that team in the meeting room next door. Looked like it was just players and no coaches. They just sat there and it looked like they were barely talking to each other.

 

[Uncle Coaster]

I chose can’t stop the other team at the end because it generally means that I was enjoying the game up until that point.

 

[sam_gordon]

Of the three I had to go with "blowout" myself. Just having that extra time to accept the loss is a benefit. If it's close (either of the two other scenarios), it's "what might have been". To @cabanafrau's comment, I can't imagine NOT thinking "if I only had done 'x' different, we would have won". That could haunt you for years.

DS's last HS soccer game. At home, 3rd round of playoffs, we're undefeated, the team we were playing we had beat in the regular season 8-0. We end up losing 2-3 in overtime. He told me about a year later he still thought about that game and it still hurt. Heck *I* still think about it (my heart breaks for him). I think those games have a more lasting impression than even blowout losses.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

Can't score at the end. That way I can convince myself that they're at least trying to win.

 

[Dead2009]

I mean all of these options are crappy but if I HAD to choose, it would be a blowout, because if you can't score on the last possession or you can't stop the other team on their last possession, that's heartbreaking as a fan. At least in a blowout, you know all is lost and can watch another game.

 

[prairie_girl]

I went with a blowout. If we’re going to lose (and we’re on a six game losing skid at the moment) I want it to be 6-2, not 6-5..

 

[Babs Johnson]

Regular season-blowout.
Playoffs-my team can’t score late.

My absolute worst is when the opposing team scores late.

 

[ronandannette]

I chose blowout, but really, for me, there is no preferred way to lose.

Are you referring to my beloved Raptors by any chance? This no-good-very-bad season they've shown us losses every which way on this list and a bunch more that aren't. It's excruciating and yeah, there's no fun way to get beaten.

 

[starvenger]

Are you referring to my beloved Raptors by any chance? This no-good-very-bad season they've shown us losses every which way on this list and a bunch more that aren't. It's excruciating and yeah, there's no fun way to get beaten.

Hard to win when most of your starting five is out of action.

 

[Disneylover99]

Are you referring to my beloved Raptors by any chance? This no-good-very-bad season they've shown us losses every which way on this list and a bunch more that aren't. It's excruciating and yeah, there's no fun way to get beaten.

No. I didn’t even realize they were doing so badly. I’m more of a band wagon fan. I haven’t paid attention to them since their big win 5 years ago.. Let me know when they become contenders again and I’ll cheer them on again.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Other: I have no preferred way to lose. When all is said and done, ANY victory is better than ANY defeat.

 

[ronandannette]

No. I didn’t even realize they were doing so badly. I’m more of a band wagon fan. I haven’t paid attention to them since their big win 5 years ago.. Let me know when they become contenders again and I’ll cheer them on again.

At this juncture it's impossible to imagine that ever happening, but on the off-chance that it does during my lifetime, I'll keep you posted.