My Favorite Moments in Sports, Part 3

Sometimes you just gotta embrace the heartbreak.

As I reflected earlier on the 2011 championship run of the Dallas Mavericks, it occurred to me that what really made that championship so sweet was the road leading up to it. I touch on that at the end of part one, but I think it's a perspective that more people should try to have. A perspective of not only hope, but of all the incidents of short comings and disappointments washing away in a grand finale of elation.

I mean, look at the Chicago Cubs. They hadn't won a World Series since 1908. Yet, Cubs fans stayed loyal and true. As a White Sox fan I did not revel in the Cubs' 2016 World Series victory, but I can bet the joy was overwhelming to a lifelong fan.

I know that when, not if, but when the Carolina Panthers win a Super Bowl I will be able to look back at the heartbreak of Super Bowl 50 with a bit of a grateful attitude. Those years of being so close to falling short, the ones that hurt the most, are what makes the year of success feel so much better.

It happened with the Dallas Mavericks, as I mentioned earlier. It happened in 2005 when the Chicago White Sox won their first World Series title since 1917 but, even though I'm a lifelong fan, I was too young to truly appreciate the long road to the championship.

Nobody had it worse than Cleveland, which many felt was a cursed city. However, when LeBron James, prodigal son of the city of Cleveland, led the Cavaliers back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals, it must have truly been incredible to the lifelong fans and citizens of Cleveland.

We make a lot of the misery of franchises, fan bases, and cities. But at the end of the day, it's the long and winding road that can lead to the greatest journey.