re: Those of you who know former players, what is their attitude toward LSU?

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Those of you who know former players, what is their attitude toward LSU?
Players hate to lose. But they don't sit there and dwell on the loss and analyze the season like people on here do.

First of all, they are busy getting ready for the next game.

Secondly, playing football is what they do, and they like doing it. They aren't rooting for the team to succeed like fans are... they ARE the team. The players view losses as personal lack of execution problems. They are not happy that they didn't play well, that the team didn't play well. They are not happy that they might not get to play for a NC.

But fans are upset with losses because it means the team they root for might not get another NC, or they might not have bragging rights with their friends.

Players aren't even thinking about what that means in the context of the football program, or the school.

Fans want LSU to win because they are fans of LSU. Players want to win because they want their team to win. They want to win personally.

So when LSU plays Clemson, they aren't thinking about "Clemson" vs. "LSU". They are thinking about "our team" vs. "their team".

My point is, they take losses differently than fans do. Fans take losses hard because they are fans of the "brand". They feel the brand represents them, and so they are unhappy if they live vicariously through that brand and it doesn't succeed.

But players aren't "fans" of LSU. Players don't want to lose because they are the competitors. They are competitive and want to beat all other teams. They don't care about the "brand" of LSU during the season and don't look at it the same way fans do.

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