It's not sudden shock; It's PTLD

Being a diehard sports fan, I love to mope, moan, whine and rationalize about the outcome of certain events. Maybe you do too. I’m guessing there’s a good many of us doing this right now. But I’m here to give you hope. And no, I don’t mean to say it was all just a bad dream and the Patriots did in fact not lose the Superbowl. What I am suggesting is we label our condition brought about by the weekend’s sporting events results. Rather than remain in denial and risk years of therapy, I have decided our collective “state of shock” deserves to be named. Thus, we Patriot’s fans are suffering from PTLD (Post traumatic loss disorder).Yes, we are all suffering from a psychological condition.

And why shouldn’t we be? We’ve all just witnessed a perfect regular season; a post season that gave us the AFC Championship. We witnessed a team that had won three Superbowls in the last seven years only to go down in defeat in the one game that to many, myself included, mattered most. Researchers claim that PTSD, (post traumatic stress disorder) is usually associated with war or violence. Why then should we not recognize that PTLD is caused by sports upsets?War is hell. And now so is sport.

Symptoms include feelings of depression, aggression; wanting to lash out irrationally at anyone within striking distance; loss of interest in what once mattered most, like eating wings and nachos in a single sitting; watching football on Saturday, Sunday, Monday and yes, even Thursday; drinking mass quantities of lager and sitting and cheering on your favorite team in below freezing temperatures with painted faces and no shirt; (To which I answer check, check, check, check, check, check, check, nope) If you have answered yes to any of the above then you may be suffering from this condition.You can develop symptoms of PTLD if your team loses the big one, if your team wins the big one, or if your team simply didn’t make it to the big one. Why? Because playing in the big one usually means one thing. The season has come to an end.

So it’s a no win situation we have on our hands. Lucky for us, we have only months to treat our condition and prepare for another incredible next season. Perhaps we should all take the time to consider the condition of those players who gave it their all in this incredible 18 and 1 run. Yes, we can label our condition. But let us not label our team losers. I am proud to call myself a New England Patriot fan and I will get through this just as all Patriot’s fans will. In the words of General George C. Patton, “Success is how you bounce when you hit bottom.” I’ll meet you all at the top next year.