I can't relate to a lot of these comments or negative mindsets on the team.
Every year, once the off-season starts and the first FA is signed, and the draft picks are made, I'm seeing nothing but success and glory in the team's future. I'm going down the schedule and predicting the record. All of my "maybes" get counted as wins, baby! Legalized sports betting? Give me the over on season wins!!!
I don't get pessimistic until I see too much bullshit on the field.
Then I repeat this every off-season.
I can help out here.
I’m a generally a very optimistic person about my own life. I would say I have to give myself a dose of realism pretty regularly in order to not fly away with unrealistic expectations of myself and things I’m working on.
I can also catastrophize at times ie get into worst case scenario thinking when I don’t have control over circumstances. I pull myself out of that pretty quickly when I have a plan to regain control of the situation or accept I can’t.
If something I can’t control provides positive feedback most of the time, I’m ok with the lack of control. Good examples would be a client’s reaction to my work, results to a competition, my children’s sports events, etc. All these things could have positive or negative outcomes, but if a positive outcome is realistic and I have some involvement in that outcome it’s totally worth it.
I have no control over the Browns. I can accept that or I wouldn’t be a sports fan. I like other things about sports anyways.
But in spite of my generally optimistic outlook on my own life they have given me no reason to apply that same outlook to watching them.
Hence, it feels logical (even if it isnt) to catastrophize about them because it feels out of control watching them AND they provide very little positive feedback.
I’ve said this before, but someone’s reaction the Browns doesn’t seem to be an indicator of whether they are a positive or happy person. The team has been historically awful and deserves close critique until it can prove it doesn’t. Catastrophizing certainly isn’t good for anyone, but it’s understandable.
If someone wants to be optimistic about them, that’s great. I’m sure that’s enjoyable and is probably the more mentally healthy route. But if we’re looking at it as a function of actual expectations, it’s proven an inaccurate approach over 90% of the time.
