Healing of a Program

Sports fandom is often handed down amongst family and those inherited emotions aren't always good ones. Some unlucky families get stuck with heartbreak after heartbreak, but it's your team and your tribe. Regardless of how much disappointment you've gone through that is your team and you still try and maintain hope that you'll get to share those special moments of victories. And Purdue University fans have suffered for decades.

Any conversation about the disappointment of Purdue seasons can be be done one word at a time; the fumble, the elbow, the ACL, the Virginia miracle, seeming like the old gold and black were cursed. However, over the last few years that has changed for Purdue basketball. It wasn't the curse or bad luck anymore, but just absolute disappointment.

All season, despite the historical achievements of reaching #1 in the country for the third straight year, a potential back-to-back National Player of the Year, all you heard was 'wait til March.' Three straight loses to double digit seeds, one at the expense of a trip to the Elite 8 and the historical second loss ever to a 16 seed. Doubt ran aplenty about coach Matt Painter's squad actually being able to deliver on a likely #1 seed. But this year, this team was different.

The definition of a breakthrough is 'a sudden, dramatic, and important discovery or development.' and that is an understatement for Purdue ending their Final 4 drought. For fans it was a moment of shock that it finally happened. After so many disappointments you had to pinch yourself to see if you weren't dreaming and it had finally happened. Many were moved to tears at seeing something they had a nagging thought, may never happen. And in attendance, the one I inherited this fandom from, my father.

Typically, when your favorite sports team wins you wear that achievement as if you earned it as much as the team. For me, Purdue winning the regional and advancing to the Final 4, I gladly am willing to cede my share of this victory back to Purdue. It feels right to allow the entire program to bask in the glow and outright joy of making it to the Final 4.

Too many times to count I have watched Purdue get to the NCAA tournaments and lose games in different ways that end up leaving the program and fans heartbroken. Almost is if a cat was playing with a mouse just to torture it and take maximum joy out of watching Boilers suffer in agony. But after the clock hit 0 Sunday, a sense of calm has come across me. My favorite basketball team has reached a lofty achievement that seemed to be just a dream, an oasis, a mirage and Purdue has arrived at a point as a Purdue fan I have always known they deserve to partake it.

Like John Madden's reaction after the Oakland Raiders defeated Pittsburgh in the 1976 AFC Championship, "We are going to the Super Bowl?!". Purdue basketball fans can proudly say, "Purdue is going to the Final 4" and realize the Final 4 actually exists and Purdue richly deserves to be there in Arizona.

The journey is what makes the destination so rewarding, and for Purdue it has been a long road that seemed to never have a light at the end. In Detroit, amongst so many Mackey Arena faithful, this team finally ended over forty years of heartbreak and everyone felt like they had a share in that region championship and got their own piece of the net that was cut down. So much history had been achieved already by this senior class and they further punctuated it with this great achievement. And it couldn't be documented better in how much it meant and how it has healed fans than how my brother put it.

Many fans have commented about the surreal feelings amongst themselves and their families of Purdue reaching the Final 4. If you need any better proof to see the burden of winning that heals all wounds, just watch the clip of Robbie Hummel breaking down in tears at the end of the game. It's hard to imagine anyone personifying Purdue's highs and lows at the same time as Hummel. He was just as happy for the team as if he had won it himself.

I hope you have spent the past week soaking it in as I have. I'll be rooting and screaming the whole game against NC State, but it also takes appreciating just being there too. I have to admit that I was a "Wait til March" fan myself this year. I had high hopes the previous two seasons and was let down again. I sat in disbelief that Purdue lost to FDU last year, not understanding how that was possible. Hopefully this season sparks even more interest in Purdue, I know it has brought me back in to the fold.

As a side note, for just some sugar on top for all the Purdue fans. You know that IU is absolutely hating this, just bask in that for a minute as well.

Boiler Up! IU Sucks!

Let's go Purdue!