|
|
     
|
How losers change the world - Sep 26, 2008 | 11:11:22
posted by: Howard Smith
This entry is written by Gary Brown, the Director of The NCAA News and Champion Magazine. My teenage daughter went to her part-time job the other night expecting me to tape a WNBA playoff game she wanted to see, only I stopped the machine after her team fell hopelessly behind. I spent the next 30 minutes trying to figure out how to break the news to her - do I let her watch the tape until it suddenly goes blank or do I come clean when I pick her up at the library and say, "Sorry, kiddo, the season's over." I've been a sports fan all my life and I've never figured out how to handle losing. I don't get mad and throw stuff (well, OK, I get mad), but I'm not as graceful as a fan as most players are after a loss. We complain a lot about sportsmanship in college sports, but let me tell you, if fans played the games there might not be any sportsmanship at all - maybe that's why message boards and blogs are so popular as venting devices, since there's little to no accountability to stand by what you say. Hats off to all the student-athletes out there who know how to lose. Sounds odd to say, but I'm as impressed by "losers" as with winners. How do you play a hard-fought contest and then look the opponent in the eye and shake his or her hand at the end? Heck, in most games, opponents hug each other. I don't see much of that at the sports bar. So here's to all you losers out there. Ironically, you're the people who make our world better. By the way, I came clean with my daughter. Told her right as she got in the car that Indiana got pounded by Detroit. Her response? "That's OK; they had a pretty good year." Wow, this apple seems to have fallen pretty far from the tree. How do you all out there cope with losing? 
CommentsLosing stinks. I was always more afraid to lose than I was excited to win. For athletes, I truly believe a fear of losing is necessary in order to compete the way you should. But the other part of the old adage - how you play the game - is important. Except for the greatest teams, losing is inevitable for every athlete during every season. Having respect for your opponents, your teammates and the game is necessary when you win and lose, and allows you to do both with grace. You cope with losing the exact same way you cope with winning. It is equally important to win or lose graciously. In a perfect world, sportsmanship would be so prevalent, it would be impossible to tell the winners from the losers at the end of the game. I believe losing is as much of the game as winning. There will always be a 50-50% chance that you can win or lose a game, and in the end, there will be a loser. I also believe, its not a loss that defines you or a team, but its how you respond after a loss that proves who you are and what you have learned. If an individual or team can pick up the pieces and bounce back, then the lesson of losing a game was successful. Just as in sports, the game of life offers the same deal, you will win some and lose some, the more you learn from the losses and gain the experiences of bouncing back and learning from the situations, the better off your life after sports will become! As a former collegiate football and baseball player, believe me, I've had my share! Visit www.thecorporateplaybook.com to learn more about the game of life, when taking making the transition From the Locker Room, to the Board Room! Well one thing is for sure, losing isn't easy. For those players who play with their emotions on their sleeves. Emotion is the main issue for a sore loser. But its difficult not to be emotional about something that you've worked so hard for and used so much energy for. In the end an it takes a level head to deal with losing. I normally deal with it by just being quiet so I can think about what else I could've done to help my team win the game. Post a Comment |
  
It means that two very good teams with very good coaches made it to the final game.
- Marie
   
|
