They say it is not whether you win or lose, but how you play that game that mostly matters. I agree whole heartedly, but that admission automatically places me in the minority. We live in a culture that aspires to winning.
When I was a kid growing up, one of the expressions learned is: "Cheaters never win." Perhaps that is closely akin to the misstatement that: "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me."
Sometimes in a quest to win, some cross the line and embrace a "no holds barred" mentality if they think they can successfully get by with it.
A couple of examples come to mind. Take for example, Lance Armstrong. He along with my son, was born in September 1971. Beyond that, there aren't many other similarities. As a six-year-old, my son rode his bicycle into a moving car on the street where we lived. I was in the front yard at the time and was terrified recognizing that he could have been seriously injured. The bike didn't even scratch the car, and only his pride was hurt. Yet that one incident was the catalyst to dramatically reduce his bicycle time in the street. By the way, there were no sidewalks in our neighborhood.
Lance Armstrong gained worldwide fame by winning six straight Tour de France championships and a subsequent seventh Tour de France championship. America was clearly in his court. As a sportsman, his winning streak placed him at the head of the leaderboard. He was personable, articulate and goal directed. In addition, he was a cancer survivor, and that accomplishment also was inspiring to many.
Yet, Wikipedia, tell the rest of the story as Paul Harvey would say: "Lance Edward Armstrong (né Gunderson; born September 18, 1971) is an American former professional road racing cyclist. He achieved international fame for winning the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times from 1999 to 2005, but was stripped of his titles after an investigation into doping allegations, called the Lance Armstrong doping case, found that Armstrong used performance-enhancing drugs over his career. As a result, Armstrong is currently banned for life from all sanctioned bicycling events…"
Another gifted competitive American was Tonya Harding, who started skating at age three. She excelled in figure skating and she dropped out of high school to devote full-time to the sport. She was the first American woman and the second woman in history (after Midori Ito) to successfully land a triple Axel in an international competition. Yet, any reference to Harding doesn't automatically serve as the catalyst for one to think of her accomplishments.
We are more inclined to think of the January 1994 attack on Nancy Kerrigan, a fellow U.S. skating rival. Kerrigan was struck on the lower right thigh with a baton by assailant Shane Stant as she walked down a corridor in Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan. Kerrigan had been practicing skating on an ice rink in the arena shortly beforehand.
Reportedly, the attack was planned by Jeff Gillooly, then-husband of fellow American figure staker, Tonya Harding. They hired a couple of people to carry out the attack.
Though Harding initially denied any knowledge of the attack, she subsequently accepted a plea bargain in which she pleaded guilty to conspiracy, to avoid prosecution. The United States Figure Skating Association banned her for life, and she was stripped of her 1994 title of U.S. Championships.
Consequently, it is not whether your win or lose, but how you play the game that matters most.
All My Best!
Don
No comments:
Post a Comment