Winning and Losing

“If you can react the same way to winning and losing, that's a big accomplishment. This quality is important because it stays with you the rest of your life. ”

Chris Evert Lloyd

Winning and losing, finishing first or last can all result in lessons being learned by the athletes, and spectators. Losing needs to be done with class, and a person can show some emotion, but remember act like you have won something before, because not too far away from you, is somebody that is devastated inside due to the loss. I personally believe it is important that as humans, we experience the highs and lows of athletics and competition, just so a person can step back and evaluate their progress. Not everybody is going to experience the euphoria of winning a championships, but when given the chance, each individual needs to celebrate the feat with class.

Not everybody and every team is going to be satisfied with the opinions of the masses. A prime example would the be approval rating of the Kansas Jayhawks basketball squad after their season halting defeat at the hands of Northern Iowa. The Jayhawks were the favorite of many people to win the NCAA mens basketball tournament. The Panthers of Northern Iowa made sure that their showdown with Kansas wasn’t played on paper, even though many people had Kansas winning on their sheet of brackets. Northern Iowa played a great game and deserves all the accolades they are receiving, but what I don’t approve of is all the garbage talk towards the Jayhawks for causing you the fan, no hope in your local NCAA bracket contest. Are you serious, you are a true fan of college athletics but would rather throw a team under the bus, because they were defeated and cost you bragging rights or pocket change? Not just the athletes but student-athletes and fans of competition should be proud of the victors and the people that respect the game, enough to be pouring their hearts out to put on a display of great athleticism for the world to watch.

Sooner or later, each and every person will have their chance in the limelight, you can’t force the issue or try to eliminate the competition, because if you exterminate the competition, is it really a great feat, when you accomplish greatness by exerting no effort?

Question of the Week: In honor of Major League Baseball season starting up soon, can you name the pitcher that has recorded the most wins in a season and how many wins he recorded?