The world is filled with winners and losers, though many people don’t like to admit that.
Glued to the television since March Madness tipped off this past Thursday – as I am a huge basketball fan and the NCAA Tournament is like Christmas to a hoops fanatic – if there is one theme that seems to have stood out this year it’s the public display of emotions many of the players and coaches have exhibited following the games.
Saul Phillips, North Dakota State coach, broke down after a loss to San Diego State in the round of 32 when asked what he would take away from his team’s experience in the tournament. “Hey, I love these guys. Absolutely love them. Love them. I hope that comes close to answering it.”
A Gonzaga player’s emotions got the best of him after a loss to Arizona during the press conference, saying they had given it their all and that they had lost as a team.
Creighton senior Doug McDermott gave his coach, who is also his father, an emotional embrace following his team’s loss to Baylor, and said during the press conference that his time in school was the best experience of his life and he hoped other players would do the same as he did and stay in school.
And, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, after perhaps the biggest upset loss in the tournament thus far to 14-seed Mercer, visited the Bears’ locker room to congratulate the team on a great win.
These are examples of tremendous sportsmanship, showing the importance of sports on the development of youth and how being part of a team and learning to lose is extremely important.
Several sports organizations throughout Canada, including some here in Cochrane, are moving toward a ‘no one is a loser’ approach in youth sports, and if there is one single disservice that can be forced upon young athletes that will negatively affect them as adults, it’s this…not learning how to deal with loss.
I played basketball throughout my school years and we did not win every game.
I have a friendly bracket bet every year during March Madness with my father and friend Jamie from back home, and there is only one winner each year, leaving two losers (this year being my father and Jamie…yes, after only two rounds we have already established that) to ponder what they did wrong.
Learning what it is like to lose and bettering yourself because of that loss is one of the most, if not the most, vital experiences for any athlete, because sports mirrors the realities of life.
As adults, we all have moments when we win and when we lose, whether it’s with our professional careers, our personal relationships or our day-to-day lives. The world will have no sympathy for anyone when they get knocked down, and unless we have learned how to pick ourselves back up, we’ll stay down.
Imagine if during the job interview for the position you currently hold, your employer hired every single candidate, giving them each five hours a week simply because they didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings by not hiring them and making them feel like ‘losers.’
Stop making fun of athletes who break down and bare their soul; it shows character, how much they care and proves that they will learn and become better people because of their loss.
And please, stop misleading our kids into thinking that ‘no one is a loser,’ because you’re doing nothing but depriving them of something every person should experience and grow from. Let’s keep supporting our little winners, as well as our little losers.
