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[QUOTE="IthacaMatt, post: 4126299, member: 405"]
I agree to an extent.  But I think it's a generalization that only people who [I]weren't[/I] college athletes are the ones who get all worked up.

People who play sports at a high level have a level of commitment, competitiveness and concentration that they are the kinds of people - some of them - who become "that guy" who is angry all day at everyone if his team loses a game.  Some of those hyper-competitive people become gamblers, too - hopefully not compulsive ones.

I used to be a guy who would get angry if our players didn't play well.  But I got over that by around my early 30s.  It's just entertainment, and socializing with friends.  Sports are the background for great times (and some disappointing ones, too), but winning and losing is not really what it's about.

You want your team to be competitive at high levels, if you're a fan [I]or[/I] an athlete.  But if you team loses, you shouldn't let it ruin your day.  I played 3 years of varsity sports in Division 3, not Division 1, but it still takes a lot of commitment to do it successfully.

There is no reason to trash young people who are trying their best in any sort of personal way.  Calling someone a player who is lacking is legit, but not personal attacks.
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