Managing preseason optimism as a fan

Is the glass half full, half empty or is it a matter of what is in the
glass?

That question is another way of asking, are you an optimist, a
pessimist or a realist?

To be a sports fan (high school, college or professional) before
the season is about being an optimist, even if you know that your
team does not have a snowball’s chance in Tempe at a winning
season, let alone a championship. Some fans will be pessimists
or realists no matter what kind of team most expect. Point being,
if you can’t be optimistic when the team is 0-0, when can you be
feeling good?

Then once you see the team go about one-third of the way
through the season, there are flaws that get revealed. Some of
those shortcomings, you foresaw, others you did not anticipate.
The most unpredictable thing is injuries. You can help your
chances at limiting soft tissue injuries by diligently stretching but
you have no control of someone landing awkwardly on your leg,
tearing ligaments and/or breaking bones in the process. 

When the season begins, you have your own idea of what the
team can achieve from a win-loss perspective. If the team attains
that record, then you play it out in real time and play the “what if”
game. Let’s say you are a fan of an NFL team that goes 8-8. I
can only speak for how I feel but if I expected 4-12, I won’t be
satisfied but pleasantly surprised. If I expected 12-4, short of
having multiple starters miss most of the season with injuries,
I’m going to be disappointed. 

Another favorite preseason talking point is when someone asks,
“How does the team look in practice?” When I covered the
Oakland Raiders for a fan magazine from 1999-2005, that
question was exceedingly popular and even trickled into the
high school ranks. My sardonic witted answer was pretty similar
each time: a) No one tripped or fell down and b) They are
undefeated in practice and they look like they know what they
are doing. 

The overarching theory about preseason optimism regardless
of sport is that as a fan, unless you are in the Negative Nancy
category, you see your team and envision the best version of
what they can become. If you are a media member covering
the team, you play both sides of the fence to appease your
readers. You present what you believe the team can be as well
as the worst version. Then, you split the difference. 

As a San Francisco 49ers fan, the best I see the 2019 team
becoming is 10-6, the worst is 6-10. So I’ll split the difference
and say 8-8. As a Nebraska Cornhuskers fan, the best I see
the 2019 team becoming is 10-2. The worst record I envision
is 7-5. To split the difference, I’ll say 8-4 or 9-3. 

As a San Francisco Giants fan, I anticipated the 2019 team
to win 75 games. As of this writing, the team is 60-61 and still
on the outskirts of playoff contention thanks to a 19-6 record in
July. That mark, however, appears to be an outlier of what
defines this team. 

Preseason optimism is great, just be sure to sprinkle in some
realism.