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Your toughest losses as a sports fan

posted 2 years ago by GolfnGuitars (3123)
54 replies | jump to latest

I'm a fan of Ohio State football and they lost a heartbreaker tonight (42-41). Being a fan of mostly Ohio teams (and Kentucky basketball), I've experienced a lot of heartbreaking losses as a fan. Here are my 5 (actually 6) toughest losses as a sports fan:

5) 2012 Cincinnati Reds: Won the first two games on the road against the Giants, only to come back home and lose 3 in a row (and the Giants went on to win the World Series). I was talking to my brother and one of my sisters on the phone while watching Game 3 and, after Scott Rolen made an error to allow the game-winning run to score, my brother said the Reds were going to lose the series. How right he was.

4) OSU vs Clemson, 2019: Just a wild game that had a little bit of everything. OSU just made too many mistakes to win.

3) OSU vs Michigan, 1996: I could easily pick 6 or 7 games from the John Cooper era at OSU, but I'll pick this one. OSU was playing at home, a big favorite, but just stunk it up the second half...a gut-wrenching 13-9 loss.

2) Kentucky vs Duke, 1992: This was a gut punch...the Christian Laettner shot at the buzzer. I think I cursed at the TV for 15 minutes straight after Laettner's shot. A great game...but such a heartbreaking loss if you were a UK fan.

1) (tie) Cincinnati Bengals vs San Francisco 49'ers, Super Bowls XVI (1981) and XXIII (1988): Two heartbreaking losses in two different ways. Could've, Would've, Should've...but didn't. I didn't put last year's SB loss because I don't really follow the NFL anymore (although I pull hard for Joe Burrow...he's from Southern Ohio like I am) and I figured the Bengals would blow it anyway. 😃 But I couldn't even look at Joe Montana for a long time after these games (although I rather like and respect him now).

How about you...what are your toughest losses as a sports fan?

[–] 102000 (6350) 2 years ago

The year Smarty Jones didn't win the Triple Crown. I wanted him to win it so much.

[–] GolfnGuitars (3123) 2 years ago

Yes, an interesting choice...Smarty Jones! I'm not a huge horse-racing fan, but one of my sisters follows it pretty closely and she was certain than Smarty Jones would win the Triple Crown that year. I remember it being a shock when he didn't win the Belmont.

[–] chilone (18333) 2 years ago

The hardest thing I have to deal with is hearing people talk about football. All. Year. Long.

[–] 102000 (6350) 2 years ago

LOL - Certainly not all year long - there is a short break after the Super Bowl before the draft takes place and then May and June get slow, but once training camp starts the fun starts all over again.

[–] chilone (18333) 2 years ago

No. I work with people who NEVER shut up about it.

[–] 102000 (6350) 2 years ago

LOL - Lucky you.

[–] chilone (18333) 2 years ago

You... you... SPORTS FAN!

[–] GolfnGuitars (3123) 2 years ago

I live in Columbus (OH) and the discussion has already started here about who will be the starting QB for OSU next season, if C.J. Stroud decides to go to the NFL. OSU football talk literally never stops around here! 😃

[–] Jones70 (6875) 2 years ago

Packers losing to the Giants in the playoffs in January 2012

[–] GolfnGuitars (3123) 2 years ago

I remember that game, I think. Isn't that the one that they played in below zero weather and snow? It was a fun game to watch. If I remember correctly, the Giants went on to beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl. Yes, a tough loss for the Packers.

[–] Jones70 (6875) 2 years ago

No that was the first one in 2008.

[–] GolfnGuitars (3123) 2 years ago

Sorry, my mistake! Thanks for correcting me on that.

[–] lud (5933) 2 years ago

Football:
Croatia loss against France(WC Final 2018),Turkey(QF 2008) and Portugal(2R 2016)
Atletico Madrid losses against Real Madrid(2014 and 2016 CL Finals)
Holland losses from 1996 to 2014 with 2010 WC and Euro 2000 SF being most painful

Tennis:
Plenty of losses of Federer. Worst being without a doubt Wimbledon 2019 Final.
Rafter loss against Ivanišević 2001 Wimbledon

Basketball:
Portland TrailBlazers loss against Lakers - 2000 playoff 7th game(Portland was like +13 in last quarter)

Handball:
Pretty much every Croatia final loss since 2004.

Snooker:
Mark Selby loss vs O'Sullivan - 2020 Crucible SF

[–] [deleted] 2 years ago

is handball a big thing in croatia?

[–] lud (5933) 2 years ago

Yes.

[–] GolfnGuitars (3123) 2 years ago

A very interesting list! Losing a World Cup final has to be tough. I watched this past World Cup much more closely than I did any of the previous World Cups and I was really impressed with Croatia's team.

Yes, that 2019 loss to Djokovic was a killer for Federer. I find Federer to be a real enigma...early in his career, he was just about the ideal tennis player, but he kind of let Nadal and Djokovic pass him at the end. I remember watching one of his losses one year in the Australian Open final against Nadal...he broke down in the post-match interview. That was tough to watch.

I remember that Portland-Lakers game. It was amazing how sudden that game turned. Portland looked to be in complete command one minute...a few minutes later, they were down double digits.

I don't know enough about handball and snooker to comment on those. It was interesting to see those sports listed.

[–] Joogle83 (4546) 2 years ago

1)Broncos Losing to the Seahawks in Superbowl 48 our High Powered collapsed and John Fox decided to change the gameplan instead of keeping what worked

2)Colorado Avalanche vs Dallas Stars WC-Semi Finals 2020- 2020 was a weird year but this loss was devasting as the Lockdowns and lack normalcy amplified but good since then I come to appreciate the Stars and Colorado Won it all in 2022 SCF

[–] GolfnGuitars (3123) 2 years ago

Yes, that Super Bowl was a real shocker to me. I think that was Peyton Manning's first year in Denver and he broke just about every record that season. But did they ever get blown away in the Super Bowl. I think that was also the year where they played the Super Bowl in New York City. I actually liked that!

[–] MaximRecoil (4855) 2 years ago

I've never been much of a sports fan, but when I was a kid I briefly had an interest in baseball. It began in 1985 when I started hanging out at my cousin Peter's house a lot. He lived across the road from this triangular shaped patch of public land:

https://imgur.com/a/FOEesLy

It was perfect for playing baseball (and kickball). If you hit the ball over that street that divides the triangle shaped land from the old grave yard (no one has been buried there since the late 1800s or early 1900s), it was a home run, for kids our age anyway. When older kids played, there was a particular grave stone that they had to hit the ball past in order for it to be a home run.

So playing baseball and hearing the neighborhood kids talk about major league baseball, and baseball cards, got me interested in MLB. Around here (Maine), the Boston Red Sox is the closest thing we have to a local MLB team, and in 1986 they were in the World Series. Back then they hadn't won the World Series since 1918, so it was a big deal. I saw that infamous Bill Buckner error - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18caPNisP2U - live on TV and it sucked... wicked bad.

[–] GolfnGuitars (3123) 2 years ago

That was indeed some Series! I'm a Reds' fan, but I was rooting for Boston also (I couldn't stand that Mets' team at the time...however, I look back at that team now with a lot of respect...a ton of talent and interesting characters on that team).

I remember watching Game 6 and how that game played out. It was something...I remember Jim Rice (who was still one of my favorite players) catching the second out that inning by snapping his glove and I thought the Red Sox had it for sure. I think it's come out since then that, even if Buckner had fielded the ball cleanly, he wouldn't have beaten Mookie Wilson to the bag and Bob Stanley (the Red Sox pitcher) forgot to cover first base. That game and Series were so memorable.

[–] [deleted] 2 years ago

2010 Super Bowl: Steelers lost 31-25 to the Packers. The Steelers had this running back who was known for fumbling and he did it twice in this game. Willie Parker was his name. The Steelers should have had this game.

[–] GolfnGuitars (3123) 2 years ago

Yes...I remember Willie Parker. He wasn't real big but he was pretty fast, if I remember correctly. I actually don't remember a lot about this game, though. I think Aaron Rodgers was Green Bay's QB then and I remember thinking he'd win several SBs by the time his career was over (I love to watch him throw a football). However, this is his only SB win (and I think appearance) to date.