Deal with the Devil

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

You're sitting at your local watering hole. Marquette just lost its last game of the season and the long offseason is about to begin. You find yourself wishing that you could see just one more Marquette national championship before you die. That's all you want. Suddenly, the devil appears next to you, orders a Bud Light, and makes you an offer. He will guarantee that Marquette will win the National Championship next season. However, as long you are alive, they will never make another postseason. They will become the new Depaul, the sleeping giant in the Big East that won't wake up until you die.

You're not sure and pause. He then offers a second deal. He can guarantee that Marquette makes the postseason every season for as long as you are alive. They'll have occasional appearances in the second weekend and even a final four appearance here and there. But they will NEVER win a national championship so long as you are alive. Marquette would essentially become Gonzaga (or Wisconsin), always playing in March, sometimes getting close to a championship but never bringing it home.

Which do you choose? If you don't pick the national championship, how many years of irrelevancy would you be willing to take in order to win it all? If you don't make a choice, the devil says he will turn Marquette into Depaul just for the hell of it.

This question got posed to me the other day, thought I'd share it on here. This is purely a philosophical question on how much a national championship is worth to you as a fan. Deal with the devil is not symbolism for something else. The literal devil is literally offering to make you a deal.

[jsglow]

Easy answer for me.

[Nukem2]

I'll take a lot of Sweet 16s, Elite 8s and Final 4s even without another NC.   

[Loose Cannon]

Easy answer for me.

Me Too, No Brainer!

[MerrittsMustache]

Take the title and run!

Here's the problem with this hypothetical...

If you pick the title, there's no point in paying attention to MU basketball after that because you know they'll always be bad. Why waste the time when you know the team will literally never turn it around?

If you pick the consistent contender, you know that, no matter how talented the team, they have zero chance to win the whole thing. Why waste the time? Isn't the whole point of cheering for a team the hope and dream that someday they'll win a title? Even if the team gets to the national title game, you would know they're going to lose. Perhaps you'd make big money betting against MU in Vegas, but other than that, why bother?

[wadesworld]

Didn't we already make a deal with the (Blue) Devil a few off seasons ago?

[Bocephys]

Consistent success all the way.  Playing the second weekend every year is far better than one magical run.

Plus, the devil will lose track of this deal eventually and we'd sneak a title in. 

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Easy answer for me.

Me Too, No Brainer!

But as of this writing, the voting is tied.....so which option is the no brainer?

[Bocephys]

But as of this writing, the voting is tied.....so which option is the no brainer?

The right answer is the no brainer, obviously.

[jsglow]

I chose consistent success.  Of course I enjoyed 1977.  But I've enjoyed plenty of Marquette basketball since then.

[JamilJaeJamailJrJuan]

Good thing we'll never have to make this decision.

[jutaw22mu]

It's more fun when they are consistently good, as we learned during our recent NCAA tourney dry spell. 

[BlindboyPatSmith]

I reckon it depends on how OLD I am when this proposition is made..for me...let's cut down those nets next year !!!   

[Galway Eagle]

We have a national title already and so that puts us in a nice category. We can find a million other ways to claim fame by being that team thats always in the FF or what not. Yes I'd love the national championship but at least without the national championship you can still cheer for us to make the second or third weekend

[warriorchick]

I am shocked at the number of people who voted for the National Championship.

To me that is the same as giving a young single guy the choice of :  A) Having an active dating life with many attractive women or B) having a glorious one-night stand with the most beautiful woman in the world, but never getting laid again, and choosing B.

[frozena pizza]

Finish my Bud Light and say no thanks.  The whole point of watching sports is that we don't know the outcome so I'd rather leave it to chance and have a clear conscience, even though the devil's version of consistent success is probably better than the reality.  In any case I've never negotiated with the devil but I'm guessing he usually expects more in return (e.g., your soul, your first born, etc.).

[Silkk the Shaka]

Gimme a 'notha 'natty for 5-7 years of Wojo's 1st year type results. Fair trade.

[frozena pizza]

I am shocked at the number of people who voted for the National Championship.

To me that is the same as giving a young single guy the choice of :  A) Having an active dating life with many attractive woman or B) having a glorious one-night stand with the most beautiful woman in the world, but never getting laid again, and choosing B.

Agreed.  Beauty is less important in the dark.

[Juan Anderson's Mixtape]

Easily the title for me.  Imagine being a Packer fan the last 25 years if there were zero Super Bowl wins between Favre and Rodgers. Not many are satisfied with just two. Imagine the frustration level of always being right there but coming up short.

One title in my lifetime and the rest is gravy. I was born in 1980, so I respect the old timers that were around for 1977.  I can understand them opting for sustained success. But a Marquette NC is on my sports bucket list.

[BM1090]

For me this also depends on how the national championship would come. Is it a dominant year where we win the Big East, lose 6 or less games, earn a 1 or 2 seed? Or do we get hot and win the tournament as an 8 seed?

I'd lean towards taking the national championship but only if it came in the first scenario. A frustrating season that ended with a 6 game hot streak would be less satisfying than a season where we were one of the best teams in the country all year.

[MUEng92]

If only I had been a fan of a sports team for 41 of my 46 years on earth without a hint of a championship and than said team actually won a championship so I would know if that was enough to satisfy me...  Wait a minute...

At this point, one is enough.  No one can take it away from me and I fully enjoyed the run.  Of course, provided I live another 41 years, if you ask me in 2057 I might have a different answer.

[Juan Anderson's Mixtape]

I am shocked at the number of people who voted for the National Championship.

To me that is the same as giving a young single guy the choice of :  A) Having an active dating life with many attractive women or B) having a glorious one-night stand with the most beautiful woman in the world, but never getting laid again, and choosing B.

Totally different scenario. I can always rewatch a copy of the title game to relive the experience.

I think a better analogy is a) lots of dating= sustained success, b) marriage = one national championship. I choose b, which also involves never getting laid again

[MerrittsMustache]

I am shocked at the number of people who voted for the National Championship.

To me that is the same as giving a young single guy the choice of :  A) Having an active dating life with many attractive women or B) having a glorious one-night stand with the most beautiful woman in the world, but never getting laid again, and choosing B.

Disagree. It's more like marrying your dream girl as opposed to dating a lot of different women who range from "meh" to "good enough." Quality > Quantity

Put another way: As a Cubs fan, I'd rather have 2016 and nothing else as opposed to a lifetime of 1984s and 2003s. No matter what happens from here on out, the 2016 Cubs season will live forever.

[Nukem2]

Disagree. It's more like marrying your dream girl as opposed to dating a lot of different women who range from "meh" to "good enough." Quality > Quantity

Thats a non-sequitor for the argument presented unless you mean you would just marry the girl and she dies the next day or you get divorced the next day.

[ATWizJr]

You're sitting at your local watering hole. Marquette just lost its last game of the season and the long offseason is about to begin. You find yourself wishing that you could see just one more Marquette national championship before you die. That's all you want. Suddenly, the devil appears next to you, orders a Bud Light, and makes you an offer. He will guarantee that Marquette will win the National Championship next season. However, as long you are alive, they will never make another postseason. They will become the new Depaul, the sleeping giant in the Big East that won't wake up until you die.

You're not sure and pause. He then offers a second deal. He can guarantee that Marquette makes the postseason every season for as long as you are alive. They'll have occasional appearances in the second weekend and even a final four appearance here and there. But they will NEVER win a national championship so long as you are alive. Marquette would essentially become Gonzaga (or Wisconsin), always playing in March, sometimes getting close to a championship but never bringing it home.

Taking door # 1  but I'm 90.
Which do you choose? If you don't pick the national championship, how many years of irrelevancy would you be willing to take in order to win it all? If you don't make a choice, the devil says he will turn Marquette into Depaul just for the hell of it.

This question got posed to me the other day, thought I'd share it on here. This is purely a philosophical question on how much a national championship is worth to you as a fan. Deal with the devil is not symbolism for something else. The literal devil is literally offering to make you a deal.