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Am I officially nearing the end of being a Football Fan.....standing at a Crossroads.

I am roughly your age, and around work there used to be a rule to not speak to me after losses until Wednesday. With age I have mellowed quite a bit. The losses suck, sure, but I am already over this one. My expectation for these guys is lowered. However, I do enjoy my Steeler Sundays, my family is cool with my scheduling life around the game. My daughter who is now 15 enjoys watching with me. I am not giving that up.

It's family time for us too, man. We don't get together as much as we should on the other days of the week, but Sunday's are our day to be together to watch our football team. Everything gets scheduled around it, weddings, you name it. The wives and my mom sit and jibber jabber about god knows what, occasionally chiming in to yell at the game with us, but it's the time for my two brothers, my dad, and myself to be together. It's family time for us, and there is nothing better. I'll never change that, and neither will any of them. Unfortunately, it's been a rather taxing year, at least to this point.
 
I've been a fan for 45 years. This is nothing. The 80's, as in the whole decade, were absolutely the worst. I will always be a Steeler fan. That said, I hope they get it together soon here because the Ben clock is ticking.
 
I've been a fan for 45 years. This is nothing. The 80's, as in the whole decade, were absolutely the worst. I will always be a Steeler fan. That said, I hope they get it together soon here because the Ben clock is ticking.

The post Ben era is going to be similar to those 80s years I'm afraid.
 
I am 48 years old. This franchise has won more SBs than any other franchise. Yeah our head coach blows Donkey dick, our D coordinator blows Monkey dick.


Just step back take a breather and expect less.

But you don't give up watching, as a fan show some loyalty.

That is a old timer approach.

I get what he's saying. My son had two basketball games today. One at 2:30PM that ended at 3:30PM, over 40 mins away. DVR'd the Steelers game, came home, and the 1Q was done when we started watching. Then he had a game at 7:15 and we had to leave at 6:15 for it - one series after halftime. Saw the BEST youth basketball game EVER. It was a 1 point, spectacular, back and forth game. Came home, fired up the DVR and finished the game.

Would I have missed my son's games? No way in hell. In fact, I have to be in Orlando for an 11AM meeting tomorrow. I have to get up at 4:30AM. I could have gone to FL today, but there's NO way I'm missing my family time. The Steelers went to DVR.

I'm at the point, being 48 also, where I almost like it when we watch the game on DVR...I can watch the whole game in 1.5 hours, vs. spending nearly 4 on a game.

10 years ago, if you'd told me I thought this way, I'd have said you're F'ing nuts. My oldest is with me for 1.5 more years before college. My youngest, 4.5 years. That time is ticking and I want to make the most of it.
 
Yep I still watch and I still cheer my *** off with two of my kids, but when its over its over, I feel pretty much the same way win or lose. The funny thing is, is that when my kids were younger we took two vacations a year, we would always go someplace we had never been before, and we always went to the burgh for a week to sight see and by steeler gear for that season. last year we traveled from Alabama to Pittsburgh for the thursday night ravens game. spent a **** ton on tickets and travel and **** ton more on gear to take home, this year gave myself Sunday ticket and nothing else. I have been a fan since I could say steelers and I am 55 years old now, They will always be my team, hell my son and I have matching tat's, but until they start showing me they care about the fans, I wont get emotionally attached.


Like you, the losses don't bother me much. I'm just happy to get to see the Steelers play. I was born and raised in Albuquerque, NM a city with no pro sports teams. So here it's all college or minor league baseball with the isotopes. I became a Steelers fan cause of my dad. He watched the Steelers 1st SB against the Vikings and adopted them since. As a result we grew up cheering for Pitt teams. I remember Jagr's mullet was so cool back in the day. And because of that. I fell in love with hockey and played middle school/high school while still following the Pens. Always been around Steelers games every sunday cause my parents had sunday ticket while I was growing up. So the Steelers are always a get together with the parents. Me and Mrs. MTC are the hockey lovers of the family. But we cheer for the Steelers no doubt
 
Point to the post above is you local yinzers enjoy having the teams around in person
 
I can see the original posters point of view. I understand what chicoman is talking about. The game has changed. It has nothing to do with the team being good or bad it just seems that the game is not what it was. I remember being a fan of the steelers back before they won anything. The game was played differently and was played by guys that would likely need to work after their playing days were done. It did not seem like the game was being compromised to meet marketing needs of things like fantasy football, and the zebras did not seem to be working to a script like often seems to be now. We still had officials that were horrible but it did not seem like somebody at buffalo wild wings was controlling the shots like they do on the commercial. The game has lost a lot of its drama and been replaced by childish end zone dances and celebrations for making a tackle after allowing a first down.

I find the game less appealing every year rodger goodell is involved with it and if the ratings are any indication so do many others as they have stopped watching. I went to places to watch the games this year sometimes driving 150 miles round trip to sit in a bar and watch the game with lots of other displaced steeler fans in Texas but I am no longer as interested in the game as I used to be. I have seen many games where most of the team does not seem interested in the game based on their poor performance on the field and wonder why I should be more interested in the game than these guys that are being paid millions to play. So I may after decades of never missing a game watch them when there is nothing else to do.
 
from a O standpoint it was indeed,

Not arguing your point at all, but people seem to LOVE the college games, especially high scoring shootouts that play zero defense. Yet those same fans complain you can't play defense in the NFL. I think some just need to complain.
 
I hear ya. I quit the message boards for the same reasons. I told the wife today that once Ben retires, I will probably quit watching the Steelers, and find something else to do with my Sunday time. I am 47, so I guess it might just be the age...
 
Not arguing your point at all, but people seem to LOVE the college games, especially high scoring shootouts that play zero defense. Yet those same fans complain you can't play defense in the NFL. I think some just need to complain.


For me it isn't about just entertainment. I realize you can't get to where I want them to be with a ****** D.
 
Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah

If I can't win, I don't wanna play!


Bandwagon ****** get no sympathy from me
 
This loss is bittersweet but that's not why I am deciding to do this. I've lived through worse losses than this. At almost 49 years old I have come to the realization that I no longer enjoy investing my time and my emotions in the game of football nor do I feel like I need to. Now I'm sure all the young bucks will call me out on this one but the old timers might understand. I don't know what it is but I feel that being older the time in my life is more important to me and my family than wasting my Sundays watching the NFL. Maybe other people have felt the same thing but it happened to me earlier this year with Fantasy Football Leagues as I am just burnt out and no longer enjoy doing them. I will be retiring those leagues after this season....and I honestly don't know if I'm going to continue to be a football fan or possibly just be a more casual fan. I feel like it's a waste of time and I'm just not enjoying it as much anymore.

Sorry to hear. Those who lose their passions tend to die younger than they should. Find a new one.
 
I feel like those last 2 super bowls have softened me up to the entire thing. We lost. That sucks. Life goes on. If yesterday's game would have happened in 04...I'd be on life support .
 
Sorry to hear. Those who lose their passions tend to die younger than they should. Find a new one.


Right. Yeah the guy is dying early because a football game that he has zero control over didn't go his way
 
I'm 58. Diehard Steeler fan. The rule changes have wussified this game. It used to be a warrior game. It's not anymore. Can't feel too invested as a fan anymore, Sucks because I miss that.
 
I'm 58. Diehard Steeler fan. The rule changes have wussified this game. It used to be a warrior game. It's not anymore. Can't feel too invested as a fan anymore, Sucks because I miss that.

Eh. It's not so much being emotionally invested. At least for me. You just don't give up a team just cause they lose. For those who live in Pitt. You can tell just how much Steelers football means. So as an out of stater it's always cool to see that
 
The radio is your friend, and if you aren't local, a laptop. I'm amazed how much I can accomplish on Sunday's now that I'm not glued to the TV anymore.
 
I say watch the Steelers and hope for the best, but understand what you're dealing with. Tailor expectations until Tomlin is a coordinator in Baltimore. I believe that is where he would end up. The Magnus Opus to his douche nozzleness. Finally, invest you emotions into the Penguins! NHL is the last great pro league.
 
Eh. It's not so much being emotionally invested. At least for me. You just don't give up a team just cause they lose. For those who live in Pitt. You can tell just how much Steelers football means. So as an out of stater it's always cool to see that

Left PA in 1969. I still watch EVERY Steeler game. Been back to Heinz several times, I guess what I was trying to say is the wins and losses aren't as meaningful anymore. The game has changed.
Oh and Go Quips!
 
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