To win or not to win... and how?

So, I saw where people are upset because a high school football team in Florida beat another high school football team in Florida 83-0. I’ve been on both sides of a beat-down before as a player and as a coach. I feel for people on each side. Here’s the deal... unless you’re playing your rival, embarrassing an opponent isn’t all that fun.

Let’s start with the obvious stuff first. Getting killed in a game ain’t fun. Having a team run the score up against you is even worse. It embarrasses you and makes you feel sick. But it also teaches you something. See, in a lot of ways, life is like sports. If you play sports long enough, there’s a chance someone will come along and run the score up on you. If you live long enough, there’s a chance life will punch you in the face and then really start beating you. I love the quote from the last Rocky movie where Rocky says,

“Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place, and I don't care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me or nobody is going to hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you hit, it is about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward, how much can you take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done! Now, if you know what you're worth, then go out and get what you're worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hit, and not point fingers saying you ain't where you are because of him, or her, or anybody”.

See, not everybody is a winner all the time. There are times you might do your best and get crushed 83-0. But how are you going to deal with it? Are you going to give up? Are you going to run away and never play again? Or are you going to keep fighting and keep working hard? This is a problem I have with a lot of youth sports these days. They want everyone to be a winner. Well, everyone isn’t a winner. I’m not talking about t-ball here. You want to call everyone a winner at that level, that’s fine. I coached t-ball one time. Trust me, if everyone makes it off the field alive then they really are all winners. And there are times when just playing makes you a winner regardless of the score. I get that. But for 99% of the kids playing, it should be win or lose. The reason this is important is that learning how to deal with defeat at a young age can pay huge dividends later in life. Learning how to win can also payoff big time.

So what about being on the winning side of 83-0? First off, in the Florida game mentioned at the beginning, I don’t think the team was trying to run up the score. They took their starters out at halftime and only passed the ball one time in the second half. I’m not 100% sure what else they could have done. Don’t forget that a lot of the guys playing in the second half probably don’t get much playing time so they should be allowed to give their best out there. Plus winning by a lot can also be a teaching opportunity. For one thing, it teaches kids that hard work pays off. It is important, however, to teach them the right way to win. Winning because you work harder and play harder than the other team is fine, running up the score isn’t. There are times when it’s a fine line between the two and there are times when it’s obvious. In the end, it comes down to being thankful for what you have (better talent, better work ethic, just plain ol’ good luck...) and respecting your opponent... and also realizing that the next time you might be on the bad side of a beat down.