Denial is usually only a temporary defense for the fan. Denial can be the conscious or unconscious refusal to accept facts, information, or the reality of the situation. Denial is a defense mechanism and some people can become locked in this stage. It is recommended that family members and health not prolong denial by distorting the truth about the condition of the team. In doing so, they prevent the fan from adjusting to the impending reality.

Anger - "Why my team? It's not fair!"; "How can this happen to my team?"; '"Who is to blame?"

Once in the second stage, the individual recognizes that denial cannot continue. Because of anger, the fan is very difficult to deal or reason with due to misplaced feelings of rage and envy of winning rival programs. This results in being banned from various message boards. Anger can manifest itself in different ways. People can be angry with themselves, or with others, and especially those who are close to them. The manifestation can be geographic or cultural. For instance Georgia fans may drink heavily while Tennessee fans kick their dogs and beat their wives.

Bargaining - "I'll do anything for a few more wins."; "I will give my life savings if..."

The third stage involves the hope that the team can somehow postpone or delay impending suckiness. Usually, the negotiation for more wins is made with a higher power. Psychologically, the individual is saying, "I understand We suck, but if I could just do something for a few more wins..." fan looks for coaching changes in hopes of bringing miracles to their team through "the man at the top" (head coach if necessary)

During the fourth stage, the grieving fan begins to understand the certainty of being a fan of a losing team. Because of this, the fan may become silent, and spend much of the time crying and grieving. It is not recommended to attempt to cheer up the fan who is in this stage. It is an important time for grieving that must be processed. Depression could be referred to as the dress rehearsal for the 'aftermath'. It is a kind of acceptance with emotional attachment. It's natural to feel sadness, regret, fear, and uncertainty when going through this stage. Feeling those emotions shows that the person has begun to accept the situation.

Acceptance - "I give up caring, I can't fight it, I may as well prepare for it."

In this last stage, individuals begin to come to terms with their team losing week after week. The fan realizes they still want to watch and cheer for their pathetic team and just lowers their expectation to "not completely embarrassing performance" to try to accept the inevitable poor outcomes.This stage varies from fan to fan but in the end they just shrug at their team's losing performances. They may sell their remaining tickets, watch another game, or turn off the tv and just go wash the car. In the end the fan just quits caring.==============================

or not care about my Gators regardless of wins/losses