Watching sports as a fan of a bad franchise might be one of the worst feelings in the entire world.

“When they win, I feel complete, but when they lose, I just want to die,” freshman Kevin Bland said regarding the Buffalo Sabres. 

Being a fan of a bad franchise isn’t just a fandom, it’s a lifestyle. The ups and downs that constantly come with being a fan of certain teams takes a toll on the mind. As a Sacramento Kings fan, I have firsthand experience. 

My entire life, the Kings have been nothing short of a poverty franchise. From the day I was born, the Kings have made the NBA playoffs exactly twice: once in 2006 and once in 2023. That’s a 16-year playoff drought, which at the time, was the longest in NBA history. 

The lack of winning isn’t a recent trend. The Kings’ only NBA championship came in 1951. Since then, they have yet to return to the NBA Finals, resulting in the longest active finals drought in NBA history.

But for me and many others, the mental health issues don’t come from the long droughts or consistent losing seasons. It comes from the ownership and players.

“Ever since Terry Pegula bought the Sabres, they haven’t made the playoffs until this year. Sometimes I question how he got so rich,” Bland said.

Terry Pegula bought the Buffalo Sabres in 2011. Since then, they have only made the playoffs this past season.

Pegula also owns the Buffalo Bills and is known around upstate New York as quite the cheapskate for both franchises. Despite some recent playoff success, the Bills have also not been in their glory days since he purchased the team.

“When I knew the product on the court was going to be poor, I would not watch my team whether due to injuries or players just not caring,” said Sean Lippe, a Los Angeles Lakers fan that values watching players who want to be and should be on the floor. 

When players stop caring, so do fans. For me, this past season was nothing short of that. Going into the season, I was ready to watch some of the Kings younger players get minutes and grow as professionals. 

But from the first game, I could tell the mission of the team was off. The team was built to contend, but everyone knew this was not a team capable of winning. With a first-year head coach in Doug Christie and the young players like Maxime Raynaud and Nique Clifford not playing due to the emphasis on winning, there was frustration from the very beginning.

I knew from the first month of the season that this year was going to be an emotional rollercoaster. From the heartbreaking losses to the constant blood boiling rotations, this season was one best overlooked.

The mental health struggles don’t just stop when the game is over. Bullying, in person and over social media, is another huge cause for mental health issues for fans whose teams are constantly the punching bag.  

“I can’t even sit and enjoy the baseball game because fans are heckling me and not watching their team. It makes me lose interest,” said junior Logan Bjerklie regarding his experience wearing a White Sox jersey to a Chicago Cubs game. 

At times, it feels as if sports can lose their sense of direction when it comes to fans. Some say outrageous and nasty things to players and other fans. It can make fans rethink why they are even there.

But fans of bad teams will never give up on their team. No matter how much pain and suffering they cause, fans will always support due to their loyalty.

“I feel like I’d make my grandfather disappointed. I’d make my father disappointed and I just think it’s morally wrong,” Bjerklie said.

Loyalty, or the lack thereof, does not necessarily have to be intergenerational, either.

“I’ve been a Lakers fan for too long. People would accuse me of being a bandwagon or Lebron follower,” Lippe said.

Fans’ loyalty is unbreakable, which is why they will always support their teams despite the stress.

It’s a slippery slope to be a fan of bad teams in professional sports. From the constant let downs on the court to the harassment faced online or in person, being a fan of certain teams can feel not worth it at times. 

But when you reach the end of each season and your hopes return, that is what continues to bring fans back.

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