Tom Pitt
Well-Known Member
(Game 5 vs the team of the clutch fans (Terrible name. Seriously.) Buzzer sounded and the Jazz were headed another early summer exit. This is relative of course. But if it's title or bust, then we've had 39 such seasons? At least since the team came to Utah. I wasn't born for quite a few of those but am old enough to have caught the tail of the Stockton and Malone era, just before it started running on fumes. I was lucky. But that also means if you have treasured memories of those days, you might be getting old.
(Random thought: Don't believe me? I just turned 31 last month; not long after someone pointed out a few greying strands of hair. Just the tips, but a portent of some coming wrinkles, achy joints, and perhaps a home in Sun River St George.)
And just like players have a certain window of time to make money and play, every fan has a window of time to see their team win it all. Consider Cub and Red Sox fans who passed before the turn of the century. I mean, can you imagine being born in the 30's and you are a die heard fan of the Sox and then you slip into eternity (Positive energy... so I prefer euphemisms. You're welcome) in like 1995, or 2000, or i don't know... September of 2004? And then in heaven, or whatever version of the afterlife you believe in, that is if you believe in one, (You see how tedious it can be to make everyone happy?) perhaps you get a chance to tune in, but at that point you're so over your earthly existence you don't even care anymore. Who knows, by then you might be constructing you're own planet of people where there's actually Xmen and avocados that stay at their peak ripeness for longer than 10 minutes (shout out to Joseph Smith. I don't mean that insincerely. And I believe in a God who finds that idea amusing. But it is no matter, a lot of you don't care!)
Let me tell you something about fandom. It's not everything you think it is, at least, not really. It's more about something to look forward to than it is about watching your team drenched in champagne and puffing victoriously on cigars Will-Smith-in-Independence-Day style. Consider the Cleveland Brown, the Sacramento Kings, or the New York Pedestrians (Why isn't that their name btw?) faithful. They can't teach us much we don't already know. But then again, the Jazz front office execs won't be found obliviously reading the morning newspaper upside down. I'd surmise they say and do smart things 10 times more than the afore mentioned club puzzle solvers. Not to mention, an exclusive cultish sect of Jazz twitter still suspects Dennis Lindsey to be one of the 3 Nephites. (and Donovan Mitchell to be another.)
So here is my point, some teams have more to look forward to than others just purely because of the acumen of decision makers in power. Those others clubs I've spouted off, they are pitted against some gnarly narratives, that must be difficult for fans to really come to grips with. Hence, the delusion we often see among their fanbases (I'm especially looking you Laker fans. Alas the Jim Buss era is over, but man you guys got it easy.) Just consider for a moment, the legacies of David Kahn, Bill King, Vlade (Vlllaaaaaaadddddeeee!!), Isaiah Thomas (I could go on… for a bit). Though not infallible, KOC, DL… the current era of Jazz basketball has not sported such decision making monstrosities. To the contrary, their body of work has been at the very least respectable. The Jazz are mindful of competence and have always plugged their noses at the smell of win now moves that dim the outlook of future years. Contrast that with the James Dolan Knicks for example. An incandescent embarrassment of bad roster moves and what I can only interpret as purposeful stupidity. Homer Simpson could compile a better track record were he real and given the chance. So, let’s take a moment to pay tribute to the basketball gods delivering from on high the Great Baylor Bear to plug in as president commander and chief. (Just no more injuries, please).
So back to the aforementioned point preceded by my narcissistic statement about you being ignorant to what fandom is. There can only be one 1 winner. And when you consider the clout of star power in the NBA, and how the best players win.. most of the time. And the long standing trend of super teams (I.e. LeBron did not start this.) Winning it all can’t be the foundational truth of fandom. It’s the battles won, here and there, and the narratives that emerge along the way. It’s the part about anticipation and intrigue and suspense. And a lot of you, if not most, probably already know that. But I highlight it only for the fans who, fizzle out the front doors of the VIV and never return or worse return casually and occasionally. The fans who complain about never winning anything. The fans who, and you know what I’m talking about when I say this, say I used to watch the Jazz when Stockton and Malone played. The fans who annoy the Sh** out of me.
Fandom is about a lot more than winning it all. It’s about community, a context to cultivate friendships, A venue to make memories and— this time of year— as a St George native sweltering in the barren lands of Dixie, Fandom is light at the end of the tunnel of the canicular months. It’s a portent to hoodies and hot chocolate and the unveiling of autumn (Yeah yeah, I know there’s only two seasons down here).
Don’t get me wrong, winning it all sounds great. And it would certainly be the highlight of my tenure as a Jazz fan. But all the other stuff is what keeps me coming back. And if we never win it all, it’s still enough. It was a peeved Herm Edwards who uttered the immortal words, "You play to win the game." And he wasn't maybe right, rather unequivocally so. Yet, sometimes, I find my self thinking the journey is just as good as the destination, as long as it's a journey filled with intrigue, excitement, anticipation, heroics and a cool cast of characters like Donovan Spidaman Mitchell, Joe how-is-this-dude-good-at-defense Ingles, Quin "tommy-gun-fondling-coked-up-stock-broker-mad-genuius Snyder and Rudy "Stifle Tower" Gobert to name just a few. And Quite honestly, when you really think about it, we’ve never had it so good.
(Random thought: Don't believe me? I just turned 31 last month; not long after someone pointed out a few greying strands of hair. Just the tips, but a portent of some coming wrinkles, achy joints, and perhaps a home in Sun River St George.)
And just like players have a certain window of time to make money and play, every fan has a window of time to see their team win it all. Consider Cub and Red Sox fans who passed before the turn of the century. I mean, can you imagine being born in the 30's and you are a die heard fan of the Sox and then you slip into eternity (Positive energy... so I prefer euphemisms. You're welcome) in like 1995, or 2000, or i don't know... September of 2004? And then in heaven, or whatever version of the afterlife you believe in, that is if you believe in one, (You see how tedious it can be to make everyone happy?) perhaps you get a chance to tune in, but at that point you're so over your earthly existence you don't even care anymore. Who knows, by then you might be constructing you're own planet of people where there's actually Xmen and avocados that stay at their peak ripeness for longer than 10 minutes (shout out to Joseph Smith. I don't mean that insincerely. And I believe in a God who finds that idea amusing. But it is no matter, a lot of you don't care!)
Let me tell you something about fandom. It's not everything you think it is, at least, not really. It's more about something to look forward to than it is about watching your team drenched in champagne and puffing victoriously on cigars Will-Smith-in-Independence-Day style. Consider the Cleveland Brown, the Sacramento Kings, or the New York Pedestrians (Why isn't that their name btw?) faithful. They can't teach us much we don't already know. But then again, the Jazz front office execs won't be found obliviously reading the morning newspaper upside down. I'd surmise they say and do smart things 10 times more than the afore mentioned club puzzle solvers. Not to mention, an exclusive cultish sect of Jazz twitter still suspects Dennis Lindsey to be one of the 3 Nephites. (and Donovan Mitchell to be another.)
So here is my point, some teams have more to look forward to than others just purely because of the acumen of decision makers in power. Those others clubs I've spouted off, they are pitted against some gnarly narratives, that must be difficult for fans to really come to grips with. Hence, the delusion we often see among their fanbases (I'm especially looking you Laker fans. Alas the Jim Buss era is over, but man you guys got it easy.) Just consider for a moment, the legacies of David Kahn, Bill King, Vlade (Vlllaaaaaaadddddeeee!!), Isaiah Thomas (I could go on… for a bit). Though not infallible, KOC, DL… the current era of Jazz basketball has not sported such decision making monstrosities. To the contrary, their body of work has been at the very least respectable. The Jazz are mindful of competence and have always plugged their noses at the smell of win now moves that dim the outlook of future years. Contrast that with the James Dolan Knicks for example. An incandescent embarrassment of bad roster moves and what I can only interpret as purposeful stupidity. Homer Simpson could compile a better track record were he real and given the chance. So, let’s take a moment to pay tribute to the basketball gods delivering from on high the Great Baylor Bear to plug in as president commander and chief. (Just no more injuries, please).
So back to the aforementioned point preceded by my narcissistic statement about you being ignorant to what fandom is. There can only be one 1 winner. And when you consider the clout of star power in the NBA, and how the best players win.. most of the time. And the long standing trend of super teams (I.e. LeBron did not start this.) Winning it all can’t be the foundational truth of fandom. It’s the battles won, here and there, and the narratives that emerge along the way. It’s the part about anticipation and intrigue and suspense. And a lot of you, if not most, probably already know that. But I highlight it only for the fans who, fizzle out the front doors of the VIV and never return or worse return casually and occasionally. The fans who complain about never winning anything. The fans who, and you know what I’m talking about when I say this, say I used to watch the Jazz when Stockton and Malone played. The fans who annoy the Sh** out of me.
Fandom is about a lot more than winning it all. It’s about community, a context to cultivate friendships, A venue to make memories and— this time of year— as a St George native sweltering in the barren lands of Dixie, Fandom is light at the end of the tunnel of the canicular months. It’s a portent to hoodies and hot chocolate and the unveiling of autumn (Yeah yeah, I know there’s only two seasons down here).
Don’t get me wrong, winning it all sounds great. And it would certainly be the highlight of my tenure as a Jazz fan. But all the other stuff is what keeps me coming back. And if we never win it all, it’s still enough. It was a peeved Herm Edwards who uttered the immortal words, "You play to win the game." And he wasn't maybe right, rather unequivocally so. Yet, sometimes, I find my self thinking the journey is just as good as the destination, as long as it's a journey filled with intrigue, excitement, anticipation, heroics and a cool cast of characters like Donovan Spidaman Mitchell, Joe how-is-this-dude-good-at-defense Ingles, Quin "tommy-gun-fondling-coked-up-stock-broker-mad-genuius Snyder and Rudy "Stifle Tower" Gobert to name just a few. And Quite honestly, when you really think about it, we’ve never had it so good.
Last edited:
