I came to Tufts in the fall of 2006; granted, I didn't travel very far from my home in Marblehead, Mass., but it was still new for me.
When I first arrived for my FOCUS pre-orientation group, I was sporting a Boston Celtics shirt. Those were dark times for Cs fans, and later that year, I would have to endure a painful 18-game losing streak en route to a 24-58 season, the second worst in the league next to the lowly Memphis Grizzlies.
Then came the summer of 2007. The Celtics lost out on the Greg Oden-Kevin Durant sweepstakes in the draft lottery. For a fan base banking on a new star, it was a crushing blow that brought back horrid flashbacks from when those tanking San Antonio Spurs stole Tim Duncan. But Danny Ainge offered a light at the end of the tunnel: trades for a pair of superstars — Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett.
All of the sudden, the Celtics went from a rebuilding team to an instant contender. It culminated in an NBA finals beat-down of the favored Los Angeles Lakers and a 17th championship banner to sweeten the deal.
I watched almost every single game that season. That team was it. I swear I will spend the rest of my life hoping to find another that recreates that same magic. But I have to ask myself: What made that season so much different?
Let's think about this as a "Be True to Your School" thing, in honor of the person who taught me to roll with the punches and consoled me when I questioned whether the Red Sox would ever win a title after their heart-wrenching Game 7 loss to the Yankees in 2003: my dad. It might be cliché, but he told me that you can't win every time. And he taught me that sometimes it is better to sit through the tough times, because it makes it that much sweeter when things go well.
He was right, of course. When the buzzer sounded on the Celtics' series-clinching win in Game 6 of the 2008 finals, he was next to me at TD Garden. He was too busy reveling in the victory to notice, but that moment proved he is a smart man — I figure since he and my mom supported me financially and emotionally throughout these last four years, he might as well get some accolades.
Over the course of my time at Tufts, I have endured a myriad of highs and lows as a sports fan. The Sox's second World Series title in four years, the two most devastating losses since I started watching the Patriots — I still haven't completely recovered from the helmet catch or even the Colts' comeback in the 2007 AFC Championship (sorry to my freshman resident assistant for the ruckus) — and the aforementioned Celtics title all occurred during my college career.
That is part of following your team. Things won't always go well, but there is a light in that darkness. It won't always exist in the form of Jesus Shuttlesworth or the Big Ticket, but it will come. Yes, even for you, Pirates fans. To borrow a phrase from Tom Petty, the waiting is the hardest part. But that is what being a sports fan is all about, and it is why you never give up on your team. Things always have a way of turning around when you least expect it. I was all ready to adopt Al Jefferson as my favorite player, and then he was traded in the Garnett deal. All the Celtics got out of that was a championship.
So don't despair. It might take some patience, and there will definitely be ups and downs, but it is all worth it. I'm going to try to take that same lesson as I transition from college to the "real world," and you should too. Trust me. If I learned anything these past four years, it is that the whole "good things come to those who wait" argument is valid. What? You thought I was going to talk about my classes?
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Ethan Landy graduates today with a degree in English. He can be reached at Ethan.Landy@tufts.edu.
