I believe the reason for that is control vs hope. We can't control much except going to the games, supporting the team, etc but we cannot control the actual outcome. The reason why some are "complacent" is because they have accepted that they can't control anything concerning the university. Hope comes in when they want to do something but don't (or can't) do what they feel is necessary.
I love your quote of "failure feels different to different people" and that is incredibly true. Same thing with pain, love, or any other emotion.