How to Deal With Your Friend After Their Favorite Team Loses

Let’s face it: all sports are about wins and losses. And while most teams eventually share in the spoils of victory (my sincere condolences to Cubs, Indians, Phillies fans), it is a fact of life that most teams must also face defeat, sometimes just before winning a championship. For fans of these teams (again, my condolences to Cubs, Indians, Phillies fans), defeat can be difficult, especially when it comes in an unexpected or heartbreaking fashion. The following are seven steps to helping a good friend move on after their team loses the big game.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• A friend with a favorite sports team
• Compassion

1. Don’t force the issue. If your friend wants to talk about the game, or about their team, they will do so when they are ready. Don’t call up and initiate a discussion, especially after a heartbreaking loss. This could make them angry, and could also be misconstrued as an attempt to taunt them about the loss.
2. Just be there. Let’s face it, it’s a small death, and it hurts. Your friend’s team’s championship hopes have gone kaput for the season in a dramatic way, and the best thing you can do is act as a sounding board for the requisite whining/Monday morning quarterbacking/bleacher-side coaching. They’ll appreciate the ear you lend, and will probably return the favor when the same thing happens to your team next season.
3. Treat him/her to a night out. When a friend is feeling low, it can be a good idea to try and cheer them up with a dinner/movie/night of abandon and inebriation. Let them choose where and when you go; just make it clear that whatever it is, it’s on you.
4. Drum up interest in something else. Is there a hobby your friend has neglected while his team was charging towards a championship? Is there another sport on that your friend loves? Try to interest your friend in something else to keep his/her mind off the big loss.
5. Look to next year. Your friend will want to swear off sports forever; he/she does not mean it. Your friend will also think only negative things about his/her team. Try and remind them about the great team and great season they had this year, and what high hopes they’ll have going into next year. Before you know it, your friend will be onto the hot stove and this big loss will be but a distant memory.