The Joy of an Unexpected Run

In the grand scheme of things, sports may not be the most important thing in the world, but they provide an escape, a release to those who need it. And when you care for a team so deeply, especially if it's your alma mater, your hometown team or your family's favorite team, their success or failure resonates with you. It really doesn't matter where your fandom stems from, but the connection between sports teams and their fans is a special one. It can bring the ultimate highs and the ultimate lows. But when your team does something spectacular, enjoy the hell of it, because there are few greater feelings.

Some of us here at Binge Watchers Mafia have experienced the ultimate high twice within a year. A number of us attended Syracuse University, and we were there in 2013 when the men's basketball team made an unlikely run to the Final Four. There was nothing more prideful than walking around campus wearing your Cuse gear. There was no better atmosphere than watching Cuse take down Indiana at our beloved Chuck's. And there was no better feeling than watching Jim Boeheim and the talented Cuse roster cut down the nets after beating Marquette to reach the Final Four. But that pales in comparison to the run that this year's team is currently on.

Syracuse, the city, not the school, is driven by basketball. Despite the historical success of the football program, Syracuse residents have always thought about basketball first, which is the reason why this year is just so damn special. It's the "us vs. the world" mentality that supporters of the Orange have taken on, and "Jim Boeheim's Middle Finger Tour" is alive, it's well, and it's exhilarating.

'Cuse fans sold out the dome for a damn pep rally

The 10th-seeded men's team, who Doug Gottlieb and Joe Lunardi some analysts believed shouldn't even had made it to the tournament, defied the odds, running away from Dayton, silencing the plucky upstart Middle Tennessee St., outlasting a "zone-busting" Gonzaga team, and pulling an historic comeback against top-seeded Virginia. They become the first 10-seed to reach the Final Four. This coming after finishing ninth in their own conference and losing five of their last six games. But in college basketball, all a team needs is a chance. They got it, and they took full advantage of it, and it's a truly incredible feeling.

The women's team has also achieved unprecedented success reaching the Elite Eight and the Final Four for the first time in program history. For a city and school prominently known for it's love and success of basketball, it's actually quite amazing to see this is the first time the women have achieved this sort of success. Honestly, I'm not sure which of these runs is more remarkable, but they are equally as exciting.

The best thing about these runs to the Final Four is that they weren't expected by anyone. If you asked a Syracuse fan where they'd end up, most probably would've had them losing to Michigan St. in the second round. I know I did. And most would've had the women losing to No. 1-seeded South Carolina. That's because sports, day in and day out, year after year, provide stories that we just cannot see anywhere else.

But this doesn't just relate to college sports. Take, for example, the New York Mets. I am a Mets fan, and I know others on this site are as well. And as a Met fan, you're expected to live with some sort of heartbreak nearly every year. Last season looked like much of the same until something magical happened on the last weekend of July. The Carlos Gomez trade fell apart which led to the Mets landing Yoenis Cespedes. Then the three-headed monster of Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard truly became a force to be reckoned with.

Still get chills thinking about this moment

It led them to a pair of three-game sweeps over the Washington Nationals to take ahold of the NL East for good. That was the first step. Then came the second step: facing the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS. Knowing how rare it was to see the Mets in this sort of position, I had no problem staying up until 1 or 2 o'clock in the morning to watch my team outlast the Dodgers. It wasn't done there, as they thoroughly demolished the heavy-hitting Chicago Cubs in four games in the NLCS, which then punched their ticket to the World Series. They lost. But it was OK because they took me, and Mets fans alike, on a journey that we won't forget.

There was not a Met fan in the world that didn't enjoy himself/herself thoroughly last season. It was a special season that came from the lack of any expectation. But while they are one of the favorites to win the World Series this year, I fear that this season won't be nearly as exciting and fun as last year. Because when you fail to meet expectations, the elation of an unexpected championship is replaced with the utter disappointment in perceived failure.

Don't get me wrong. I would love to root for a team that reaches the playoffs and challenges for the championship every year, but there is something special about seeing a team rally around themselves and fans alike to put together an improbable run that everyone will remember for the rest of their lives.