[chedder]

Originally Posted by Bandwagon Surfer

Blaming the coach is how fans deal with the cognitive dissonance from believing they have good players but not seeing the results they expect.


Fans look at their team and players, and imagine the best. They look at the players' best season, mentally adjust up for how much untapped potential they think the player has, then mentally lock into that being who the player is. Realistically assessing players, taking into account their situation, anomalous stats, and the massive decline that comes with age, is all written off as people being haters or debbie downers. In the minds of a fan, they expect their fantasy season to happen, no matter what the actual odds are.


Then the season starts, reality sets in, and the results are not what was expected. The fan is so attached to their assessment of the players that their mind cannot comprehend that they could have been wrong, so they "know" that it has to be something else. The coach fits what their mind is looking for perfectly: it has to be the coach holding back the players, because that conclusion means not questioning if the fan's assessment of the players was wrong.


This is not to call it a fault or weakness in the fan, this is just how human brains work. We all do this. Look at all the insanely complex conspiracy theories people come to deny science, it is people protecting themselves from having to admit they were wrong. Challenging your own beliefs is hard work, and admitting when you are wrong and apologizing takes a lot strength and courage.

You could switch the words coach and players and this would read the exact same way. Coaches best seasons, best results, he's not too old, etc.