sportsjabber.net

Americans are drawn to failure. Nothing eases personal suffering as quickly as witnessing another’s bout with  futility. Am I wrong? American Idol is one of the highest rated television programs each year. Do you tune in to watch good performers advance or to catch the expressions and emotions of those that fail? The highest rated shows are the earliest in the season, which just happen to be more about failure than success. William Hung is a famous loser, with his name etched in our brains and categorized under “failure”. How many advancing contestants from Hung’s American Idol season can you name?…Exactly.

I spent part of my life living in the Garden State, and I never knew the New Jersey Institute of Technology existed. They were insignificant in athletics, achieving nothing. Suddenly, they began to make headlines, producing a product America is eager to purchase…LOSING.

NJIT, only 3 years into Division I play, took misery to a new level, dropping 51 consecutive games, dating back to February of 2007. Each loss generated a new headline, as the count continued. And just when we latched on to the story and struggles, the unthinkable occurs…They WIN.

702 days on the basketball court, and the nation’s longest losing streak is finally over. The Highlanders defeated Bryant on Wednesday night, and we witnessed the court-storming of a 1-18 program. And guess who achieved a sudden moment in the sun? It’s their opponents, from Bryant, who became the biggest losers on this night. When was the last time a final score for a Bryant game made national headlines?…Hmm.

Am I insensitive? I’d say not. Were viewers insensitive for piling on the Giants bandwagon in last year’s Super Bowl, desperately hoping for an end to New England’s perfection? How many of those same viewers rooted for the Detroit Lions to finish 0-16? How many would have been crushed had they won that final game? I desperately pulled for USC’s football team to hold off Stanford in 2007, and preserve a home win streak that spanned 6 years. But I’d be a fool to think the rest of the country wanted the same, and the Cardinal upset satisfied their hunger for failure. I’m not insensitive. I’m just American. If there’s a streak of perfection, we want it to end. If a franchize or program is suffering in prolonged misery, we want it to continue.

NJIT is off the list. They can now fade back into that state of insignificance.  Another loss won’t be publicized, nor another victory.  It’s time to hunt for someone new, someone that will give America what she desires.