With the Reds’ loss on Thursday, they became the first team in National League history to lose a five-game playoff series after winning the first two games.

The collapse — or comeback by the Giants, depending on how you view it — had happened four times before in the American League but was unprecedented in the National League.

While it’s a tough way for the season to end for Reds fans, it’s one of the reasons why I and so many others love sports.

Don’t get me wrong; I don’t like that the Reds lost. But the unpredictability of sports is incredible, making them the greatest show you could hope for.

Anyone who’s ever participated in a March Madness bracket challenge or bet on a game (non-illegal bets, of course) knows how hard it is to predict what’s going to happen in sports.

How many people thought the Reds-Giants series was done when the Reds won the first two games in San Francisco, coming back to Cincinnati with three chances to win the series?

How many people thought the Oakland A’s, who seemingly gutted their team and replaced players with a bunch of unproven guys, would make the playoffs?

Who would have thought Raúl Ibáñez would come off the bench to hit two home runs to lead the Yankees past the Orioles in game three Wednesday?

Who would have thought the Packers would be struggling so much (which I have enjoyed) or that the Vikings would be so successful this season(which i also have enjoyed, despite having very low expectations for them this season)?

Who would have thought Ohio State, which is intelligible for the postseason, would be in the national championship discussion (also very nice)?

Those are all examples from the last month or even week. We could go on seemingly forever with all the surprises throughout history.

If you follow sports business at all, you’ve seen that the television deals for sports leagues and college conferences have skyrocketed in recent years. That’s because while people are using their DVRs to record shows and skip through the commercials or watching online, they watch sports live. People want to witness the unexpected twists that come with sports.

The Reds’ loss was hard to see, but it’s one of the great things about sports … at least it’s great when it’s happening to someone other than the Reds.

Kyle Shaner is the sports editor for the Daily Advocate. He can be reached at kshaner@dailyadvocate.com.