re: Stages of grief and LSU football.....

Who cares

quote:

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which stage of grief do you think most of our fanbase is currently experiencing?

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Different people are at different stages.

Right now, we have people in the following stages:

1. Denial--Deny the reality of the situation, block out the facts. These are the ones who still point to data from 2005 through 2007 as relevant to prove we are an elite SEC powerhouse today, even though the division has changed dramatically and we have only seriously contended* for the SEC West title once since then. Some of our fans were in this stage until the Alabama game, but many remain here.

(*-"seriously contended" means we entered the last two games of SEC play with a realistic chance to win the division)

2. Anger--Pain of loss is deflected, redirected and expressed instead as anger. In this stage, we complain about the referees, Nick Saban, Les Miles, Anthony Jennings, Cam Cameron, etc. There simply must be someone to blame for how badly we feel. A lot of our fans reached this stage after the Alabama game, a lot more after the Arkansas game. A lot of our fan base is probably in this stage right now.

3. Bargaining--A need to regain control. At this stage, we think of all the ways we can prevent the loss (the loss being referred to here and above is the loss of LSU's status as an elite powerhouse in the SEC and nationally). This stage is characterized by statements along the lines of "all we need is a good QB" or "Harris needs to start" or even "if we get a better OC (or head coach), we'll be fine". We also have a good many fans in this stage right now.

4. Depression--In this stage, we mourn the loss of our status and all that comes with it. We think how bad it will be to have to deal with fans of other schools. Often we will make statements along the lines of "we'll never win another championship" or "we're a laughingstock" or other things along this line. We may also withdraw and stop watching the games or pretend not to care any more. Basically, at this stage, everything sucks and it will never get better. We also have some, but not all that many, fans at this stage right now.

5. Acceptance--At this stage, LSU's status as an elite powerhouse is clearly lost, but we're OK with it. No, really. Not just numb, not just apathetic, but actually OK with it. At this stage, we will still be able to go to, watch and enjoy LSU football even though we know the team won't achieve much. I don't think we have very many, if any, fans at this stage yet, other than the older crowd who reached this stage long before the current period of success.