Is this our year?
On the eve of the opening game of the 2022 Arizona Cardinals football season, I, and I don’t think I’m alone on this, can’t help but think is this the year?
Valley sports fans are some of the most passionate, yet most pessimistic, sports fans in the country. When bad things happen, we inevitably see tweets that read, “Why can’t we have nice things?” Just look at what Jordan Phillips was able to do with his old team in Buffalo against the Rams last night. Why couldn’t he do that for us?
But this year, Valley sports fans are coming off arguably one of the most heart-breaking seasons in recent memories. This includes the Cardinals, Suns & ASU football, and I can’t help but think, why not this year?
Arizona is ready for some success
We may, or may not, win a championship this year, but think about it. The Valley is absolutely primed for success in the coming years. This goes for EVERY SINGLE team in the Valley.
The Coyotes are finally moving forward in a positive direction and establishing themselves, once again, as a Valley mainstay. The Diamondbacks should be in the playoffs this year if it weren’t for their bullpen. Their youth movement and Zac Gallen have begun to captivate fans as the season closes.
ASU football is looking better than expected, and Bobby Hurley completely revamped his roster this year and recently added another 4-star power forward.
The Suns and Cardinals have their superstars of the future, and neither team is going to take a step back. We may not make the leap this year, but rest assured, both franchises are in win-now mode.
So, when was the last time every single team had a bright future…in the same year? I’m drawing a blank. This alone should give you hope. This should help you rinse the taste out of your mouth from the woeful finishes of 2021-22. To me, this is actually historic.
What we do need is the fan base buy-in. We should not be tweeting out, “why can’t we have nice things” anymore. That time has passed. This is a new era of Valley sports, and we need to treat it as such.
What if, collectively, as a fan base we were able to be positive, but not cocky? (i.e. money counting guy in the Suns NBA Finals). What if we were able to blindly support our teams and not be negative? What if we packed Sun Devil stadium & Wells Fargo arena?
Some can question the validity of it helping, but I know for a fact, that it wouldn’t hurt.
So, let’s turn a new leaf. Let’s be positive. Let’s stop being in wait-in-see mode and go all in. These are the sports teams that we love. So, let’s act like fans and support, in full force.
