What's been your toughest loss as a sports fan?

[the TRUTH]

We're obviously all C's fans here, so I assume a lot of answers will involve the C's, but feel free to include other teams/sports as well. Which loss (game or series) has been the most difficult for you to get over?

For me, it's hands down Game 7 of the 2010 Finals. Unbelievably gut-wrenching and depressing, and the way we got jobbed by the refs in the fourth quarter makes it much worse. That team just seemed to have "it" and be able to find a way reach another gear when it needed to, so there wasn't a shred of doubt in my mind about us winning that game. That loss still hurts - a lot - for me to think about.

I'll throw in an honorable mention, and it's the Warriors losing to the Cavs last year. I'm not a Warriors fan at all, but absolutely despise the Cavs. I lived in Northeast Ohio for about a decade, and the vast majority of Cavs fans are pure bandwagoners who couldn't name more than two players that have ever played for the Cavs when LeBron wasn't on the team, either pre-2003 or during his time in Miami. And the way they immediately welcomed LeBron back with open arms baffles me, and I felt the NBA did everything it could to give the Cavs a chance in that series by suspending Draymond Green for Game 5. In all sports at all levels, the Cavs were the one team I never wanted to see win a title, especially with LeBron on the team, so that one made me sick.

[JSD]

Game 7 2010 was heartbreaking. I haven't been able to go back and watch it but I remember the refs just calling a completely different game in the 4th quarter. Awful.

Patriots losing Super Bowl 42 was pretty rough after an undefeated regular season. The way they lost too, with that ridiculous helmet catch etc. tough.

Can't complain too much though. 10 titles in 15 years

[Ilikesports17]

Aaron Boone 2003 walkoff
Giants ruin undefeated season
Honestly game 6 vs the Heat in '12, when we had them down 3-2 and Lebron just ripped our throats out was rough.
Game 7 2010 was probably worse tho.

If you hadnt guessed Im not old enough to really have been a fan in the '80s, 90s etc.

underratedly brutal ones:
2006 AFCCG vs. the Colts. That team not good (by Patriots standards), but they had a 21 point lead in the AFCCG and the NFC sucked that year. It should have been an easy superbowl win sans the 2nd half collapse v. Peyton Manning.

2011 divisional round loss to NY Jets.

[SparzWizard]

Game 7 2010 Finals (Still have not even watched a single highlight or recap of that game. I just flip the channel or turn my head around every time a TV decides to show/replay that stupid fixed game).

Patriots' perfect season ended.
Patriots losing to the same that ended their perfect season.

[the TRUTH]

Game 7 2010 was heartbreaking. I haven't been able to go back and watch it but I remember the refs just calling a completely different game in the 4th quarter. Awful.

Patriots losing Super Bowl 42 was pretty rough after an undefeated regular season. The way they lost too, with that ridiculous helmet catch etc. tough.

Can't complain too much though. 10 titles in 15 years

It's one thing if the refs had called a different game in the fourth quarter for both teams (such as calling a tighter game or letting them play more), but it was as one-sided as you could get. That game was David Stern's proudest moment as commish, as he got to reward Phil Jackson and stick it to the C's. There's no way that game wasn't mandated/controlled by the league office. Don't think I'll ever get over that one.

[Chris22]

The Tuck Rule playoff game.
The Raiders were robbed.

[Ilikesports17]

The Tuck Rule playoff game.
The Raiders were robbed.

thats not gonna be a popular one here.

[kraidstar]

Aaron Boone 2003 walkoff
Giants ruin undefeated season
Honestly game 6 vs the Heat in '12, when we had them down 3-2 and Lebron just ripped our throats out was rough.
Game 7 2010 was probably worse tho.

If you hadnt guessed Im not old enough to really have been a fan in the '80s, 90s etc.

underratedly brutal ones:
2006 AFCCG vs. the Colts. That team not good (by Patriots standards), but they had a 21 point lead in the AFCCG and the NFC sucked that year. It should have been an easy superbowl win sans the 2nd half collapse v. Peyton Manning.

2011 divisional round loss to NY Jets.

I would add that that 2006 AFCCG was also one of the most blatantly fixed games I've ever seen. There were some remarkable PI calls against the Pats, one for "faceguarding," which is not even illegal.

Then there was the play late in the game, just before the Pats' final field goal, when the Colts' defender tackled a wide-open Pats receiver before the ball arrived, one of the most blatant PI's I've ever seen, but no flag. It was obscene, but because everyone was infatuated with Manning and sick of gteh Pats it got overlooked.

Just brutal, I've never been so mad at the refs before or since.

BTW, the next season, during the pats' 16-0 year, in the regular season game against the Colts the refs were arguably even worse, it was so blatant that, despite the Pats' easily winning, the local media talked about the refs almost all day long, It was just so obvious that the league wanted Manning to beat Brady.

[kraidstar]

Some honorable mentions:

Sox lose a close game 7 to the Rays in 2008 ALCS. If we'd had home field we probably win, but the Sox dogged it down the stretch and we lost home field (IMO the cracks were starting to show in that group of players, which culminated a couple years later in Tito's firing)


Bruins game 6 against Chicago in the Finals. Bruins get knocked out after leading by a goal and subsequently giving up two bunnies in the last couple minutes. Just unreal.


Pats' AFCCG loss against Denver last year. O-line doesn't block, defense chokes early against a limp-armed Manning, we crawl back, Gostkowski misses a PAT, we end up losing a squeaker on a failed 2pt conversion.



Vikings/Falcons 1998 NFCCG: I loved the VIkes that year, Cunningham and Moss were a blast to watch. I really wanted to see them face the Broncos in the Super Bowl. They came on strong but seeemed to lose some focus as the game progressed. ANd yet, they found themselves with a couple minutes to go with a 34-yard field goal to give them a 10-pt lead. Their kicker Gary Anderson was perfect on the year. He choked the kick, the Falcons drove down and scored, then they got the ball in OT, drove down and scored again. I was in a state of disbelief. Though I was a Pats fan, I relaly loved that VIkings team as well.

[jacigar]

super bowl loss to BearThat was crushing to watch.

[iadera]

Croatia vs Turkey, European football C'ship 2008, QF. Last minute goal. Couldn't sleep for weeks after...

[SparzWizard]

Aaron Boone 2003 walkoff
Giants ruin undefeated season
Honestly game 6 vs the Heat in '12, when we had them down 3-2 and Lebron just ripped our throats out was rough.
Game 7 2010 was probably worse tho.

If you hadnt guessed Im not old enough to really have been a fan in the '80s, 90s etc.

underratedly brutal ones:
2006 AFCCG vs. the Colts. That team not good (by Patriots standards), but they had a 21 point lead in the AFCCG and the NFC sucked that year. It should have been an easy superbowl win sans the 2nd half collapse v. Peyton Manning.

2011 divisional round loss to NY Jets.

I would add that that 2006 AFCCG was also one of the most blatantly fixed games I've ever seen. There were some remarkable PI calls against the Pats, one for "faceguarding," which is not even illegal.

Then there was the play late in the game, just before the Pats' final field goal, when the Colts' defender tackled a wide-open Pats receiver before the ball arrived, one of the most blatant PI's I've ever seen, but no flag. It was obscene, but because everyone was infatuated with Manning and sick of gteh Pats it got overlooked.

Just brutal, I've never been so mad at the refs before or since.

BTW, the next season, during the pats' 16-0 year, in the regular season game against the Colts the refs were arguably even worse, it was so blatant that, despite the Pats' easily winning, the local media talked about the refs almost all day long, It was just so obvious that the league wanted Manning to beat Brady.

Wasn't that also the game where the Patriots were ill and the Colts' RCA Dome turned up the heat too?

[CoachBS#1]

Magic baby hook!!!

[chambers]

two for me.

1)2012 Game 7
2)2010 game 7

[saltlover]

two for me.

1)2012 Game 7
2)2010 game 7

Yep.  Exact same two.