The Joy of Hate, revisited
An oldie but goodie, from December 2006. My, how times have changed (and changed yet again). Suffice it to say that the joy of hate lives on. Go Caps!
According to recent news stories, the failures of the current owners to secure either a new arena or a new, more prosperous ownership group may mean the end of the Pittsburgh Penguins. While, if the team moves (and takes another name, like the Kansas City Losers) they will still consist of the same players. So, I’m left to wonder, is there something fun about hate? Will the end of the team I’ve hated for as long as I’ve been a hockey fan in fact make me sad? Is there joy in hate?
A similar thought has entered my mind throughout this particular NFL season (and the last couple) as the Oakland Raiders (the only sports team that comes close to the same hatred I feel for the Pens) have deteriorated to the point that they have become nearly sympathetic. There is, in fact, no joy in despising them lately. It’s hard to hate something so pathetic, so awful. My hatred of the Raiders has become something that instead borders on pity. What fun is that?
The Pens have had their own awful seasons, but unlike the Raiders (who the Broncos and the rest of the NFL teams beat up on regularly), the Pens have continued to have my beloved Capitals’ number. No matter how good we might be, no matter how bad they might be, the beat us with almost assured regularlity.
The recent game in the Caps’ home arena when we went up 4-0 only to lose 5-4 in overtime may stand the test of time as one of the most painful losses I as a sports fan have ever experienced. There is something about a year in which we succeed in every other way but fail to beat the Pens that, ultimately, feels like a failure overall.
But, in the same vein, a year in which we fail miserably but beat the Pens? In the end, that’s what keeps me going. We sucked, but we beat the Pens.
These are the losses and the victories that define you. The ones in which you play the biggest of enemies.
There is joy in hate. It is choosing who you hate and how you react to that that keeps us sane.
So, here for public consumption, I admit it. While the potential demise of the Pens should have me jumping with glee, deep inside I know that we want them around. Hating them is one of the purest joys in a Caps fan’s otherwise miserable existence.
