Colin Sheridan: The more things change for Mayo, the more they stay the same

Dublin in Croke Park is just the tonic to release those endorphins the county has lived off for over a decade. Lose, and the weight will feel a good deal heavier

2021: Matthew Ruane of Mayo in action against Michael Fitzsimons of Dublin during the All-Ireland SFC semi-final. Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

“For Red Sox fans, it wasn’t always about winning - that was the province of the Yankee fans. it was about wanting to win. Hoping they would win. The weight of the wait. Which is why the fans came back, even after so many near misses. There was something at once noble and naive about the dynamic between the fans and their team. As decades passed, Red Sox Nation offered no asylum for those in need of instant gratification. Believing the Red Sox would win a World Series…required an act of faith not unlike one's commitment to a Higher Being."

- Dan Shaughnessy, Reversing the Curse