M

r. Vince Lombardi (coach - Packers - long ago) made some rather famous remarks about winning, losing and forming the habit of winning and losing. He also indicated that if you give it your 'all' you will eventually come up a winner (intimating that if you didn't win the Super Bowl - or whatever you were trying for - it's a failure of resolve on your part ). I guess the Buffalo Bills should go kill themselves for having won 4 straight AFC championships!

I must take exception to his remarks which, though true in some situations, are untrue in sport.

The reason is the structure of the rules of sport.

Take football for instance. There can be only 1 winner, by definition. Ergo, are all the losers cowards? ... unmanly whiners? He said he came in second twice and did not like it and never wanted to experience it again.

Should those who do not win bow their heads in shame?

His speech is inspiring (superficially) because it speaks of not compromising one's integrity, of remaining true to one's objectives and eventually coming out on top. But it lacks the content to support such claims. They do not transfer to sporting contests because a limit is placed on the number of winners - namely, ONE.

Do you see why this would apply to raising your family? ... in business? ... trying to educate oneself?

Why?

For winning and losing, these are the actual, general rules:

• Winners generally are more virtuous than losers. You are much more likely to win and win big if you are noble, honest, forthright and stick to your objectives like a pitbull.
• If you are the above, you will not necessarily win. If you lose, you won't be heard from again. And no one will tally up the "honorable losers" to differentiate them from the "dishonorable losers".
• As a Venn diagram
  

I am particularly appalled by the use of sports figures as "role models" because they are typically mindless, vain, besotted and used up by age 25. A "jock" is more often than not a crybaby (or sodden fop - with earrings now, no less) not a paragon of quiet, manly toughness.

"No amount of training in sports builds character."
It builds "sportspeople" with the artificial strength and agility needed to consistently beat up women (girlfriend, spouse, whore, etc.)

When I was in high school I was not allowed to play football (minor medical). At the homecoming game (which was lost), the players were actually crying on the sidelines - uncontrollably - evoking in me silent thanks for being saved the humiliation of being seen in their company.

If you really want to be a better men,

Try the army.