This Has Been The Sports Weekend From Hell If You're a Jets/Mets Fan

I brought my dog Melfi to the dog park about an hour before the NFL slate kicked off. It is a perfect weather outside today in New York City. 80 degrees, sunny with a breeze. Melfi did great at the park, chasing down tennis balls in the air looking like when Torii Hunter patrolled center field in his prime. Walking back from the park, I questioned my sanity a bit. I was choosing to literally turn my back on what would be a lovely day to watch the Jets and the Mets. 

The Jets, who haven't made the playoffs in 15 seasons. The Mets, who have lost 8 in a row and are now face to face to with one of the greatest collapses in baseball history.

This whole weekend has been a sports nightmare. I went to the game Friday and watched Jonah Tong get lit up for 6 runs in the first inning while Jacob deGrom held the Mets in check. Somewhere Bob Lobel wonders why we can't get players like that. It was a lackluster effort in a game that's critical when the team is in a virtual tie for the Wild Card.

Gordon Donovan. Shutterstock Images.

Saturday started great. It was another beautiful day in the city. The Mets had what they call the Alumni Game (it's the old-timers game) before the actual Mets game. it was awesome seeing guys like Mike Piazza, Johan Santana, Curtis Granderson, Bartolo Colon and other guys out there. It put the whole stadium in a great mood…until the Mets wasted a brilliant Brandon Sproat start and blew a 2-0 lead. 

This game broke me. Up until this game, I was looking at the Wild Card standings, the talent in the lineup and remained positive. This team is too good to be this bad. After Saturday, maybe they aren't as good as I thought/hoped. Thankfully the Reds and Giants both lost. But there was a golden opportunity to put this race to bed this past week and the Mets had completely blown it.

Which brings us to today's Jets/Bills "game". This was a brutal mismatch that wasn't as close as the 30-10 final made it seem. I've been awful with my NFL picks this season and even I knew to stay away from this one. 

To make matters worse, Justin Fields got hurt.

The season is over and it's not even September 15th. But who am I even fooling with that? This season was over before the last one ended. It's clearly better for the franchise if they lose rather than win the rest of this season. But how many more years of that can you take? Sports is supposed to have pain, but it's also supposed to be fun at times. There is nothing enjoyable about this team.

I know some of you are chuckling reading this and saying that of course it sucks being a Jets fan. But, good moments actually used to exist. From 1998-2009, they made the playoffs eight times and went to the AFC Championship three times. Is that awesome? Of course not. But there were things to be excited about. There were fun times. Those no longer exist.

Why do we do this to ourselves? Is sports even worth it? What if we liked other things? I know some people look at non-sports fans and wonder how they spend their Sundays. I can say with all certainty that I would be a better human being if I didn't like the Jets. I'd probably have spent those Sundays enjoying more museums, movies and so many nice autumn days. On the other hand, is anything these non-NFL people doing as enjoyable as being a Chiefs or Eagles fan these past 15 years? Or being a Pats fan this century? I'd guess not.

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Pete Alonso saved this weekend (and maybe the Mets entire season) from being a complete dumpster fire with this walk-off home run.

Maybe that's why we watch. That thrill from something that's unscripted and instant is unmatched in entertainment. You live for those moments as a sports fan.

But what do you do when your team stops providing them for 15 years and the future looks bleak? When do you walk away? I'll still be watching the Jets next week even if Tyrod Taylor is the QB. But I have been starting to ask myself why do I keep doing this. If you've been in a long-term relationship, you know that's never a good question to be asking yourself.

I got divorced once already. It wound up being one of the best things that could have happened to me. Guessing my ex-wife would say the same thing. We weren't a good match. I watch the Jets because I want them to win and do well. It makes me really happy when they do.

But what if the good times don't come back? Is this really worth my time?