Maximum Levels of Frustration

Ugh! Watching Sporting Kansas City matches recently makes me think of one word…..ugh! Okay if I’m honest there may be a few other words I could think of, but we’ll stick with ugh. It feels like right now we, as fans, have reached maximum levels of frustration!

Meriam-Webster defines frustration as “a deep chronic sense or state of insecurity and dissatisfaction from unresolved problems or unfulfilled needs” or “having an ambition that has not been realized”. That seems about right. We could feel ok with the draws and the losses if we knew that our team was just not good enough, the pieces weren’t there, the talent was mediocre, but I think that we are frustrated because we believe that the pieces are there and Sporting is good enough, but there are unresolved problems and an ambition that has not been realized.

If you don’t know me, don’t follow me on Twitter (@sfulk13) or haven’t read my Fan Post on my history as a fan of Sporting then there are a few things that you don’t know.

One is that I am an eternal optimist. I always try to see the good in bad situations. I am always saying that it’s not that bad, it will be ok, don’t worry we’ll turn this around. That is getting very difficult as a Sporting fan at the moment. We were so excited at the beginning of the season. CCL was fun while it lasted and then, well it just hasn’t been so fun anymore.

A second thing that you may not know about me is that I haven’t been a Sporting fan from the beginning. I became a fan in 2013 so this level of frustration is new to me. The entire time I have watched and supported this team they have been successful. Winning trophies, going to play-offs and consistently being above the red playoff line. I have never had a reason to feel this frustrated before.

I know that many of you reading this won’t share my opinions or my history with this team. You will have been angry and frustrated at this team for many different things over the years and I get that, but that just isn’t me.

I don’t know what to do! That is the ultimate difficulty of being a sports fan. It is so hard to be so frustrated at the team, the way they are playing, the perceived lack of effort from players and know that there is absolutely nothing that we can do to change that feeling.

Sure we can show up at Pinnacle and cheer for the team as they come to train. We can post positive Twitter posts saying “keep working hard,” “you can do it,” and “things will turn around”. We can go to Children’s Mercy Park and yell loudly and support the team, but do anything of those things really change the outcome of matches? I like to think that they do. I hope that they do. I like to think that the players see us and hear us and want to do a better job and try a little harder and then everything will fix itself even though I know that things are usually not that easy.

I will not give up on this team. I can’t. It’s not in my nature, but I like many of you have reached maximum levels of frustration. Will the injuries get better? If they do, will it really matter? Will Sporting do anything in the summer transfer window? If so, will it help the team now? I don’t know the answers to any of the questions that I am asking myself. I can still ask them. I can still be frustrated, but I will continue to cheer. I will keep trying to stay confident and optimistic while just swallowing this frustration we are all feeling.