All fans know the ecstatic feeling of having their team play in the grand finale of the championship season. There is no greater feeling of exhilaration or pulling your hair out than having a team in the game. This year’s game lasted almost four hours and fourteen minutes. During that match, a fan is actually, virtually, a player on his team; Or that’s what they feel. They yell and mentally push the ball forward when passing it to the catcher. He then backs away, pulling his hair or yelling until said receiver catches him. There are also some moments where they will mentally and sometimes physically run with the receiver towards that touchdown. Get the idea? For them, this is not just sedentary viewing. A true fan actually becomes mentally and physically part of the team.

But what if his team, God forbid, doesn’t make it to the most spectacular championship game of all? What does a fan do to keep watching with the same level of personal investment? Well, there are options. Here are some suggestions from other fans.

Some soccer fans suggest having a backup team. This could be a team that is close to where you live, as most fans inherit their team from family members who introduce them to the game. This allows you two chances to get the coveted trophy. Does this always guarantee that it will be worth it? Well, no.

If the world is ending, the world of football, and neither your main team nor your backup team end up in the Super Bowl, then what? Many fans will resort to the strategy of rooting for any team that plays a hated team. This may be the team of a friend who made it to the championship game and whose swagger annoys you the hell out of it; so he may want to help puff up his swaggering head.

But it could also be a team that gave their core team a hard time this year. There are even some extreme rivalries that give a fan that perfect team to hate on. You know the.

But no matter which avenue works for you as a fan, there are ways to make that Super Bowl personal. Let’s hope 2014 is a personal success for you and your family’s soccer team; especially if your team is the 49ers. Now that they’ve gotten their feet wet in the Super Bowl again, after all this time, we may be more likely to see them grab that trophy.