I’m not saying that success has to be overstated by any means. And I’m certainly not saying this applies to all or even a particularly large number of fans.

As I said, I specifically mean those who don’t want to hope. And they exist. I’ve seen people post literally that. They temper hope because of fear of emotional pain of disappointment. That probably doesn’t apply to you.

My point is, hope doesn’t have to be rational or likely. That’s why I said don’t bring this hope to your betting (if that’s something you do) and don’t use it for an argument about who is actually better.

A fan SHOULD hope for more than may be reasonably expected to actually happen and enjoy every part of the way, even when they don’t get the ideal result.