Being a New York Jet, Mets, Knicks and Islanders fan, I’m not too accustomed to cheering for a team that is good. Yet, every year I continue to root for these teams with an undying passion. Why do I subject myself to the almost guaranteed misery of rooting for these awful teams? Hope. Hope is what drives sports fans to scour the internet to find out if the rumors of the new coach are true. Hope is what brings the fans back every year. Every year I believe that the Jets can win the Superbowl.

Hope makes sports special. Without it, I don’t think that sports would be so popular. People root for their favorite team because they want to feel like they are a part of something special. When their team wins the Superbowl, they feel like they contributed to the win. These people feel important. When I attended the National League Championship Series in 2006 with my dad, cheering for the Mets, I felt like my cheering helped the Mets.

More than the last game, are the games in between. As the team becomes more an more successful, hope starts to build up within the community. With every game Westside football won, more people started to believe Westside could win the state title. Not only do people follow sports with the hopes to win the championship, but also to experience the journey to the championship.

The accumulation of this hope, when a team is successful, is rewarding. This hope could be seen this past season in Westside football. With each game against Southwest, Prep and Millard West, the hope has grown. There weren’t tickets being sold out against the Prep game. Nor were tickets sold out against Millard West. But the tickets allocated for Westside to sell sold out for this game. Everyone wanted to be a part of the game. Regardless of the outcome, there was a positive energy felt throughout the season.