Happy New Year and welcome to the second half of the season! Many people make resolutions at the beginning of the year which they quit by April, and you know what that works perfectly with our schedule, so I’d like to share with you my Top 5 Red Wings fan resolutions for 2018 in hopes that you will join me in making this binding commitment. Should I falter, I give you all permission to yell “OATHBREAKER!” at me.
I will not let the performance of the Red Wings dictate my daily mood
It’s fun to get dramatic on social media, that’s what it’s for, but if you are the type of fan who throws their entire self into the team you may want to consider redirecting your emotions. Protect your heart and preserve your sanity.
I will not judge fans who let the performance of the Red Wings dictate their daily mood
I’ve been there, I’ve had times in my life where sports are what kept me going when the rest of life wasn’t working the way I wanted. Some of you may be living there right now, or some of you may just be generally emotionally invested people.
The Wings are a confusing and frustrating team right now, and repeated poor efforts and #DepressedZetterberg interviews may sour your mood all day and make you snappy both online and in real life. If you need to vent with a 10 tweet thread, do it!
I will stay invested in the team
Almost my whole lifetime later the other shoe has finally dropped for the Wings and we all have to decide what kind of fan we’re going to be during this time. The wins against the Rangers and Penguins was probably the most rowdy the fanbase has been all season, and it was really fun, so I am going to maintain that energy.
I personally have been fairly apathetic most of the season, not even having the enthusiasm to dump on the team with snark online. But not anymore! Whether it’s negative or positive, there is going to be an abundance of energy from me.
I will not join the fan police
Everybody is going to fan in their own way, and it does not affect me at all if someone just became a fan yesterday, if they only like one player, if they don’t understand the rules, if someone gives up fandom until the team is good, cheers for teams I hate, etc. That last one is the one that gets me, because I carry grudges forever, but I resolve to keep my ribbing good natured and not go on any tirades.
Well, I will go on many tirades, but not about how people fan.
I will make a random wager at least one game a week
I’m not sure it’s really a bet because there is no net gain for me regardless of outcome, it’s more a “If X happens, then I will do Y. If X does not happen, nothing happens.” My season long wager is that if Mantha reaches 30 goals I will sponsor an owl in his name from the World Owl Trust. I also have $1 for each penalty minute accrued by Ericsson for the WIIM Charity Challenge. Wagers can be anything, use your imagination. I think the other week I said if the Wings won the game by 2+ goals I would buy a Red Wings ornament (It was Santa in a rocket ship with a Wings logo). They did not, so I did not, but you get the idea.
So there you have it, my five resolutions as a Red Wings fan for the new year. Care to join me? If you really just don’t know how you can handle these Red Wings, you may want to consult the official Red Wings Fan Guide to Watching Your Team Go Bad.
If you have any non-sports resolutions this year, share in the comments so we can cheer you on!
