Therapy: A Los Angeles Rams fan’s guide to recovery

The heart breaks and lives by breaking

It is necessary to go through dark and deeper dark and not turn

-Stanley Kunitz

Sports!

Why do we this to ourselves? Wouldn’t it be easier to view sports like a good boxing match or a 100 meter dash? You know, just enjoy a healthy competition, then go about your business.

But if you’re reading this postmortem, most likely you’re all in. It’s not a logical thing; maybe it’s a primal need to “defend our turf”, like the Rams’ 2014 marketing campaign once stated.

Inevitably, almost every season will end on some kind of low note, but what is the healthiest way to deal with that reality?

One way is to take the big picture approach.

Some fans seem to have the ability to shake a fresh Super Bowl loss by reassuring themselves that the general direction of the team is trending upward, and we will only be better having lost and learned. Surely, the Rams will be knocking on the door again sometime soon, and will complete their mission eventually, at which point Rams fans will be able to taunt all other fan bases for up to one full year. This approach makes some sense, after all, the team’s core is young and the front office seems to be on a roll. However, for Rams fans who lived in darkness for years on end prior to last season, it is harder to have complete confidence. Many thought the Greatest Show on Turf had a shot to haul more than one Lombardi, and this team hasn’t even done that yet. Time is running out on quarterback Jared Goff’s rookie deal, and is there a blueprint to finally render the Rams offense stoppable? To believe that the team will be in good shape for the better part of the next decade means you have faith that Sean McVay and Jared Goff will keep growing and evolving. That’s seems fairly reasonable, as does the big-picture approach.

Another approach is going micro instead of macro.

Just enjoy each game, each experience, and see where this all goes. So much of fandom is speculating about who will win and what will happen as a result- because obsessing is a favorite pastime for fans, because we care.

But, sometimes just enjoying a matchup for that matchup’s sake feels healthier. This approach is similar to the one the players themselves try to take; limit time attaching the game to a bigger picture, or worrying about some resulting narrative from the media. There is evidence that this approach, while not always possible, is the most enjoyable. How much more relaxing is it to watch other teams play than it is to watch the Rams? Personally, even in good times, I find Rams games somewhat stressful. Where will this loss leave us? They won, but they need to improve their coverage next week! You know, the general rantings of a lunatic.

Super Bowl week had so much noise, filler, and general event stuff that had nothing to do with the game we love. I hope that the Rams themselves viewed it a just a game of football, because that was definitely difficult to do as a fan.

The third approach, is called The Michael Thomas Method.

This is a swell approach, where you never actually accept defeat, because you blame everything on the face of the Earth, except your team’s actual play. As George Costanza once said, “it’s not a lie if you believe it.” And why not insulate yourself in a cocoon of lies? It feels better, and after all, it’s just a game so why not? The only risk here is sounding crazy, but Saints fans surely lead normal lives when they aren’t rambling on like Alex Jones. Let’s be real, at some point, we’ve probably all taken this approach.

Whatever path you choose to deal with the Rams’ offense never getting on track in Atlanta, just remember, humans are resilient. After an offseason of roster adjustments and recovery, we’ll be ready to climb the mountain all over again.