What would our world be like without motivation and incentive to succeed?
Since the beginning of time, competition has been the basis for many social, political, and economic changes. Without competition, there would be no motive to excel beyond previous established norms. For example, athletes would have to compete in sports such as running, swimming, climbing and hiking where there is no camaraderie or motivation to surpass certain limits. Rainer Martens describes competition perfectly in his book Sport Competition Anxiety Test by saying that a competitive situation requires "[a situation] in which the comparison of an individualÆs performance is made with some standard in the presence of at least one other person who is aware of the criterion for comparison and can evaluate the comparison process." Sports display competition at its best because of the bonds made out on the playing field between two rivals in an attempt to achieve victory and receive the distinction of being declared "The Winner."
Winning and losing isnÆt everything. Competition is all about playing for the love of the game whether it is baseball, football, hockey, track or any sport in which team work and athletic prowess are demonstrated. Some people think that habitual losers are scarred for life, or feel they are inadequate, but personally I feel that losing in sports is completely different. Failure needs to be achieved many times in sports because it gives one more motivation to compete on the field and triumph over previous defeat. In society, we compete for grades, jobs, money, honor, physical appearance and many other distinctions. Failure to achieve success in these areas may greatly affect your life. In sport, however, winning and losing is a formality and neither one dictates your fate.
The first issue that needs to be addressed is the distinction between a good winner and a poor loser. A good opponent shakes an opposing players hand regardless of the outcome and circumstances of a sporting event out of respect and admiration for the efforts displayed. However, some people cannot accept defeat, and in doing so give both competition and sports a bad name. These "poor sports" give writers such as Alfie Kohn valid arguments into the flip side of competition. They give him the ability to say that, "At best, competition leads one to look at others through narrowed eyes; at worst it invites out-right aggression." He then states that "as a result of competition; your value is defined by what youÆve done and who youÆve beaten." In our world, people will always have negative attitudes in any situation whether in work, school, or everyday life. Individuals perceive competitive situations differently because of their personality, abilities or other personal factors. It does not take competition to make these people unhappy, but rather itÆs their human nature.
Due to competition, and the fact that thereÆs going to be a winner and a loser some people feel that rivals cannot be friends. As mentioned by Alfie Kohn, studies show games played for a common goal by a group of people prove beneficial to some kids. However, this approach completely takes away individuality, and in reality life isnÆt a group project. We have to start preparing the next generation to be competitive, and stop sheltering them to the extreme. This idea about not having fun in sports and winning and losing damaging self-esteem is part of the politically correct movement in our country. We are so afraid to offend and punish people nowadays that weÆre taking giant steps backward. It seems that the majority of the populous is set on making things ridiculously easy on the upcoming generation. However, I am going to pose the question, "WhoÆs going to be getting them jobs? Are they going to be handed careers and expensive luxuries?" I was raised to go after things in life, and to strive to be the best. Therefore, in life there must always be a winner and a loser, but the individual determines the outcome.
The same must hold true for sports. Sports have been around in various forms since the advent of civilization, and have been a constant in millions of peoples lives. Thousands of years ago, the outcome of a sporting event determined a persons fate. In light of this, we should take time to consider how trivial competition actually is today. Professional athletes compete for millions of dollars a year and it doesnÆt matter if they win or lose. I think critics and writers should stop bashing competition in sports, and start focusing on greed in sports and the demise of the games. After all, itÆs the showy professional athletes with their ludicrous shoe contracts and multi-million dollar salaries putting pressure on our kids to win. Until these hot shots stop making winning seem so desirable and important we cannot make any headway in that regard. Nevertheless, winning and losing is as big a deal as an individual wants to make it. I could use big words such as behavioral responses, physiological responses, or psychological responses in describing how a person reacts to competition, or more specifically winning and losing. However, if an individual wants to throw his or her bat after striking out in baseball or throw a golf club after a bad shot, itÆs their choice. These attitudes have no implications on competition, but instead it makes the individual a poor sport.
In competition, the consequences are often viewed in terms of success and failure with success being perceived as a positive, and failure being a negative. How much fun a person had while competing in a given sport or the benefits of exercise during that period are rarely taken into account. I think we have to start changing attitudes displayed in our country toward winning and losing . For example, the ideals displayed by the media and certain television commercials glorify winning to such an extreme that it gives many supporters of group activities in sports a valid argument.
Losing should motivate someone to win and strive to be the best. All of us have been losers at various times, but the underlying factor still remains the same: We all bounced back from defeat and in doing so felt self-satisfied. Our country was founded on competition and it still remains in numerous forms today. Many people feel that competing creates self-doubt in both adults and children, but life is full of uncertainties and itÆs never easy. Personally, I feel that anyone who plays sports is a winner because of the numerous lessons learned while partaking in a game. Winning and losing are only words, and their significance can only be measured by the athlete, not by spectators or writers.
