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| Packers vs. Seahawks Game, courtesy of John Lok/Seattle Times |
David Maraniss was critically stern in his argument that
winning is not everything in his article, Winning Actually Isn't the Only Thing. Sports are an
important part of American culture and despite the drive to win and please your
fans is winning really everything? People curve their emotions and actions in
response to a win even if those actions aren’t always appropriate. Maraniss wrote in response to the Seahawks
Packer game in which a call was game winning in the Seahawks favor. The call should not have stood, yet Seahawks
fans and players alike treated the situation as if it was correct. Maraniss aims to prove that it is just a game
and regardless of the outcome there are more important things to gain from
sports.
Having been
an avid athlete all my life I tend to agree with David Maraniss. In the situation of the Seahawks Packer game
it was hard to choke down the last play, however; at the same time there was an
NFL referee lockout and they had no choice but to supply replacement refs. They were not up to par to referee a
professional game, but there was no one else to do it. I also believe that you gain so much more from
sports than any stats will ever tell you.
What you learn through team work, dedication, commitment, and time
management is far more life changing than a season of statistics. While they are fun to look back on and
remember, the memories you make far outweigh a season record. Yet, regardless of any situation, there are
always people that do believe winning is everything and it does change the
sport. Such as, those in favor of the
Seahawks haphazard attitudes after the undeserving win. Making the best of the situation and others
reactions to an irreversible event is all you can do, and in the words of Vince
Lombardi, “If you can’t accept losing, you can’t win.” Therefore, I do agree
with Maraniss and think that it should always be remembered that winning is
never everything.
I agree with your premise that people do curve their emotions and get a little to close to the game. For instance, after a Packer loss domestic violence goes up. In addition, I agree with you that you can look back on stats and say you did this and that but sports can offer many other qualities to a person that it sometimes isn't about the game its about improving yourself. My final thought is that i like your quote saying, "If you can't accept losing, you can't win", because once you understand that winning isn't everything, you can improve yourself/team and get a win next time.
ReplyDeleteI like how you took the time to see both sides of the story. A lot of the time people are so emotionally attached to sports that they have a hard time looking at both sides and the situations. Very well done!
ReplyDeleteI think when reading an article like this it is very easy for an athlete to relate. I really liked the point you made about gaining so much more from sports than any stat will be able to tell a person. Although it is always nice to win, it definitely is not everything.
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