FanPost

How to be a fan of a top 5 team

Penn State is currently ranked 3rd in the country. Given that they're off next weekend, I don't see much of a possibility that they will be ranked below 5th by the time they play again against Michigan, however I will never count out a bye week.

So with this recent success (which we all expected, 15-0 of GTFO! preseason), you might be wondering how to act. After all, it's been a little while since we've been here, and college football has changed. So as someone who has been a long suffering fan of terrible football teams, how the hell should I know? But why not give it a go anyway!?

If you're saying to yourself right about now "but our offensive line...", this post is for you! If you're saying to yourself "but this team won't win with Trace!", I probably can't help you, but let's give it a try anyway. Per this page on psychologies.com that is no longer live on how to deal with success:

  1. Remind yourself that envy is a normal human feeling, and that your success is bound to inspire negativity in some people, even those who are pleased for you.
  2. Resist the urge to isolate yourself.
  3. Examine your attitude towards your success.
  4. Think about who you are in the context of your sphere of success.
  5. Don't expect the worst just because. (my own addition)
Let's break this down: 1) other people will hate. Be like James Franklin and don't give a fuck about it. 2) don't become a pariah. come to BSD and enjoy the tangents if you have nothing good to contribute. 3) if you suddenly find yourself thinking you should tweet at a recruit because we're now good and he should definitely come here, DON'T! caring is creepy. 4) this team is good. the players are great student athletes. the coaches are good people. if they lose, none of that changes, so just enjoy it. 5) stating the obvious. if you claim doom and gloom and someone replies with facts to the contrary, that may not sway your personal opinion, but don't continue debating with nothing but your opinion to go off of.
Congrats! You're now ready to handle the success of being a top 5 team and everything being a fan of one entails. Take a lesson from our own Cael Sanderson and recognize that at the end of the day, it's about having fun. These kids clearly are. Zain Retherford always seems to be (the watermelons not so much, but it's still a more noble way to go out than via a Gallagher sledge hammer). So when in doubt, choose happiness. Or else.

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