Why do they even play the game?
This summer I have perused the many articles and excerpts from the late Charles Krauthammer, a moderate liberal turned independent conservative who wrote oftentimes in order to provide critical feedback towards individual government officials and to provide opinions on more universally relatable topics. His writing style is very direct, and he unequivocally demonstrates the ideals of that which he believes in. The sports-related article, “Why do they even play the game?” properly exhibits the sharp and established phraseology executed by the author.
This article focuses principally on the juvenile concept of winning and losing, in its most superficial form, sports. The author designs what he very originally calls the Krauthammer Conjecture, which is the rudimentary idea that in any given game of any given sport, the net amount of suffering is larger than the net amount of pleasure, meaning that the pleasure of winning is outweighed by the devastation of loss. This leads the author to question why these athletes decide to take part in the first place, all the while producing a multitude of examples of winners and losers of the past. Krauthammer then brings into focus the wealth and privilege that each of these people boasts by questioning how one can be so incandescent at a game when they hastily return home to fortunes; “I don’t feel sorry for them. They can drown their sorrows in the Olympic-sized infinity pool that graces their Florida estate.” He concludes the column with the final postulation that winning isn’t everything, but instead it is the only thing.
Discussion Question: Do you think that the pleasure and glory of winning is outweighed by the devastation of losing? If so, why do people play these games at all?
From personal experience the feeling after winning a game is something that I wish to feel each time, but winning every game is almost impossible. I think the the devastation of losing does outweigh the pleasure of winning, the feeling of defeat after putting in everything you have is the worst feeling an athlete can have. But I still continue to play because this feeling is what pushes me to work harder the next game, it allows me two learn from my mistakes and build off of them. The feeling of losing is the worst but those games that you lose allow you to put in the work and experience the feeling of winning the next time.
I believe the devastation of losing greatly outweighs the pleasure one experiences after winning. While achieving a substantial victory may provide an individual with an initial sense of happiness, a loss, even if insignificant, can destroy a person’s morale. Despite this, many people find joy in just playing the game. Whether they win or lose is not important. As well, losses can allow an athlete to grow and improve. So, despite the mental impact a loss can have, these people continue to play as the enjoyment they find has a greater influence.
I do agree that the pleasure of winning is outweighed by the devastation of losing. From my own experience in sports, the excitement and adrenaline you receive from winning is not as impactful or permanent than the disappointment from loosing. It is easier to denounce one’s confidence than it is to bring it up. But nonetheless, sports can be fun and very beneficial to the social and physical health of an individual, which is why they are still so encouraged and practiced. I think people who are struggling to cope with the feeling of loss in sports should focus more on enjoying it rather than the potential social or material gain you can evoke from it, because that is when it is the most rewarding.
Losing stings with sadness and frustration, an undeniable disadvantage that no one enjoys. However, it is at these trying times that the sweet taste of success becomes even more exciting. The difficulty, setbacks, and hard-fought fights that accompany defeats enrich the sense of victory. The path from defeat to success heightens the sensation of accomplishment and happiness, making the ultimate victory all the more satisfying. The contrast between winning and losing gives the latter a tremendous sense of worth. Without the lows of failure, the highs of victory would lack the same resonance and meaning, therefore losing is an essential component of the complicated fabric of achievement. So I believe that the feeling of losing does not out weigh the feeling of winning, most of the time.
I believe that the feeling of losing outweighs the feeling of winning. From my own experience, I can say that I would much rather win a game than lose. Wouldn’t everyone want to win? We all work so hard in practices that lead up to games with the intention to win. I’ve won and lost games and the feeling of losing stinks, it is hard knowing we all went out and tried our hardest, but it wasn’t enough. No athlete wants to lose, it is one of the hardest things to deal with as an athlete. We still move on from a loss, we do this because we love the game we are playing. If we didn’t love the game, why would we be playing it?! The feeling of losing makes us want to work harder next time so we can win.
This author, Charles Krauthammer, obviously never played a sport growing up. The article focuses on youth sports, which are not about the sport nearly as much as the other experiences that come with playing. Playing a sport on a team as a child brings many friendships, life lessons, and builds character. In the article, he discusses if playing a sport is even worth it, because of the devastation with loss. It should not be that way, coaches and parents teach their children to become a good loser. Being a good loser is when you are able to accept the fact that you got outplayed and you are allowed to be upset for a little while after, but then the next day you move right on. Having a mindset like that allows for sports to be incredibly fun and beneficial for children and teenagers. The pleasure of winning and playing a sport should never be outweighed by the devastation of losing.
I believe that the devastation of losing does outweighs the glory of winning. In my experience, I have been more focused on the games that I don’t win. This is because when I lose a game, it motivates me to come back and work harder to win the next time. I do believe that this may be different for everybody. I think that even though the feeling of losing outweighs the feeling of winning, people still play sports because they want to get better. Being able to manage a loss is something that is a part of life that athletes have to learn to deal with. This is because you only grow and get better with loss as a team player and as an overall person.
I think that the pleasure of winning does outweigh the pleasure of winning. However I don’t think that that’s the only reason that people play the game. A lot of the reason that I do sports is to improve myself physically and mentally. It provides me a way to stay active while also giving me a way to make friends and interact with people who I do them with.
Personally, I do believe that the pleasure and glory of winning is outweighed by the devastation of losing. I’ve had my own experiences of playing games and everytime I participate in one, I always have the motivation to win because I feel like if I don’t then I would be disappointed in myself. All games have a winner or loser and most, if not all does everyone want to be on the winning side. Although some may take losing as a way to push them harder in a game, the emotions one is able to perceive from winning is why people continue to play these games. Earning a victory gets people satisfied and excited which doesn’t compare to a defeat as it is an unsettling feeling that no one would want to have.
From my own personal experiences, I believe that the pleasure and glory of winning is not outweighed by the devastation of losing. Entering my 9th year of playing football, I have played on several different teams, many have been winning teams, and some have been losing teams. One thing I have noticed however, is that when we lose, it doesn’t generally effect anyone nearly as much as winning. The feeling you get from winning often lasts significantly longer than losing. After a win, people will celebrate for a while and their mood is a lot better throughout the week. After a loss, the feeling is usually gone by the next day, and sometimes, not long after the game ends. I believe that people play these games because they enjoy what they do. They enjoy playing them, and work hard, whether they win or lose. If the net amount of suffering was truly greater than the net amount of pleasure, then nobody would want to play these games.
I personally believe that the pleasure and glory of winning is outweighed by the devastation of losing tenfold. When it comes to winning you don’t have to think much of it, you could simply say “Hey, we won lets go.” and then move on. When it comes to losing, there will always be that something that just keeps picking at you the moment you attain that single loss. You could win by a lot or you could win after a close game after going into overtime but it will still be outweighed by defeat in those situations because you’ll keep thinking to yourself that your best simply wasn’t enough and that it wasn’t worth the struggle. Although people do play these games anyways out of just pure enjoyment of the sport and some people can overlook the idea of winning and losing anyways and can just focus on bettering themselves at the sport.
No I don’t think it is at all. From my experience in cross country and both indoor and outdoor track, I’ve never been worried about winning the meet. That’s because most of the time I would be focused on getting first and if not that then breaking any personal record I had prior to the start of that race or event. If there’s any slight sign of progression I was proud of that. That includes every millisecond faster, inch or centimeter longer or higher. I would be excited to see how I would get better for the next meet only bringing my hopes of for the future of my sports career.
Personally, I do agree that the pleasure of glory is outweighed by the devastation of of loss. In my experience playing sports, losses have always been stuck in my mind for longer than wins. When you lose, I often think to myself, what did I do wrong that caused us to lose, or what did our team do to take a loss. When we win, it is almost like we take it and just move forward without thinking twice about. Although this may be the case, many people, including myself, still play the game for many reasons. For me, I play the game because seeing myself progress in my craft over time is one of the best feelings. After putting in hours of work and finally seeing results in game is so satisfying. Whether my team wins or loses, there is always something that can be improved on, and I think that constant room for growth keeps me playing.