I’m guessing your poor eyeballs are still trying to recover from Monday’s long Arthur Ashe post. So I’m taking pity on you today with a super short post, along with a poll. (I love my polls!)
What do you think about losing? (Personally, I’m not a fan.) The pros have faced more losses than most of us, and many have strong opinions about it.
Here’s one pro’s perspective on losing:
You’ve got to get to the stage in life where going for it is more important than winning or losing.
–Arthur Ashe
Sounds profound, although I guess all he’s really saying is “it’s not whether you win or lose that counts–it’s how you play the game.” Still, it’s a classy thing to say. But here’s another opinion:
Whoever said “it’s not whether you win or lose that counts” probably lost.
–Martina Navratilova
Not classy. Just brutally practical.
Who’s right? You only get to pick one–there’s no weasly “both” answer in this poll. Make a choice and defend it in the comments section!
(See? I told you this one would be short.)
While I don’t like losing, if I’ve really and truly played to the best of my ability – I can look back and feel pretty good about the effort (most of the time…….)
I agree. If I know I played well, losing doesn’t crush me. It’s when I’ve beaten myself that bothers me and stays with me a long time. But maybe there’s a psychological shift that happens with that attitude. Maybe one ends up walking out on the court with the subconscious attitude of “it’s okay if I lose.” Maybe that’s what Navratilova is getting at, that it subtly erodes the competitive spirit and makes you more likely to lose.
I don’t think Ashe is saying winning and losing don’t count. They do count, a lot. But more important than winning is trying hard. Having your game thrown off or giving up because you are down 3-5 in a set isn’t helpful. You still have to go for it, full on, win or lose.
I think Martina is correct too. I just like Arthur’s sentiment better.
Agreed! 😊🎾