I was as diehard a fan as anyone can be. 10 years ago if you had told me I would not only stop attending games, but not even watch them anymore, I would have said you were completely out of your mind. But, that's where I am now. Sometime around 2011-2012, I realized my obsession with VT football was not healthy, and I slowly started stepping away. My daughter was also born around that same time, so my priorities changed out of necessity.

I still attended a handful of games over the next couple of seasons, but in 2013 I realized I simply didn't enjoy the experience any more and would rather be at home with my family. I continued to watch games for a few more seasons, but less and less often. Rather than planning every fall Saturday around Tech's schedule, I'd tune in when it was convenient, and if I missed a game, it didn't feel like I was committing an unforgivable sin. Then sometime during the 2018 season (I think), I just stopped watching altogether and was happier for it. The following season, I think I tried to watch the first game against BC and realized I simply got no enjoyment from it, and didn't tune in again. Last season, I tried to watch the NC St. game, and felt that same numbness, so I turned it off after about a quarter. And that was pretty much the end of it. I no longer look at the roster, the schedule, the standings, etc. I've just moved on, and I honestly have zero regrets. I'm a happier person and enjoy spending time with my family and (like you with your kids) supporting my daughter in her sports and activities.

So, all of this is to say, I'd certainly never tell someone they SHOULD walk away from their Hokie sports fandom, but I can say from experience that I think you'd be surprised how little you miss it if you invest that time in other areas of your life, and how much less stressful the Fall can be. I still read TSL out of habit and because I enjoy the community here, but this is really my only remaining connection to anything VT. I don't even watch any other college football at all at this point, but that's mainly because I finally got disillusioned by the lie that it is anything but a business, and there is no academic component. But that's a totally different discussion.