On the TUNNEYSIDE of SPORTS February 22, 2016 #581 Up next…” A ‘Good’ Loser’”?
After further review…” Show me a good loser, and I’ll show you a loser” has been repeated by many. The legendary Paul Newman of “Butch Cassidy” fame is a popular source of the quote. Leo Durocher, erstwhile manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers (among other MLB teams) up the ante with “Show me a good loser, and I’ll show you an idiot.” “Leo the Lip’” is also quoted saying, “Nice guys finish last.” Or maybe you like this definition from an unknown source: “Show me a good loser, and I’ll show you a guy who’s playing golf with his boss.”
The above quotes are not embraced in the TunneySide philosophy. In fact, losing a game, match, contest or event with equanimity is more in line with our thinking. Easy to say; but sometimes hard to do. In almost every athletic contest there is an emotion or passion that can muddy one’s thinking and subsequent reactions. As Herm Edwards, ESPN analyst and former NFL Player and Head coach professes: “You play to win the game. You don’t play it just to play it!” However, as disappointing as a loss may be, you need to prevent it from being discouraging.
In a recent PGA golf tournament, a well-known player lost by one stroke. In a post-match interview, a reporter asked about where he would go from there. The golfer replied, “It [the loss] tells me I need to do a little more work. But I’m determined to get back to work and get this right.” BTW the golfer who won that tournament (by that single stroke) hadn’t won a tournament in nearly 11 years! Does that mean he was a “loser” all those years? Certainly not!
Sports teaches something that can’t be taught anywhere else: self-discipline. Sports can also be a determining factor in improving self-esteem. My father, who was my first mentor, taught me this poem “The Prayer of a Sportsman” by Berton Braley:
Dear Lord, in the battle that goes on through life, I ask only for a field that is fair, A chance that is equal to all in the strife, The courage to strive and to dare. And if I should win, let it be by the code, With my faith and my honor held high. But if I should lose, Let me stand by the road and cheer as the winners go by.
Will you look at winning and losing as part of your life’s journey?
To contact Jim go to www.jimtunney.com or email jim@jimtunney.com.
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