Tragedy
What are some of the worst losses you have experienced as a sports fan?
For me, the ‘97 and ‘98 AFL preliminary finals that the Bulldogs lost rate very highly. The Socceroos World Cup qualifier loss on away goals in ‘97 is also right up there, as is the loss to Italy at the ‘06 World Cup. The Green Bay Packers losing in overtime of the NFC championship game in ‘08 was bad too. Tight test losses to the West Indies in ‘93, and England in the ‘05 ashes also rate a mention. Unfortunately, I could make a very long list.
It seems like every club or team has had at least one famously heart breaking loss. As such, the horrible empty feeling, that I know so well, has probably been experienced by every committed (ie emotionally invested) sports fan in the world. Why does it hurt so much sometimes, but not others? For instance, my Doggies lost in last year’s preliminary final too, but that did not have the same impact on me as those losses over a decade ago.
The pre-requisite for such pain is a belief that your team is certain to win. Of my list above, only the Doggies losses and the ‘97 WCQ had that quality, and they were much more painful than the others on my list. In all of the other instances, I was very hopeful, but not (foolishly) certain that my team would win.
Unfortunately, I was not clever enough to come to this conclusion by myself. In a piece from the Melbourne Uni Postgraduate Association journal Traffic, a friend of mine, Matthew Klugman, explores the concept of tragedy through the experiences of AFL fans. The article is titled ‘Each time I’m reminded of it, I feel as though I need therapy’: Australian Football, Tragedies and the Question of Catharsis.
Klugman draws on material from internet forums and interviews, and paints an interesting and insightful picture that, in part, provides an explanation of how we can become so distraught about what is, after all, merely a game. I recommend it to anyone who can relate to my pain, or is just curious about how otherwise sensible people can be so deeply hurt by a team losing a game.
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Essendon’s semi-final loss to Carlton in 99. Unbackable favorites to go all the way, dominant team all season, leading at 3 quarter time. Particularly hard to take because Carlton were smashed the following week by North.
Essendon’s grand-final loss to Brisbane in 01. Favorites to go all the way, best team all season, leading at half time. Less hard to deal with because in hindsight clearly a changing of the guard to a superior team that followed with 3 years of success.
Anytime Freo loses to the Eagles.
Barracking for the Melbourne Footy Club is a weekly tragedy though it does teach you how to deal with life’s misfortunes on a regular basis. Go Dees
The 1983 (?) Ceduna Colts team loss in the preliminary final. Having gone without a loss nearly all year, we lost the second semi and then the prelim. And the bloke I was standing kicked the probably the winning goal. It’s the last time I remember crying in public.
‘Sirengate’. Round 5, April 30 2006. Fremantle Football Club robbed in the final minute. It was Freo’s second trip to Aurora Stadium that season already – the longest road trip in the AFL – having fallen short against the Hawks in round 1. You know the story – the siren fails to be heard by the umpires with Freo one point in front. To the complete bewilderment of Freo players, coaches, members and supporters, play goes on. In the extra 20 seconds that is played post-siren, the Saints kick a point. A questionable free-kick is paid and the Saints player is given a second shot at goal. They miss, kick a point and draw the scores. The complete injustice. The gutted out, empty feeling of being completely, utterly robbed.
Four long, painful days later the AFL overturn the result and award Fremantle the four points, only the second time in AFL/VFL history this has been done.
We said Hiro. And thanks to the large crowds we draw in Tasmania and our colourful history there, the AFL, in their wisdom, have never sent us back there since.
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