Have you noticed that winning isn’t what it was cracked up to be. The ones who garner more respect and admiration these days are often those on the losing side. The war between the haves and the have-nots is heating up and the “nots” on playing fields are gaining momentum in the battle for public acceptance.

One need only observe the local sports scene to understand this.

Our beloved Red Sox have won their second World Series in four years, the only baseball team to win two championships in this young century. I’ll grant you that in 2004 we were storybook upset victors over the powerful and feared New York Yankees. Sentiment was strongly with Red Sox Nation from all corners of the baseball world. But this year, I’m hearing an awful lot of people (and not just Yankee fans) accusing the BoSox of being “too darn good.” We swept the Colorado Rockies after battling back for the American League Championship against the Indians. Some pundits have suggested that because Boston’s payroll was twice that of the Rockies, something about the whole situation was just not fair. Apparently for these spoil sports, history plays little part. I seem to recall dozens of seasons in which our hometown team was mired in the cellar, set upon by attacking hoards in White Sox, Angel and Tiger uniforms. Invaders of Bean Town who salivated at the prospect of pummeling the left field wall at Fenway---and pummel away they did. One politically correct tweed-jacket type appearing on a panel the other day actually suggested that if only the Rockies had access to one or two of Boston’s superior pitchers, the series might have been more competitive and the outcome fairer. No doubt he is the same academic who takes great comfort in knowing that many school-age soccer games end up without winners or losers. Children are encouraged to play on for the fun of it and the score is not kept. Every game ends in a friendly, listless, unexciting tie. We wouldn’t want to risk the delicate level of self-esteem in impressionable youngsters by introducing something as archaic as goal setting and achievement, or at least scoring the winning goal so the coach will buy everybody ice cream. “Refrain from winning, children” sounds awfully unfair to a bunch of rugrats running aimlessly for ninety minutes, most of them never coming close to touching the ball. Not having an outcome in a game seems pretty silly to me, considering that most children are keeping score in their heads and know exactly who really won the game. I was a kid once too. I hated to lose.

Then there is the case of the 2007 New England Patriots. During an amazingly successful 7 and 0 streak the Pats have outscored all opponents in impressive style. While the defense has protected our superstar quarterback much like a president’s secret service detail, the offense has done what it is supposed to do---score points. All players on an NFL field are handsomely paid professionals who know a thing or two about winning and losing. The Patriots are a franchise who for decades took poundings from bigger, stronger and better teams. And then one day a white knight named Brady arrived and we got better. Much better. Hard work, determination, a total team approach, superior coaching and fan support has made this franchise enormously successful. But there are some, mostly in media circles, who cry foul insisting that New England is intentionally “running up the score.” Pardon me but…isn’t that the idea? The critics scream that the Pats are out to embarrass the other teams; it is poor sportsmanship and a practice that should be suspended. That is all well and good until you check your NFL stats book and the truth is revealed. It has happened more than a few hundred times that a team ahead by thirty points in the third quarter sees it lead shrink away and the game is ultimately lost on a 48-yard field goal or an interception or safety. Had the team that had been in the lead originally scored one or two more touchdowns, the comeback might have been nothing more than a half time surge that fell short. 

Our Celtics, after languishing at the bottom of the league for years, have traded up for stars such as Kevin Garnett and early in the season this reconstituted team is playing with vigor and a winning attitude. Danny Ainge, the general manager, has one task. He must field the best possible team with the goal of winning more games than any other team. Celtic pride, something younger fans know little of, is built on winning championships, with Boston being the most dominating team in their sport for decades.  The same critics of the local football and baseball franchises will most likely allow the Celtics to win more than they lose, but be warned Coach Rivers. If your squad starts mopping up the court like their predecessors during the “Bird” or “Red” era, the outrage will begin. “Those big bad Celtic bullies are at it again,” they’ll say. “How unfair of one team to insist on winning like that…why they’re hurting everyone else’s feelings!”

Here it is: Winning is fun, losing hurts. Nothing profound. We all know what both experiences feel like. But since life is one big spinning fastball, quite cyclical really with an occasional hanging curve thrown in to keep us off stride, everything tends to balance out for the winners and the losers. Thankfully, no one wins it all or loses every time.

Imagine an existence in which everyone won at everything all the time? Where every bet, putt, test, slap shot, basket, hit, pass took top honors? Where could you possibly store all of the medals, ribbons and trophies? Thrilling for a while, maybe for even a long while, but ultimately we get complacent and bored with the idea of trying to achieve something better. Without hard work and a little challenge now and again, the crest of the mountain holds no mystique; the championship banner might as well be a bath towel.

Of course, losing would be boring and destructive too if that’s all you had going on. But it’s not. Losers are not perennial. Harold Stassen ran for president a bunch of times and was never elected. But he sure achieved lots of notoriety and made his point. The Chicago Cubs haven’t won the World Series since the Jurassic Period. Still they win a bunch of games every year and offer their fans hope that someday soon they will be where the Red Sox are. Cub fans, like Red Sox fans, have known their share of disappoint, but they never give up rooting, praying, hoping.

We are involved with wins and losses on the playing surfaces of our own lives daily. It’s losses that build character, the mistakes that teach us and offer specific lessons on being better. Often we ignore the lessons and repeat our mistakes. That is all part of life’s game plan.

Winners on the playing fields who “get it,” are not only those who succeed at their craft but who honor the efforts of their opponents, all the while expressing appreciation for what they’ve achieved. They remind themselves that what they are involved in is indeed only a game. Winners who compete fairly with concern for their teammates and empathy for their opponents get a lot more for their efforts than sprayed champagne in a locker room or a downtown parade. They enjoy sweet satisfaction after a hard season’s work.

Since the 2004 miracle season with the Red Sox overcoming enormous odds to beat the Yankees, I have stopped dwelling on the possibility that one team or player or business or country will dominate all others. For every championship won there may be decades of struggle in getting to the top. But all of us end up winning at something sooner or later. 

Life is a contact sport with a lot of bumps, bruises and tackles along the way. I say savor a victory that you’ve fought hard and fair for. Losses are tough but temporary. And as we know all too well around these parts, there is always next year.