I am 29 years old and have been an Atlanta Braves fan for as long as I can remember. If you are around this age, then, like me, you grew up spoiled with winning.
The National League East felt like something of a birthright, you knew that you would watch the Braves on TBS all spring and summer and that in October playoffs were coming. I personally just got so used to it that it made me as a fan complacent.
I felt there was no need to watch because the playoffs were coming. Something changed as each postseason got tougher to watch, though.