The Realities of Growing Up as a Sports Fan
There are some tough truths that everyone eventually encounters while growing up. It’s a given that not everyone will like you, parents are far from perfect, and while Rainbow Road is fun, I’d say it’s probably one of Mario Kart’s most overrated tracks.
Being a sports fan involves similar lessons. We all come to realize, at some point, that preseason games just don’t hold much weight.
For me, that moment came around 1991. I can’t even recall who the Detroit Lions played in a preseason match that year. But I remember being a young fan, totally wrapped up in the excitement of Barry Sanders, almost in tears, and needing my dad to reassure me that it “wasn’t important.”
They wore their official jerseys. The stands were filled with fans. There was a referee, and scores were happening.
What kind of bizarre world was I in?
Eventually, as is the case for many of us, this lesson did sink in. Understanding that for leagues like the NFL, NBA, and NHL, the results of preseason games are largely inconsequential, is a crucial milestone for any sports fan.
Now, it seems like folks who are deeply involved in college basketball are experiencing this lesson again.
In 2025, for the first time, Division I college basketball teams will be able to play exhibition games against each other without needing a waiver from the NCAA. Recently, some high-profile exhibitions occurred, but they had to serve charity purposes and received NCAA permission to happen.
This change means we’re on the verge of having something akin to a legitimate college basketball preseason. Rather than just dominating D-II, D-III, and NAIA teams, true national title hopefuls will be facing off against each other.
However, it also implies that there are viewers who are overly affected by outcomes of these practice games.
Just in the last week, No. 2 Houston lost to an unranked Ole Miss in a scrimmage, No. 5 Towson faced a tough first half against St. John’s, No. 7 Michigan was bested by unranked Cincinnati, No. 8 BYU fell to unranked Nebraska, and No. 15 Alabama allowed 105 points against unranked Florida State. Iowa State met the same fate against unranked Creighton.
Fortunately, everyone took these results in stride—right?
(Just to clarify, that was sarcasm; in reality, some fans were indeed panicking over the preseason results.)
Relearning some core ideas can be tough as we get older, but college basketball enthusiasts will need to remind themselves about what preseason games signify in order to make it through early November without getting too disheartened.
A year ago, Indiana secured a victory over Tennessee in a charity exhibition and Hoosier fans thought Mike Woodson was leading the team back to glory. Meanwhile, USC triumphed over Gonzaga in a high-scoring game, making some see the Trojans as potential dark horses for the Big Ten title.
Then the real games began.
Tennessee earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and made it to the Elite Eight, but Indiana missed out entirely and parted ways with Woodson. Even though USC ended the season under .500, Gonzaga continued its streak of NCAA Tournament victories.
It’s entirely natural to get excited over first impressions, especially with standout freshmen. Just take a look at players like AJ Divanza or Cameron Boozer. However, it’s a mistake to treat the scores of these exhibition games as anything more than a glimpse of what’s to come in a long season starting November 3rd.
It’s crucial to keep this in mind right now. Because take a look at the exhibition games on the horizon.
- October 24th
BYU vs. North Carolina
Kansas at Louisville
Villanova at Virginia
Notre Dame at Purdue
Kentucky vs. Kansas State
Missouri at Oregon
Utah - October 25th
Michigan at St. John’s (MSG)
Oklahoma State vs. SMU - October 26th
Indiana vs. Baylor
Northwest vs. Iowa
Duke at Tennessee
Houston vs. Mississippi State
Arizona State vs. Texas A&M
North Carolina State vs. South Carolina - October 27th
Arkansas at Memphis - October 28th
Michigan State University - October 30th
Auburn vs. Memphis
Oregon at Stanford
Most of the time, at least a couple of these games will end with results that spark overreactions. Our ingrained responses will tempt us to make grand statements about which teams deserve to be considered viable Final Four contenders. So, we really have to resist that urge.
The Buffalo Bills of the early ’90s are a classic example here, as they lost numerous preseason games (it’s been a while since I checked the stats) yet reached the Super Bowl four years consecutively.
So as the calendar fills up, it’s probably a good idea to take a breath and save the hot takes for later.
