Do tough losses impact you less, the older you get?

that if the season was somehow a lost cause, and they were to go 2 - 14, I'd want those 2 wins to be against Dallas. I will never, ever be able to accept losing to that franchise for as long as I live and being that we've opened with them a number of times it's naturally the game that you target in your mind to get the season going in the right direction. Those games count, both literally and figuratively, as 2 and boy do they stay with me when they lose especially in the fashion that they did in week 1.

I'll say this too, after witnessing all 4 Super Bowl victories and attending 2 (Pats games) it does take some of the pressure off but the further we get from SB46 the intensity and pressure begins to build back up. It's also in some ways proportional to the success of the teams in our division namely, you guessed it, Dallas. Again, I'm simply unaccepting of them having any degree of success.

Age provides perspective.

were the ones we lost due to stepping on our own foot or when the officials blew a critical call. A tough loss in a well played game is a loss. The other kind are just infuriating.

that when we lost, only my son (an avid giant fan) could talk to me till about wed. Now I'm bummed but i can be talked to.

is going on with teams I root for. Like my daughter's soccer team, or Villanova basketball. I try to shift focus to something else. I stay off BBI for a day or two, stay away from SportsCenter and so on. I get less worked up over the loss that way. Night losses are the worst. They lose, and then I try to go to sleep thinking about the loss. That sucks.

because my life doesnt revolve around football every Sunday anymore. I go to church, come home, sit with my wife and son. Far more important things in life than sports.

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the moments after they happen. Those 5 minutes of pain never loses its intensity. The difference is as I get older, I let it go and don't let it dominate my mood for more than those 5 minutes. They still hurt, but not for hours or days when I was younger

in weeks.

Strike "first"

I started a "15 minute rule".

Be pissed and gripe/mope/sulk for 15 minutes after a tough loss (i.e. Dallas / Atlanta) then shrug it off.

Realize that these guys go home to their mansions and supermodel wives and don't have the lifelong allegiance to a team that we do.

losing stopped bothering me as much

!

A heartbreaker - season ending loss, a loss which prevents your team from getting in the playoffs, etc

A tough loss - sucks for a moment and not as bad when compared to when i was younger.

Television period. I don't watch tv, and I'm glad I don't. There's so much garbage on television now, it's sad. I'll watch the games on Sunday, but for entertainment purposes only. I don't get upset anymore over games I don't have control over.

When the Giants lose, I get in my car, and get back to things that matter in life. When they win, it feels like few things matter more.

I think it's the opposite. The older you get... The more passionate about the games you become.

mainly because I was there. What a fucking catastrophe. I still curse the name Chike Okeafor.

When I was a kid I expected my teams to win every game, and was devastated when they didn't. Now, I'm over most losses in a few hours. The only exception is when the game goes down like Week 1 in Dallas did, and my team manages to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Those losses still sting a bit.

This is an interesting question to Me. One that I asked myself earlier this Season. I have had the privilege of getting to watch all of our SB's live and I haven't missed a game since Direct Tv. I do feel part of the behavioral change to losses comes from our past success but not as much as I feel Age is the calming factor.

Sundays are still sacred to me and Dvr'ing a game would be a Water shed moment. My GF and I were looking into a Cruise..that ended quick as the 7 Day Cruise we were looking at departs on a Sunday through Sunday. I'd miss 2 game..we cant have that. Coming from someone who re-watches games just to see who is or isn't doing their job I think it will take me more time to get to the point where I take the GIANTS solely as entertainment.

and was going to have losing seasons.

I'm 63 and have been a fan since as young as I can remember. Throughout I've always been excited by wins and winning seasons whereas losing games and losing seasons only affected me because they meant I didn't have the joy of winning - but I never got pissed off. I was never angry. Like I said, I always understood my team wasn't winning every game or every season. Losses are like rainy days. Shit happens. Losses have always been a "shoulder shrug" to me. More a disappointment than anything else. Sometimes leaving me with a sadness of what could have been. But certainly not anger. And certainly not any huge emotional loss.

being an avid fan, I still get upset, but try to bring things into perspective now; i.e. It's only one loss or we play them again or we're still in it, etc. it's sometimes how they lose or who they lose too, as well. Blow outs sometimes really bother me, because the team often just seemed to be going through the motions. Division losses, especially against Dallas and Philly, also really bother me, especially if it's a sweep in a given year. lastly, poor teams beating us when we're expected to win also really bothers me because sometimes those games can make or break a season, especially when you play only 16 games. Otherwise I try to temper the losses now and am better at rationalizing. Of course witnessing 4 Super Bowl wins also helps me.

Good example was the ridiculous loss to the Eagles in 2010. After Jackson scored, I turned to my eight-year-old daughter and said, "Wow, for a football fan, that's about as bad as it gets." Then we put on our coats and went to the park.

and theres sports. Im 56. Youll see...

from the forum after the game and the next day..Can't believe it's only the younger folk

I still live each week in hope, and die a little in despair when they lose, but that despair does not last as long as it once did.

I am 64 and I think age gives me a longer view of things. Each week is not a new Armageddon. Instead, we chop wood, and it doesn't matter how much we chopped on on any given Sunday. The only thing that matters is how much we have by the end of the year. I am at the point where it makes me smile when I hear someone say that the 5th or 6th game of the year is a must-win. My experience as a fan tells that it's simply not true.

I am not sure whether I acquired this view by mere dint of the passage of time or whether I learned it from living through the last two Super Bowls. I am also not sure if, like a jilted lover, I refuse to allow another Flipper Anderson moment to break my heart. I'd like to think it's the latter, but I am sure it is a little of the former.

not to be a Debbie Downer but once youve faced a couple of life changing traumatic and or tragic events, things like a last min loss or even a break up with your GF just dont seem as large. Nietzsche was right...

I agree that having a family and life experiences change your perspective. There are truly bigger problems than having your football team loose. And after some great victories and some very tough losses (I was sitting right by the endzone that Flipper Anderson ran into) you get used to it a bit.

Nothing was worse than a 4 pm loss during high school. You wait all week for the game, recover from your own game on Saturday and think a win or a loss is everything on Sunday. Then after a loss, they would interrupt the credits with the 60 minutes ticking sound. Suddenly you would realize the weekend is over, you haven't done your homework and you have school the next morning!! That felt like the worst thing that could possibly happen back then.

However, with age, how I respond to/cope with them has changed.

they just go on the awful pile, that gets bigger and bigger. Unitas and Berry, in 58, the SF playoff steal, the horrible years in between, the Christmas Philly meltdown-throwaway, any loss to Dallas or Philly, particularly when the refs inject themselves and steal it. But the losses just help make the victories sweeter. Taking Dallas out of the 07 playoffs, out toughing SF in the 11 playoffs. The Victor Cruz away game in Philly in 11 when no one held out any hope. The wins when the Giants show up tough after being written off. Because the Giants have retained the same team character, and spirit to hang tough even though they may be less talented, (Think of that shot of YA),our fans remain invested year over year and the circumstances of losses can bring out sometimes surprisingly sharp pain. Only the circumstance that they lose fair and square after showing their best reduces the impact. And yes, sometimes after a tough, or a stupid, or after some ref interference, or injury, or brain fart, or improbable bad break, experience makes it possible to distract oneself, or to pretend that it doesn't rankle.

as the team has talent and expectations. The last several years not so, as the coaching and team have played like a bunch of losers. Why should I get worked up over a team that does not seems to care?

Don't stay with me as long cause I have more things going on in my own life but I'll be honest my week starts a hell of a lot better after a win and that's no coincidence

two things.....getting older mellows you and we've been fortunate to have not one but two awesome recent Super Bowl wins under Coughlin/Eli and plenty of good seasons and wins that make the bad losses somewhat not as bad.

I became a Giants fan during the Dan Reeves era so it took me many years to finally experience regular success on a consistant basis that didn't happen until Tom Coughlin came around

but I recover much faster.

I'm fifty, and they don't affect me as much. As others have said, we all have more important activities.

I have been following the team since 1956.

Being retired and with the advent of the internet I read about the team every single day. I hate division losses especially Dallas and Eaglles. I can't stand Cowboy fans and take any loss to them very hard. I also appreciate what we have with Eli and am hoping he can get us another SB championship.

Enjoy the highs more than despairing the lows...

It's not working. I'll die a lunatic Giants fan. I could be on the moon fighting for my survival and if it was a Sunday I'd be asking about the Giants game.

Anyone but Dallas. I have an unhealthy obsession with that shit stained franchise and fan base.

but I expected to lose that game, so it didn't hurt. In fact felt good about a few things about the team - keep in mind how horrible we were looking during the preseason.

that glued to the edge of your seat, heart racing feeling during a game winning drive never goes away though.

In comment 12556364 steve in ky said:

Quote:

After I became a father sports changed for me somewhat. While I still watch a lot of sports and very much enjoy and love it my perspective changed and I would say both the wins and the losses impact me less. We all know the old sayings that "there are more important things in life" and "it's only a game". Having children takes that to an entirely new level.

Ditto.

In comment 12556364 steve in ky said:

Quote:

After I became a father sports changed for me somewhat. While I still watch a lot of sports and very much enjoy and love it my perspective changed and I would say both the wins and the losses impact me less. We all know the old sayings that "there are more important things in life" and "it's only a game". Having children takes that to an entirely new level.

took the words out of my mouth

And still bugs the shit out of me until the next game. Hate night games because if we lost I have a hard time sleeping.Maybe I need a shrink?

immediately when it happens.......but as you get older, it doesn't linger as long.....

and partly b/c with a family now it is easy to switch gears after a game. I can go play with my kids or do something with the family. When I was younger I'd usually be watching with groups of other fans and we would get all pissed of together for a few hours after the game.

I think it's just perspective. The older you get th per more you have going on in your life. It's a lot easier to view football for what it is: a game. I used to get livid over losses and I'd be miserable until Wednesday at least. That Titans fiasco 10 years ago...I stormed out of my house and drove a good quarter mile before I even realized I was 3 sheets to the wind, parked walked home. Today? A few choice curse words and I'm onto the next. As much as I love it it's still just a game. Nothing to ruin half your week over.

When your a kid you don't have responsibility. Your worry is strictly your enjoyment and entertainment. As an adult you have a lot more on your plate to concern yourself with. After a loss I say oh that stinks. Now back to my reality because I dot think the Giants worry much how my day goes after they play a football game

im a rarity amongst my peers ( that i grew up with ) i understand you cannot win every game and the NFL season is a long one with many twists and turns. I always expect the Giants to win, its the mentality I have had as a fan and as a player growing up. with that being said I know its a little irrational but its the way you have to look at things.

Idk how tough I take losses anymore. There is more to life then football. I've gotten to see 3 super bowls, 2 of them resulting in the lombardi trophy. A wise man once told me that after you win a super bowl you should be satisfied for 5 years, no matter what. Thats the stance I've taken and honestly it has done wonders for me. You cant realistically get upset after every loss, if you do youre either extremely immature or dont have much else going on in your life.

-I was devastated after SB 35 ( I was 12)
-Furious over Trey Junkin
- pretty upset after the loss to the packers in 2010
-pretty unpahsed by the mauling taken at the hands of the Falcons & Ravens at the end of 2012
- after 2 tough seasons ('13 &'14)

So yes, tough losses hace impacted me less as I've gotten older.

though they always hurt a bit.

Before 1979, there was no real hope. We were the Browns, only worst. The Giants were the laughing stock of sports. Playoff were for other teams, you were hoping for a .500 season.

Starting with George Young, we've had good teams and very good coaches, for the most part. I will tell you what hurts the most, though...

It's not getting to the playoffs enough when you have a franchise QB. We left too many seasons to waste with Phil and Eli. Way too many.

It hurts to see other QB's in the playoffs all the time, Brady, Eli's brother, Ben R., Rivers...and not see Eli. You know the clock is ticking on Eli's career, and who knows when...or if..we'll get another franchise QB?

Carpe Diem! We need to make the playoffs now!