KC Royals: Five Lessons Learned After First Month

Lesson One: A little bit of winning, followed by a little bit of losing makes people lose their minds.

The Royals went on a five-game losing streak last week and there was mass hysteria among the fans. That’s not everyone mind you, but there were quite a few overreactions flying around on social media.

It’s incredible to me that all of the positive energy and friendly vibes that have surrounded this team over the past two seasons can be undone with an April that still saw the Royals with a winning record. We went from the parade that saw a city united, to a losing streak that saw it’s fans ready to start looting and rioting.

I myself am being overly sarcastic of course, but the mass panic is somewhat amusing. Calling for players to be benched, cut, sent down, traded, etc… after a rough start or rough outing is almost a guarantee with every Royals’ loss (which becomes more amusing when you realize that this isn’t how baseball works).

A couple of winning seasons must have washed away what it’s like to go through a rough patch (try 29 years worth of losing streaks). Some of these negative comments and opinions come off as completely selfish and self serving. Have we completely forgotten what it’s like to REALLY be struggling?

I, for one, am grateful that I got to experience what can happen to the city when the team wins. I’m also grateful that a team I’ve loved forever won the whole thing. There are some fan bases that can’t say that. It’s unfair to hold the Royals to unreachable expectations. Yet, there are many fans out there who are ready to part ways with those who’ve given them so much.

Hero to zero so quickly. Yes, Gordon has had a slow start, but so has almost everyone on the Royals’ roster. In his career, he’s been streaky and he started off the season on a bad one. Sooner or later, he’ll bust out a hot streak and the Alex Gordon bandwagon will be back in business.

This losing streak has also brought out the worst in fans in regards to other fans. At this point, I think the Royals have more classifications of fan than there are fish in the sea.

Bandwagon fans, fair weather fans, die hard fans, loyal fans, true fans, are just a few terms I’ve seen slung around loosely. My opinion: You’re all welcome. Keep buying Royals’ gear and putting butts in those seats. Whatever helps the Royals get the players they need to compete.

Yes, this slow start is frustrating, but don’t worry folks… all is not lost.

Next: How Dare They Lose A Game