THE UPSIDE OF PERPETUALLY LOSING
Why Everyone Needs to Root for a Losing Sports Team
It helps build character and offers us lifelong lessons
I was 14 years old when Charley Johnson came into my life. It was 1972, and he was the quarterback for the cellar-dwelling Denver Broncos.
And the Broncos were my team.
The Broncos (4–9–1 in 1971) were as hapless and untalented as any professional team could be. The ball never bounced their way, but now that Denver had Johnson, my hope was restored.
I felt like I knew Charley.
Johnson was a chemical engineer major in college. He went to school at Washington University, St. Louis, which would later become my alma mater, too.
His birthday was in November, so I’d send him a birthday card every year, telling him to “hang in there” and that “we appreciated him.” He needed to hang in there because we Broncos fans were trying to as well.
Another infusion of hope came the following year when Tom Jackson from Louisville was drafted. Jackson would become an All-Pro linebacker and lead our team defensively as part of the vaunted Orange Crush.
With Johnson and Jackson at the helm, I was certain the Broncos would finally…
