I received a text early Saturday evening that simply read, "I'm starting to get tired of being an OU fan." An understandable notion after watching the 44 point bludgeoning that the Sooners took in the first of two final four games. Understandable, but is it fair? Only four teams have the right of making that far, no other school put their teams in the final four of both major college sports, and only one Big 12 team made it that far. When you look at that it seems that being an OU fan should be something to brag about, but for some reason the fan base is embarrassed? Something is not right.
Tradition is big word thrown around Oklahoma. People take pride in customs passed own from generation to generation; especially in our neck if the woods. It just so happens that when tradition is metnioned with OU athletics the word winning soon follows. So it seems fair that fans begin to get restless when a major championship hasn't been brought home since 2000. But there's a key word there, "seems." It isn't fair to think that way. It isn't fair to criticize these young men. Championships are few and far between. Championships don't grow on trees. Championships only come around once in a blue moon. And before you start, I know what you're going to say, "but Jordan, look at Alabama, they've won four championships in nine years!" or "what about North Carolina and Duke, they always win in basketball." And let me stop you there. Ask any college football fan that has followed the sport for decades, this current Alabama run is absolutely unprecedented. It's something that the sport has never even come close to seeing. Just look at USC in the early 2000's, they looked like they would never lose, but they did. And now they can't even make it to New Years Six bowl. Oh, and by the way, what was Alabama doing just 10 - 15 years ago? From 2003 to 2006 the Tide held an incredibly average 26 - 23 record. Everyone in the college football world would have laughed you off the planet if you told them that in 2009 the Crimson Tide would begin one of the greatest dynasties in the history of sport. So is it really that embarrassing to have a team that consistently wins in both major sports?
Not if you ask me. Trust me, I sympathize. I was in Miami to watch OU turn a half time lead into a 20 point loss in the Orange Bowl. I know the hurt. I watched as OU gave away our incredible basketball season last night, and by 44 points I'll say again. I mean, this was supposed to be our year! We had Buddy Buckets! I get the pain. But let me say, be patient. Who knows what will come of the following years? Starting next year the football team could rattle off 3 titles in 5 years. Who knows? Nobody predicted the Tide. We have many freshman on basketball that played valuable minutes all season long. Not to mention they now have the experience of being in the Final Four. So cut them a break. Keep cheering. Don't be tired of being fan, get excited. Contrary to what you think, we can't win every game. You have to take the loss sometimes. It's not the end of the world. After all, it's just a game.
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