Is it really worth it?
Every fan of a team has asked themselves that at some point. Is the emotional commitment worth the payoff? Are there better things I could be doing with my time and money?
Usually we come back around to yes on that question, because the ties to the team are not just about the sport or the uniform or the players. The real ties to our teams are social connections — who we watch games with (family and friends), where we live, where we went to college — that come with rooting for a team.
But Jeff Van Gundy wonders if Magic fans should reach that conclusion. He was on ESPN Radio in New York and wondered if they would think it’s worth it (via Sports Radio Interviews and Ball Don’t Lie).
“I think long-term if you’re an Orlando Magic fan today is a day where you have to ask yourself is it worth it? Because we’ve had three stars in our time, in Orlando, we had Shaquille O’Neal who went free agency and left. We had Tracy McGrady and he forced his way out and I was the beneficiary of that. Then third you had Dwight Howard who forced his way out. You have to ask yourself, is it worth it? Because even if we get the guys are we going to be able to keep the guys? So much is being made of draft picks. Those draft picks are great if, like Oklahoma City, you have the ability to have the second, third and fourth pick in the draft and get (Kevin) Durant, (Russell) Westbrook, (James) Harden and (Serge) Ibaka. You’ve got to get those picks and then you have to draft the right guys and they’ve got to come together like those guys have and then you have to be able to retain them like Oklahoma City has but Orlando, when they have gotten their best players, whatever reason, it hasn’t worked out and I really, really feel for their fan base. It’s a sad day for the Orlando Magic fan base.”
It is a sad time for Magic fans. And we can debate if the Magic could have gotten a better package for Howard but the fact is the package still would not have been anywhere near equal value. The Magic were going to come out of this situation much worse than they went in. It was going to feel familiar to long-time Orlando fans.
Eventually, when they start winning again, the Magic fans will come back around. But if you know you are going to stink for the next few years to build your team, it’s hard to be motivated as a fan.
