There is a push in America, and it started with my generation's childhood, that everyone is special. Not just special, but SPECIAL! Everyone is a winner, everyone is is doing great, and everyone gets a ribbon. I hate to have to be the one to tell you, but you won't always win. Not everything you are going to do is award worthy. Sometimes certain people are just plain better at certain things than you. It hasn't always been this way. Back when John Wayne was president and Vince Lombardi was his VP, the USA used to celebrate winners. We are a country founded by and made great by people who weren't satisfied with being participants and not only wanted to win but rather dominate. There is something beautiful about not only leaving the field victorious, but also watching your opponent leave the field in shame. America didn't become the greatest civilization by playing for the tie.
Take sports for example. It used to be that two teams took the field and played it out until one team won. But then parents started worrying so much about having their precious little babies feelings hurt that everyone needed to have equal playing time. That's OK to a point, but as Herm Edwards says, "You play to win the game." Yes, at the lower levels of sport everyone needs to play to learn, but at the end of the day the best players should be on the field the most time. Is it always nice? No. But as much as needing to learn to play is important, learning to win is equally important. Why? Because this is America and American's are winners. It also helps kids learn that everything they set out to do might not be thier strong point. It frees them up to do other things, and the kids that have a talent the time they need to get better.
Some kids leagues don't even keep score any more. All because our precious kids shouldn't have to feel like losers. Too bad. That is why we play sports. It's competition. Maybe if we spent more time teaching our kids that it's ok to lose if they play hard we wouldn't have so many pouty kids. I promise you this buddy, Daddy will be keeping score. I won't be the crazy guy yelling from the stands, but I will keep score. In fact, I plan on being your coach part of the time, so we will play to win, and I will keep score regardless of the rules. I won't be crazy about it, I won't make the team run laps when we lose, and I will even let the fat clumsy kids play. We might need them to be lineman later in life after all. Don't worry, win lose or draw we are going for ice cream. I don't ultimately care what the box score is, but I will know what it was. We will play hard, try our best, and always go for the win. We will always play for fun first though.
And one last note. We will play for the win. The World Cup is just about over right now. Apparently in this perverted little game called soccer playing for the tie is acceptable. It's the world's game, but it sure as hell is not America's. If I ever see you flop and wait for a stretcher you better have something really wrong. We are not French for God's sake.
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