How much do losses affect you?

Not that much since winning in 2014 aside the Broncos AFCCG. Progressively less since the last two titles.

As you mature (some people here never will), you realize that certain things that you are a fan of are not actually your identity, not something you have control of, and not a reflection of you or your self worth or happiness. Football is entertainment. It exists merely to entertain you and take your mind off bigger issues.

When the Patriots lose a game, it makes me bummed in the moment, but I am able to quickly dissacociate from it having any meaningful impact on me. If the Patriots won the next 30 Super Bowls, it will be fun entertainment but it won't make me a better person or measurably improve any meaningful areas of my life besides a hobby I have. If they lose it won't do the inverse.

Enjoy that the game was exciting for awhile and you have a playoff game to watch in a week. 20 fanbases have to wait until next year to see their team.

Most of them don’t affect me, but the last one of the season still gets me for a little while, and today’s kind of feels like that.

The frustration I feel after a loss is literally nothing. SB vs Eagles was maybe an hour. SB vs Giants I, was a couple days. I remember a headline on CBS for a millisecond was ‘19-oooooooooh no!’

No emotions from me on almost anything in life anymore, it’s actually kinda strange.

ensoul said:

It used to bother me until I realized the fans actually get more upset than the players do.

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That is something I think about on occasion. I’m sure there are players that take losses hard as well but it seems like a lot of them don’t really care. Especially with the evolution of social media you see firsthand how some players view losses and the fans.

Probably too much...

Edit: oops, wrong hat. Meant for the Josh thread. 15 yards for bad tab management.

Better spot than Cleveland:

I’ve used to take it way too seriously. Lack of sleep, affect my demeanor, etc.

With time, I guess as I got older, I realize there are much more important thing in life than stress over sport. It’s just a game, and these superstars are just humans entertaining us. They come and go, and team name and legacy stays, but at the end of the day, it’s no different than any other form of entertainment. It’s just that – for fun.

Nowadays, I take the losses in stride. Who cares if they lost, earth will continue to circle the sun, the sun will still rise tomorrow, I still have to go to work and provide for my family. It sucks when your team loses, sure, but definitely need to learn to take things in proportions. There are people who are dying of cancer for god’s sake, and people who have no running water in this world. In the grand scheme of things, a loss is nothing.

Tottie said:

One day maybe we'll be happy winning a meaningless game. Until then though, lets destroy TEN.

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I'm not alone in recalling being ecstatic when the Pats won ANY game.
There was a time when 4-12 seemed much more reflective of our lot in life than we could ever imagine 12-4 would be. As for being happy with winning A meaningless game, 1990 comes to mind...

I get really angry for the 30 minutes right after it (used to be a lot worse when I was a child) and then I just say to myself that it's sports, it doesn't change my life and I'm an idiot to be angry for something that is meaningless

But then i just don't watch anything football related for a few days, cause i get angry again

And yes, Im angry now, but this time, it warranted!

We've watched so much great football over the last 20 years. I've been to something like 4 AFC Championship games. I'm disappointed in this team, because its likely Brady's last shot at the Superbowl, but I'll get over it. Lots of stuff in life to keep me distracted from the Patriots.

I had planned to go to all the Patriots home playoff games. Now I cannot because I will be out of town this weekend and then the Patriots will likely have to travel if they win on Saturday.

The losses that affect me are the ones where we have a really dominant team and somehow manage to lose. If we lose this year, for example, it won't bother me as much since I know our offense is not dominant and our defense has not played well against good teams.

They make me depressed for the entire week.

I'm actually at peace. I was probably way too invested emotionally after the overblown Spygate scandal in 07 and had been defending the Pats honor ever since. After each season ended I shut football off until the preseason. I can barely watch the local talking heads after a Patriots win(they always need to diminish their accomplishments) let alone after a loss. Finally in 2014 redemption. Its been icing on the cake ever since then. Im not mad. I'm sad. Sad that it might be over. But im at peace. For those of you that have been clamoring for change.?Youll be looking back to the good old division winning Pats days that were served to you for so many years. The greatest dynasty ever.

This is nothing compared to the super bowl loss to the giants in 07. It took years, many years for me to get over that. That was a soul crusher.

Frustrated with this one game and the season. We lost by a narrow margin points wise but it's more to do with how the team ended up showing how good it really was........just did not work this year

I agree with those who say not much anymore. Since the Seattle Super Bowl the Pats have become the greatest dynasty of all time and Brady the greatest player to any serious analysis. Everything since has been gravy, running up the score. The war has already been won.

I’m not sure if the Jets have ever won 12 games in a season, for perspective. No fanbase deserves the amount of success this team has given us. But I’m thankful nonetheless.

Nowadays I’m mostly rooting for Patriots success to spite other teams’ jerkoff fanbases.

I get over it after an hour or so, too many good memories over the years to dwell on a loss. Listening to sports talk radio this morning theres some people that apparently aren't over it, TB sucks, BB's lost it, JMac sucks, really a cesspool of entitled brats.

Kept waiting for them to throw the switch this season. “Real football starts in Nov Dec” just hasn’t happened. “September October is training camp” felt like I was watching training camp yesterday.

Like I mentioned earlier, my cup is full when it comes to this team. 6 superbowls is more than I could of ever imagined. I remember growing up looking at the standings in the paper and seeing the 49ers 14-2, Redskins, Giants Cowboys etc and just be wowed. At that time the Patriots best record ever was 11-5. They Achieved a lifetime of legacy in just 20 years to add on to some good things the team has done from 1960. Just amazing.

Sure I still get upset after a loss but not emotionally destroyed. I laugh at the haters and the jeers as I know its just jealousy.

One thing that did bother me about the loss yesterday was the defense. I expected nothing from the offense because it was in serious decline all year while the defense is one of, if the best we’ve seen in Foxborough possibly ever.

For them to blow a fart performance like that was irritating when everything was on the line against a rebuilding team. And don’t get me started on the KC game. Just wasn’t the year it seems like, although there is always a glimmer of hope if you have Tom Brady.

I still get sadness over big losses, but it goes away in a day. Ignoring the national
sports shows or talk radio helps me get my mind off it.