Mania Mania

When are we going to realize that manias always end in disappointment? It seems like our life blood comes from constantly having some kind of mania in play to keep the water-cooler conversation going or the sports radio abuzz.

Remember this past NFL Season: Tebow Mania. Everyone was Tebowing, and it seemed like everyone and their mother (mine included) was talking about Tim Tebow, and his rags-to-riches story. But in the end it fell flat, because the mania can never match the reality. The truth is Tim Tebow is not a good NFL QB, and yes his team did get some miraculous wins (two games won on 55+ yard field goals), but like I said, at the end it fizzled out, and the Broncos are trying to bring in Peyton Manning to replace the mania. What does that tell you?

How about Linsanity? Wow what a cyclone of mediocrity that was for a few weeks in February. But of course the whole country climbed on, even suggesting that a marginal point guard was going to lead the NY Knicks to a championship. Now? The NY Knicks are on a six-game losing streak, and their coach was fired today, I mean he “resigned” today. Lincomprehensible? Actually I’d say it’s another Linteresting example of manias run amok.

Jimmer Mania?

But it’s not just a national thing or an entertainment thing.

Look at us right here in the Good Ole Capital Region. Does anyone remember Krispy Kreme? At first it was like they were giving away front-row McCartney tickets. For that first month of business there was a 45-minute wait every morning for cheap doughnuts that the supermarket and Dunkin Donuts both sold. Why? Because we love manias. We don’t care what the mania is about, we just have to be a part. Krispy Kreme stayed in business for four months, maybe five, then . . . Ah, Manias.

Same thing when Dinosaur Bar-B-Que opened. You literally had to call a full week in advance to get a table. And when you got there, guess what? The food was horrible, the service was horrible. Why? Because it’s Applebee’s with a different colored menu, and guess what? We have 60 Applebee’s already. Additionally we all realized we’ve had better rib joints here the whole time. Heck, Smokey Bones is better, way better. I bet you could call Dinosaur right now, get a party of 100 seated in the next ten minutes.

I heard they're thinking of opening a Shop Rite in the Region. Oh man. Wolf Road is going to be like Met Life Stadium those first three months if it happens, even though Shop Rite is just Hannaford with a different colored sign. Are they thinking of a Trader Joe's too? Watch out if that happens. Well watch out for a few months, then don't worry.

Is all this mania mania because people are tricked by lights and billboards? Is it because, no matter what, we have to be a part of the national conversation? Is it another limb of herd behavior, doing whatever the crowd does, agreeing with the majority, even if you don’t intrinsically agree? Did anyone really think Tim Tebow was good? Did anyone actually like Dinosaur Bar-B-Que? I don’t see how someone could genuinely answer yes to either. So the question is are you a day trader or a market player? Are you interested in fads and immediate results or is the big picture what matters most?

All people probably see themselves as big-picture people. But if you were the guy who hung out at Dinosaur for the first month, and the guy who brought the box of KK doughnuts to the office every morning, and if you watched the 2nd half of this NFL season in your just-ordered Tim Tebow jersey, you might want to ask yourself which side of the fence you ‘actually’ fall on. And yes I will admit manias are fun, but at the end of the day, most of them end up being pretty Linsignificant.

Brian Huba
3/14/12