I’m a guy that loves an underdog. I love parity, never knowing who will be the champion at the end of season. But I always respect a winning streak when it comes to an end or nears its end. It took me years to appreciate Roger Federer, to acknowledge the greatness of the Patriots, and to appreciate Sydney Crosby and the Penguins. When the streaks come to an end I change from rooting against the underdog and start cheering for the legendary streaks to continue. This weekend two major streaks came to an end in sports – maybe not the top level most fans are paying attention to, but they still deserve to get our appreciation.
First, and likely the more ignored one, is North Dakota State ending their deep playoff streak. For the first time since 2010 the Bison aren’t in the semi-finals of the FCS playoffs. Spring football is likely the reason for their struggle this season. Yes, for their standard, a quarter final exit is a struggling season. Had the season been played in the fall though rather than the spring their streak would have likely been continued. Trey Lance was the 3rd overall pick in the NFL draft this weekend, had the season taken place in the fall he would have been on the field leading North Dakota State to the semi-finals and likely another championship. In their decade long streak, they won 8 championships in 9 seasons. A record that needs to be appreciated even if it is in the second tier of college football.
The other big streak that ended over the weekend, coincidentally spanned 9 season. Juventus had won the last 9 Serie A titles, until Inter Milan won this seasons league crown. It may have been a slow burn seeing Juventus lose it’s grasp on adding a 10th consecutive championship, but Serie A is a very top heavy league. Before Juventus won nine-in-a-row Inter Milan won 5 in a row, so it’s not surprising seeing them claim the title. Juventus, Inter Milan, and AC Milan have won 73 of the 117 top tier Italian titles. And Juventus alone has won 36 league championships. Even considering that, winning 9 titles in a row is something that is impressive. It might be boring year in and year out to see the same team finish at the top of the table. But when it comes to an end you have to appreciate the greatness you just saw.
While I might be the type of fan that gets bored when the same team wins year in and year out, I do know to appreciate the run when it’s nearing its end. That’s why I’m just enjoying to see how many more times Alabama can win in college football, how long the Dodgers can keep making runs in baseball – though I prefer their kind of run to the final and coming up short. Sometimes, greatness is under appreciated when it happens, but always it should be recognized and appreciated once it comes to an end.