Blaming the top dogs - the failure spectrum

As I've mentioned, I'm no sports expert.  But I love to learn about things.  My new favorite investigatory journey is the moment when the boosters/fans decide that it's time to fire the coach.  This does not occur suddenly, as there is a balance b/w the coach sucking strategically and the guys on the field effing up directly. I bet that bad moves and mistakes fall along the spectrum of "the coach crafted good plays that the team messed up" and "the coach called stupid plays that the team executed."  Along that spectrum, physics, luck, the other team, cold fingers, sun, wind, girlfriends judging from the stands, ghosts, performance enhancing drugs, etc. all play a role in how things play out.  It's a complicated formula of skills, commitment, and big sexy muscles.

So what drives the decision that it's finally time for a new coach because the team is totally shittay? 

This weekend at the Vandal game I was listening to some of my favorite men discussing Akey's future as it directly correlates to the Vandal suck-train.  It wasn't so long ago that everyone loved him so much.  Shoot, he still rasps not-so-sweet nothings to me in my daydreams . . .but I digress.  For those w/o the Coach Akey Makes Me Horny shirt, the honeymoon is over.  Apparently?  Hopefully he gets it together and we can ride his stache to victory once again before the frat boy mafia takes him out.

And "the coach getting it together" . . . that brings me to the next interesting thought I was given today about another underperfoming team that has tasted greatness.  What if you love your team so much (like, A LOT), and they keep losing so bad that everyone is almost ready to fire the coach, and that makes you pseudo-happy b/c the coach and his supporting staff are total douchers and you want them gone, but you're not really happy b/c your team sucks, but if the team stops sucking and starts winning again the coach will be spared?  What do you do - hope that your team loses to sacrifice the coach?  Is the long-term health and success of your team worth the short term losses?  Even if so, how can you accept the fact that you are rooting for your team to lose?  That sounds like such a moral dilemma.  One that would really tug at the loyalties and complicated sports-driven thought processes of the guy who is already suffering enough.  I don't envy those football fans who find themselves in that stressful position, but I certainly find them entertaining!   And, as a supportive friend, I'd buy them a PBR.  That's right.  An ice cold, delicious PBR.