Losing.
Fans can talk themselves into the draft picks, the young player, and the excitement for the future, but you never get used to it.
The lopsided scores. The painfully non-competitive fourth quarters. The games where the young players – that we love to love – make countless mistakes, which cost the team a chance at the first win in months.
Losing is not fun for the players and the fans, but it’s a necessary evil. Losses lead to draft picks, which lead to great players that may vault a team back into contention. It’s only through losing that small-market teams find their way back to national prominence.