Arizona Football: 6 Thoughts fans should ponder

Oct 29, 2016; Tucson, AZ, USA; Stanford Cardinal safety Dallas Lloyd (29) watches as Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Trey Griffey (5) attempts to catch a pass during the second quarter at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 29, 2016; Tucson, AZ, USA; Stanford Cardinal safety Dallas Lloyd (29) watches as Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Trey Griffey (5) attempts to catch a pass during the second quarter at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports
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Oct 29, 2016; Tucson, AZ, USA; Stanford Cardinal safety Dallas Lloyd (29) watches as Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Trey Griffey (5) attempts to catch a pass during the second quarter at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 29, 2016; Tucson, AZ, USA; Stanford Cardinal safety Dallas Lloyd (29) watches as Arizona football Wildcats wide receiver Trey Griffey (5) attempts to catch a pass during the second quarter at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports

Taking in all these Arizona Football losses is hard to take for all involved including the fans, here are some suggestions to get everyone through it.

This is an opinion piece, I will just say that up front. First, I offer you this quote to ponder care of Arizona Football legend Rickey Hunley’s favorite quotes from Bob Marley:

“You never know how strong you are, until being strong is the only choice you have.”

No. 6 – Being a fan is to support your team no matter what, and to accept the good with the bad

Fans are a huge piece to the puzzle of success. They are why the game is even played at all and they provide a support system for their team. When things are great, fans cheer and show the team their happiness, and when things are rough, fans ‘should’ try to help motivate them by supporting them.

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A great way to motivate people is to give constructive criticism along with support and care. Just critiquing performance and lashing out is not motivating. It only works if the players know you care about them.

Make suggestions and give support. What has the world come too? Every team must win a championship or a winning season or the coach is to be fired and the Quarterback is to blame for everything.

Now, as a woman who has never played or coached football, I know there is a male motivation ‘I need to prove you wrong’ element here, and there is a certain level of Bootcamp mentality needed amongst teammates for motivation. But every player is different. What might work for one player, won’t work for another player.

Plus, if things get out of hand, most players are used to yelling and screaming from their high school days, and they wouldn’t have wanted to play at the collegiate level if it was all rainbows and unicorns. So there is a level of that kind of stuff that comes with the territory, but from fans?

There has to be a happy medium, or you lose those players who won’t respond in this day and age, these are milenials, they don’t respond to being torn down. Whether you agree with that or not, if you want your team to win, adapt to what motivates them.

Put yourself in their shoes. You work tierlessly 60-80 hours a week to succeed at your job, and let’s say all anyone did was put you down and try to make you feel worthless. They wrote you up for every little mistake or wrote emails CC’ing your boss and peers telling everyone that you don’t give it your all and you suck. Or, they wall by your desk and put you down.

Would you be motivated? Didn’t think so.

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