Wins and losses not everything
By Nick Pinkerton
It used to be commonplace for there to be many professional sports organizations coated in tradition, wonder and prestige. Today, the chances that any of them can put together back-to-back .500 seasons is a total crapshoot.
Some of these teams exist in the Bay Area, such as the Raiders and the Warriors, but it's not just the West Coast that is lacking modern-day legacy.
On the opposite coast, teams like the New York Islanders and Knicks are the laughing stock of their regional media. North of the border, once legendary franchises such as the Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs have lost their swagger and are constantly finding themselves in rebuilding years.
For the majority of such organizations, it is hard to pinpoint the anti-catalyst that has condemned these teams to cellar dweller status for decades at a time.
It is even more difficult for younger audiences to appreciate what these organizations have contributed, past and present, to their respective sports. This is mainly because, when it comes down to it, people will remember those who win, and who win now, above everything else.
I'm suggesting two things here. First, I encourage fans to not completely write off an organization because of recent win-loss records. Teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates, who have won five World Series, and the New York Islanders, who won four consecutive Stanley Cups, are equal, if not richer, in tradition than today's dynasties.
Second, fans should have a better understanding of their team and its organization as a whole, regardless of the team's performance in recent years. They should learn about the organization's accomplishments in the past and present in terms of ownership, community involvement, influence on the team's professional league and so on and so forth.
I'm not saying that just because you know nothing about your favorite team's past that you're not a fan. You just have not learned to appreciate what the organization has already done in order for it to exist today.
Teams like the Philadelphia Phillies, the first American franchise to lose ten-thousand games, have done so much to give the gift of sports to us today. As fans, we should honor these kinds of efforts.
As mentioned earlier, teams and organizations fall apart for different reasons. One day, the great dynasties of our time may fade into history books. They could end up fairing poorly in ten years, and the generation behind us will not recall them so well.
If you're a Lakers, Patriots, Spurs, Steelers or Red Wings fan, how does that make you feel?