Tired of Negativity

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jrower
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I don't know what it is, but for some reason people in BC have no patience and no optemism. Yes, this is not a great start to the season. Yes, it is frustrating. However, there is no need to play the blame game. It may be that I am a young fan and have not been let down much over the years and eventually I will develop this negative attitude that other fans have, but at least now I like to look at the positives. The main positive is that this could have been a 2-1 season start. This should have at least been a 1-2 series start, but there were some mistakes made by the team. Other positives, this last game, we saw some great running plays and Robertson actually got to hold the ball and run with it. We had less penalties. A couple of penalties at bad times cost some yards, but there were less. We had less missed tackles. The recievers were not to blame for the incompletes at the start of the game. Once Lulay got himself calmed down, he played much better. Unfortunately it took him until late in the second quarter. Yet it is his second year as a starter and he only took over as starter half way through last year, so it is really his first year as a starter. Other positives, Edmonton has a weak point. Their kicking needs massive improvement. Messam also didn't do as much damage as it was feared he might. Edmonton does not go for big plays. Their success is in many shorter plays with occasional after the catch yardage. Once teams figure out how to best counteract that, they can be beaten. More positives. We are better than Saskatchewan who seem to have collapsed this year. We are also very potentially better than Calgary.

I am tired of negativity. Not because of people online being negative, but because my father is negative. I can't watch games with him any more. Not after the number of negative comments he has every game. The negativity of people online just adds too much to that base level he gives me. Among my father's negative comments. He does not like Buono as a coach and I guess he thinks Wally is getting old and losing his touch. He complains about many of Wally's decisions. Messam, going with young recievers, keeping Lulay in the game early on saturday (he thinks Lulay should have been sat down for a drive or two), and he feels Buono gets players who are not very smart (also a knock against many players who he leaves mostly unnamed). He also does not like Chapdelaine. He fears that when Buono steps down as head coach Chapdelaine will ge the promotion and then we will be in big trouble. My dad also complains about McCallum and how he should have retired and he thinks McCallum can't produce and yet every time he does produce, he shrugs it off. He thought Robertson wasn't a good running back and that was why he wasn't running. On top of all the negativity about the team (and there is more) he complains constantly about the tv commentators and about how the officiating is done by guys who are not proffesional officials. paid per game. He has many other negative things to say. Rarely do I hear positives, unless I force him to loook on the bright side. If I wasn't there he would stop watching the game part way through. It is what he does with Canucks games. Now, he is a Canuck fan more than a Lions fan. Until I started showing real interest in the Lions he didn't care too much. I think he had Canuck negativity and passes it on to the Lions. I am just tired of it. I don't think it is just him. I think it is a plague, an epedemic that has harmed BC and its teams for far too long. Why do you have to look at all the bad things and play the blame game? It does not help as a fan. It just causes more stress. Try to think positive. It will make you feel better and probably extend your life. Negativity gets you nowhere. Also, how does the team feel when everyone in their fan base is negative? Avoid making them feel bad and show positivity. A positive attitude is key to helping them perform better. They need to see our support. If they lose it, they won't play as well. Help them psychologically by at least trying to be positive. If you don't feel positive, fake it. Go with the concept of "Fake it until you make it" Fake positivity until you actually feel it.

I challenge all those of you who tend to be negative to fake positivity for a week. If you don't feel better by this time next week, then go back to the dark side and never listen to me again. I, however, prefer to stay in the light side, looking at the good aspects of life.
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Sir Purrcival
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Wow, quite a comment. You are right, negativity can be oppressive and unproductive but I guess that depends on what you consider negativity. Some might call it realism. You point out some facts about the season thus far and it is true that had a mistake not been made here, or flag not flown there, that they could have been 2 and 1 or maybe even undefeated. However if wishes were horseshoes, we'd all have concussions. It is fine to try and take a broader view on events but not everybody is going to share that viewpoint nor should they. It is ultimately the satisfaction of the fan that drives change and if everyone takes the view of "well, it was better than last week", this team will likely continue along what has been a stumbling, bumbling course for 4 years. The goal of the Lions is to win a Grey Cup every year. Most people are happy enough when the Lions are at least competitive but that has been lacking a lot in the last few seasons. And just like gravity, it is inevitable that patience is going to start to run thin particularly when fans continue to see the same kinds of mistakes made over and over again.

There are more important things in life than a game to be sure but when things aren't going well during a season, optimism is not likely something to be seen a whole lot on a fan forum site. However, a reminder that things have a positive side is not remiss either as sometimes positives can be ignored in the face of bleakness. It may be a as somewhat lonely path to tread on occasion.
Tell me how long must a fan be strong? Ans. Always.
espn24
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With you all the way .
jrower
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Sir Purrcival wrote:Wow, quite a comment. You are right, negativity can be oppressive and unproductive but I guess that depends on what you consider negativity. Some might call it realism. You point out some facts about the season thus far and it is true that had a mistake not been made here, or flag not flown there, that they could have been 2 and 1 or maybe even undefeated. However if wishes were horseshoes, we'd all have concussions. It is fine to try and take a broader view on events but not everybody is going to share that viewpoint nor should they. It is ultimately the satisfaction of the fan that drives change and if everyone takes the view of "well, it was better than last week", this team will likely continue along what has been a stumbling, bumbling course for 4 years. The goal of the Lions is to win a Grey Cup every year. Most people are happy enough when the Lions are at least competitive but that has been lacking a lot in the last few seasons. And just like gravity, it is inevitable that patience is going to start to run thin particularly when fans continue to see the same kinds of mistakes made over and over again.

There are more important things in life than a game to be sure but when things aren't going well during a season, optimism is not likely something to be seen a whole lot on a fan forum site. However, a reminder that things have a positive side is not remiss either as sometimes positives can be ignored in the face of bleakness. It may be a as somewhat lonely path to tread on occasion.
I agree with you that as fans you can't just say, "Hey, that was fine with me. Just keep playing like that." That is not what I expect from people. However, you can't start saying that everything sucks and that you are going to give up on them. Tell the team, "I was not very impressed with that result. I want you to do better, and I believe that you are capable of it. You have shown us your potential, now act on it, please. We Believe In You." If you dwell on the negative then they feel you don't believe in them. It is not our jobs to point out the negatives. It is not our job to dwell on the bad things. That is the job of the coaches and players. They are the professionals. They look at the games and try to imporve and execute. They need our support.
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notahomer
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Pessimism doesn't help much. However, optimism does have its problems too. Many of us remember the 11-0 start to a season that ended terribly. A small minority (not me) started to warn us that some 'signs' were there. That season and the playoffs ended badly, IMO. We got to watch the Esks drink out of the Grey Cup on our turf. So, blindfully having faith is not going to do it for me.

I for one was excited coming into this season. I saw a swagger and confidence that left me hoping this would be a good year. I enjoyed the preseason game where the Lions well, IMO.

Now, we are 0-3 and seeing so many of the same mistakes and the same 'yah buts'. One of the Coaches (Benevides?) had a slogan 'shut up and win' . I'd like to see the players and coaches follow through on that mantra.
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Toppy Vann
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Some good points but what do you really expect when it becomes even the joke of cartoonists that the Lions can't and won't run the football and their coaches say it is too hard to teach and they can't do it? The mantra from the Lions GM/HC on down sets the tone here.

People see talented football players and a talented team and QB and lousy results. It is how they are losing more than losing that grates fans.

We have heard that it is NEVER schemes but execution.

We heard that the OC would study the run all off season - but now they can't run. Other teams can and do.

The Wally Kool-Aid is getting as stale as the regime he is leading. I very much admire his loyalty to these young Canadian assistants and no one has done more to develop Canadian assistants or care about Canadian coaches than Wally Buono. He just is not being well served by these guys even more so by Jacques C who had reservations bringing back after Edmonton - but yet he did.

Damon Allen left BC as a very good QB who lost the fan base and it turned out to be a good situation for him as he led Toronto successfully. Maybe next year it is time for a change with OC for the good of their team and the fans.

On the bright side, the team is down 3 games early in the season and the first two losses were close and those games were winnable (last one due to bad catching). This one was not close but the good news is that the Esks are really the top team in the West right now until wheels start falling off that wagon.

It just takes ONE win in the CFL to get on a roll but it is looking more and more that the Buono regime is not starting to get stale with BC fans.
"Ability without character will lose." - Marv Levy
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notahomer
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Yah, I just snuck a peek at the fifth quarter. 28 posts! Most pretty negative.
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Anglophone
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jrower wrote:He fears that when Buono steps down as head coach Chapdelaine will ge the promotion and then we will be in big trouble.
Oh my god. I can picture that now.

Your father sounds like mine, actually. It frustrates me more than the play on the field, sometimes.
jrower
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Anglophone wrote:
jrower wrote:He fears that when Buono steps down as head coach Chapdelaine will ge the promotion and then we will be in big trouble.
Oh my god. I can picture that now.

Your father sounds like mine, actually. It frustrates me more than the play on the field, sometimes.
Well, my dad wants to watch games with me, but at this point I just can't. Not any more. I can handle/ignore negative comments online. But when you have to hear them CONSTANTLY throughout the game, it gets tiring. That was my main reason for posting the comment in the first place. I don't think I can bear to watch the game with him next week. I can always play the superstition card. They play better when I watch in my room. Last year I was working at a camp on one of the Gulf Islands during the summer and look at how the season started. It sounds bad, but I'm 21. I can decide who I watch the game with and watching sports with him has just become painful.
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Sir Purrcival
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jrower wrote:
Sir Purrcival wrote:Wow, quite a comment. You are right, negativity can be oppressive and unproductive but I guess that depends on what you consider negativity. Some might call it realism. You point out some facts about the season thus far and it is true that had a mistake not been made here, or flag not flown there, that they could have been 2 and 1 or maybe even undefeated. However if wishes were horseshoes, we'd all have concussions. It is fine to try and take a broader view on events but not everybody is going to share that viewpoint nor should they. It is ultimately the satisfaction of the fan that drives change and if everyone takes the view of "well, it was better than last week", this team will likely continue along what has been a stumbling, bumbling course for 4 years. The goal of the Lions is to win a Grey Cup every year. Most people are happy enough when the Lions are at least competitive but that has been lacking a lot in the last few seasons. And just like gravity, it is inevitable that patience is going to start to run thin particularly when fans continue to see the same kinds of mistakes made over and over again.

There are more important things in life than a game to be sure but when things aren't going well during a season, optimism is not likely something to be seen a whole lot on a fan forum site. However, a reminder that things have a positive side is not remiss either as sometimes positives can be ignored in the face of bleakness. It may be a as somewhat lonely path to tread on occasion.
I agree with you that as fans you can't just say, "Hey, that was fine with me. Just keep playing like that." That is not what I expect from people. However, you can't start saying that everything sucks and that you are going to give up on them. Tell the team, "I was not very impressed with that result. I want you to do better, and I believe that you are capable of it. You have shown us your potential, now act on it, please. We Believe In You." If you dwell on the negative then they feel you don't believe in them. It is not our jobs to point out the negatives. It is not our job to dwell on the bad things. That is the job of the coaches and players. They are the professionals. They look at the games and try to improve and execute. They need our support.

I think the problem is that many people have been doing just that for 3 years. In order for those in a position to actually act on some of these things, they need to agree that there is an issue. For years, fans of this team have been questioning the decisions and leadership of the coaching staff. Two in particular, Buono for his game time gaffs and Chapdelaine for his lack of creativity have faced repeated criticism and had a plethora of chances to get it right. Unfortunately, Buono is basically the last word on all these things and he doesn't seem to see things the way the rest of us do. If he had results to back him up, he could rightfully say "your out to lunch" but the fact is he doesn't. Everything that has been repeated as a concern ad nauseum over the years still appears to be as big a concern as it ever was with no sign of Wally being any closer to shining the spotlight on himself and his teams coaches. You suggest support. Wally has made it very clear over the years that he knows best and that only when he is absolutely up against the wall, is he willing to even look at doing things differently. Sadly, in the opinion of some, including myself reluctantly, things have gotten to the point where we have lost faith in the decision making of Mr. Buono and once you reach that point, support is one of the furthest things from your mind. As I posted in another thread, I am thinking that maybe the best thing for this team now would be a disaster of a season, miss the playoffs and then perhaps, finally, some steps will be taken with the coaches not just the players. It isn't that we don't see the positives (I speak for myself at least) but that there is an overriding frustration that comes from the level of success on the field not being what it should be. That and the sense that the problems are systemic (i.e. the coaching) not talent and that this hierarchy seems unwilling to acknowledge and address their own shortcomings. Don't be too hard on us negative nellies. For most of us, it has taken years to get to this place.
Tell me how long must a fan be strong? Ans. Always.
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Anglophone
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I have terrible luck picking games to go to, which makes the situation worse. I haven't been to a Lions home game that we've won since 2004. Extremely disappointing. Watching a bad game on TV is frustrating, watching it in person is maddening, especially if you can only get out for one or two games a season.

And I'm going to the game next week against Hamilton. :pray:
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cromartie
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It may be that I am a young fan and have not been let down much over the years and eventually I will develop this negative attitude that other fans have, but at least now I like to look at the positives
With age comes wisdom. With wisdom comes experience. With experience comes the ability to spot trends, and point out the negative ones.

See them repeated enough and frustration sets in.

Understand that those around you who are negative don't necessarily hate the product. They want to love it and see it improve as much as you.

But, as I tell people, if you want unconditional love, stop being a sports fan and get a dog.
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BCLions4Ever
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jrower,

I felt the same way this morning and still do. Nothing wrong with saying how a person feels, as long as they are offering solutions, suggestions or constructive criticism. Two knobs posted to the BC Lions Facebook page and pissed me off today. One simply said "The Lions Suck" and the other said "Travis Lulay is a bum". My first thought is "if you can't sday anything nce, or at least intelligent, don't say anything" and my second is "you are not really fans if you respond that way." I looked at their profiles and they didn't exactly appear to be "upstanding', so Icalled them out and asked 'em if they'd looked in a mirror lately. Obviously it was that useless type of negativity that was eating at me as well.

So I went through the video highlights of the last three games and made a short Youtube video showing where the bright spots are as a bit of positivity to make me feel better. You can watch it here if you want - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CudwNAiyP6E . You'll see there's defintely talent on this team. If what you see in the video could all take place in one game - WOW!!!

I hope your dad sees that he is not accomplishing anything by complaining and pointing the finger all the time. I'm probably about the same age as him but I'd hate to watch a game with him. And I think a real fan doesn't quit his team when times are tough - that would be like giving up on your family. At least that is how I feel about it.
Last edited by BCLions4Ever on Mon Jul 18, 2011 9:07 am, edited 1 time in total.
jrower
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cromartie wrote:But, as I tell people, if you want unconditional love, stop being a sports fan and get a dog.
I can't get a dog. I'm allergic.
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BCLions4Ever
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Anglophone wrote:I have terrible luck picking games to go to, which makes the situation worse. I haven't been to a Lions home game that we've won since 2004. Extremely disappointing. Watching a bad game on TV is frustrating, watching it in person is maddening, especially if you can only get out for one or two games a season.

And I'm going to the game next week against Hamilton. :pray:
Damn, I guess our fate is sealed then......how about you stay home? I love sports superstitions - let's see, I wore my favourite jersey and hat when I watched the first game and we lost, so I changed it up for game 2 and we lost, but I know that it's not logical to think this way, so against my better judgement I wore a combination of Game 1 and 2 and we still lost. What do I have to do, wear the opposing team's jersey? Maybe it wasn't me and there was some other fan who lost their lucky BC Lions hat....

I got lucky last year - the only game I could make was Sept 11 and it was the first Lion's win at Empire. That game made it all worthwhile for me - and then the season began to really improve. I hope that this year isn't the same - my first game will be Sept 10.......

Go to the game and have fun, yell and scream and WEAR ORANGE!!!! Soak it all in and just enjoy. I'd like to say we'll win regardless, but I'm not sure about that. I've been saying we'll win every game so far and we haven't, so I'm just going to say nothing....I don't want to jinx the Lions.........
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