Kansas Fans Are Enjoying a Rare Form of Excitement

The Jayhawks' immediate success brings all of the fun with none of the pressure.

We know that everyone is talking about the excitement surrounding the Kansas Jayhawks football program after its 4-0 start to the season. It’s a palpable energy that is taking over the city of Lawrence and the fanbase as a whole. And it feels different.

Why does it feel different? The obvious answer is that Kansas fans have been miserable watching football for more than a decade and now the team is competitive. The Booth is being sold out. National media pundits are talking about the Jayhawks and not as a punchline. But it’s not just that.

Not all forms of excitement are equal. And it depends on the context around the excitement. You have:

Excitement with expectations

Your team is one of the best. You know it’s one of the best. And there’s excitement around how good this team can be, but there’s also the awareness that anything other than excellence and ending the year on top is a disappointment.

This could be our year

The program is on the rise and is ready to break out. Is this year when it happens? It sure feels like everything is coming into place. Who knows how good they can be.

Excitement out of nowhere

Maybe you talked yourself into things getting better, but you’re not really betting on it. And then…it happens. Faster than anyone expected, your team is on a rocket ship and you’re holding on for the ride.

I mean, it can’t be any worse, right?

Things have gone terribly, but maybe if this happens or that player steps up, your team won’t be a complete laughing stock.

The last group is where Kansas football fans have lived since 2008. For contrast, when it comes to basketball, Jayhawk fans live squarely in the excitement with expectations group. Yes, there’s a buzz because the team is great, but there’s also a ton of pressure. Fans expect greatness. And there is very little room to exceed expectations. And it’s been this way for 30 years. That’s how you become a blue blood.

This is why the start of the football season feels different in the best way. Even the most optimistic Kansas fans were talking about 4-6 wins for the year and KU already has achieved this in a month. I’m not sure anyone saw this coming. I won’t say it came out of nowhere, because there was faith in the pieces, but this was beyond comprehension for many and a year or two away to most.

And now fans are playing with house money. You have all of the fun of success with none of the expectations that come with an 180-degree turnaround. Even from 2002 to 2003, when Mark Mangino took Kansas from 2-10 to 6-7, the 2003 Jayhawks lost their opener to Northwestern before putting it together, which quelled some of the world-beater mentality.

The hope is that Kansas fans get to continue moving into the this could be our year level under Lance Leipold over the next couple of years. But for now, enjoy the excitement that shot out of nowhere. It’s a rare enjoyment for sports fans. And as it’s happening, it’s among the most purely enjoyable. 

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