Sports Philosophy Question - The Dynasty

[Alex Houston]

I haven't posted anything for a while, so I'm intrigued to see where this question goes. Suppose you had the ability to give one of your teams the ability a run of several championships, but thr tradeoff is they will be denied a for at least 30 years after the last title. How do you go about choosing which team to give it to? Just past success or is there some larger plan you would enact? Or, do you go rogue and simple refuse, willing to roll the dice every season?

[tp49]

Already happened...see the New York Islanders.

[crashcarson15]

I'll take just one title at some point in my lifetime. Just one.

[Funky Bunky]

Are those 30 years going to absolutely suck, or are they still going to be competitive?

[Alex Houston]

Are those 30 years going to absolutely suck, or are they still going to be competitive?

Let's say you deal with a middle road competitiveness for a couple years and then slide into mediocrity for a decade or so, before dabbling in wild card hopes but failing the last decade or so.

[Jaffa]

We've won bugger all in 109 years. I wouldn't turn my nose up at any trophy!

[Gothamite]

Are those 30 years going to absolutely suck, or are they still going to be competitive?

Let's say you deal with a middle road competitiveness for a couple years and then slide into mediocrity for a decade or so, before dabbling in wild card hopes but failing the last decade or so.

So, the Packers from the early 1970s through the mid-1990s?

[GFB]

From a Detroit Lions fan... Deal.

[RyanMcD29]

Given the Islanders doing just that as tp alluded to, I'd gladly swap a dynasty for a team that competes and wins titles over a spread out period of time

[Sguse1]

I'll take a Minnesota Vikings dynasty and then a return to who they have been ANY DAY.

[Cosmic]

Many of us have had the 30 years of losing without any championships, so I'd definitely take the deal.

[BlueSky]

Many of us have had the 30 years of losing without any championships, so I'd definitely take the deal.

But then you would have another 30. You're okay with that?

[Cosmic]

Many of us have had the 30 years of losing without any championships, so I'd definitely take the deal.

But then you would have another 30. You're okay with that?

Hell, I'd do it for one championship. If you told me for certain that in any random year in the next 30, the Bills and Sabres would win one and only one championship each, I'd take it in a heartbeat. So a full dynasty? Say three championships in five years? Hell yes. Even if you have a good team, there's no guarantee that you will win a championship. The transitory nature of players since the advent of free agency and the sheer number of teams make it harder to win championships. On average, assuming each team is run equally well, you'd only win one championship every thirty years or so anyway. Of course, some teams are run better and/or more attractive in other ways and that ups their chances of winning, but neither of my teams have that right now.

To me, there's an extra level of despair added onto every loss when you've never won. If my teams had a championship during my adult life, I think I'd just be able to mentally check off that box on my list and enjoy the sports themselves rather than getting tied up in the drama of winning and (mostly) losing. I have backed down from my fanaticism a bit in recent years (maybe a defense mechanism to protect my sanity?), but I still can't help but get attached to my schmuck teams every season and get my hopes up. I'd love to break that cycle.

[TalktoChuck]

Absolutely take the deal.

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

[Alex Houston]

We've won bugger all in 109 years. I wouldn't turn my nose up at any trophy!

Which team is that?

Many of us have had the 30 years of losing without any championships, so I'd definitely take the deal.

But then you would have another 30. You're okay with that?

Hell, I'd do it for one championship. If you told me for certain that in any random year in the next 30, the Bills and Sabres would win one and only one championship each, I'd take it in a heartbeat. So a full dynasty? Say three championships in five years? Hell yes. Even if you have a good team, there's no guarantee that you will win a championship. The transitory nature of players since the advent of free agency and the sheer number of teams make it harder to win championships. On average, assuming each team is run equally well, you'd only win one championship every thirty years or so anyway. Of course, some teams are run better and/or more attractive in other ways and that ups their chances of winning, but neither of my teams have that right now.

To me, there's an extra level of despair added onto every loss when you've never won. If my teams had a championship during my adult life, I think I'd just be able to mentally check off that box on my list and enjoy the sports themselves rather than getting tied up in the drama of winning and (mostly) losing. I have backed down from my fanaticism a bit in recent years (maybe a defense mechanism to protect my sanity?), but I still can't help but get attached to my schmuck teams every season and get my hopes up. I'd love to break that cycle.

I think this response makes the most sense. Since we get so attached to our teams, I think getting to say for a period of time that our team was the best for a couple years is a luxury few teams ever had or will have. So yea, I'd gladly sell out San Jose's future chances for four cups in six years. Maybe then we could get an invite to a freaking Winter Classic.

[Gothamite]

Yeah, we lived on the Packers' glory days for a long time. If you told me the Brewers would win three or four and we'd have to live off those for a couple decades after, I'd make that trade instantly.

[Jaffa]

We've won bugger all in 109 years. I wouldn't turn my nose up at any trophy!

Which team is that?

Hull City. No major silverware to speak of whatsoever!

[sc49erfan15]

One of my good friends and I were having a similar discussion a few days ago. We're both alumni of and big fans of Winthrop basketball, as well as die-hard football fans - him Bengals, me 49ers. Since Winthrop is a one-bid conference team ("mid-major," whatever you want to call it), winning a national championship is, uh... not really in question.

The debate was a Bengals/49ers Super Bowl win vs. how far Winthrop could make it in the NCAA Tournament, if it would be the only highly successful season each team would have for the rest of our lives. I took a Winthrop Elite Eight appearance over a 49ers Super Bowl win. He wouldn't go for anything less than a Winthrop Final Four appearance in exchange for a Bengals Super Bowl win.

[infrared41]

A dynasty now followed by mediocrity until I'm in my 80's? Since sports will probably be the least of my concerns by then, I'll take that deal.

[cappital92]

I think I'd do it if the titles were in my 40's, because then if I had kids who were sports fans, that would probably be around the time they'd really get into sports, so we could enjoy a dynasty together, then by the time the team can start winning titles again, I'd be in my 70's, so I'd hopefully be able to see another championship before I died.