The average sporting event is around two to three hours long. I don’t have that kind of time to throw around willy-nilly. Not unless I’m given good reason.

Since I started following sports full time in 2015, I’ve settled in nicely to being a New York and New Jersey professional sports fan.

I’ve seen great moments, like Taylor Hall’s MVP season for the New Jersey Devils in 2018, the New York Yankees’ run to the American League Championship Series in 2017 and the New York Giants’ win over the Minnesota Vikings in last season’s NFC Wild Card Game.

However, I’ve also trudged through a lot of bad times: the Giants’ 2017 season where they finished with 13 losses, the Devils’ run from 2019 to 2022 where there was rarely ever a reason to go out of my way to watch and the catalyst for today’s article — the Yankees’ 2023 season, where they are currently poised to finish with a losing record for the first time since 1992.

During those times, I straight-up stopped watching those teams. I’ve been told that distancing myself from my teams while they are struggling makes me a bad fan. I don’t think that’s the case; I think it makes me human.

Frankly, it’s not worth it to watch a team that is unsuccessful. It’s not worth the headaches, the stress or the lost time that could have been better spent elsewhere.

Right now, I am a senior in college, looking to hopefully graduate next spring. With how busy my schedule is, it’s not in my best interest to devote a lot of my time to watching every single game my teams play.

For MLB, the sheer amount of games during the summer makes it difficult to stay on top of everything, especially when I’m recovering from the previous school year. The NHL always plays during the evening, when I usually have class or student organizations to tend to, and while NFL Sundays are iconic, I don’t need my scaries to get any scarier.

I show my support for my teams in other ways. I’ll keep track of any news through either ESPN or The Athletic, watch YouTube content about the leagues as a whole, as well as wear the copious amounts of merch I own.

Sports just aren’t that serious. There are very few things in life that you can step away from when times get tough, and not face consequences for doing so. When I’m struggling in classes, I can’t ignore it; that would only make the problem worse. But when my favorite teams are struggling, it doesn’t affect my everyday life, so why not take advantage and just ignore them?

If my teams find ways to improve after long stretches of poor play, like the Devils did this past season, I’d certainly find more time to watch, because I believe it is now worth the time spent.

Despite all of this, my bottom line remains the same. My teams will always be my teams. I’ve seen others who may abandon their team altogether when they are in times of struggle. That’s when you are a bad fan. There is no problem with taking a step back, but when you change sides, that’s where I draw the line.

So I don’t think I am a bad fan. I’ve been called fairweather — defined as someone who only takes part in an activity when it is easy for them to do so — which is 100% true. But that’s not a bad thing.

My teams have been ingrained in me since I was a child. Whether it be my dad taking me to Devils games when I was a kid or watching the Giants with my brothers and cousins, these teams are part of my identity.

So frankly, I shouldn’t be put down for stepping away when times get tough. After all, it’s just a game, and I have better things to do.