The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. Something all athletes and fans know about. Do you love to win or do you hate to lose? What drives you? What stays with you longer? If you win do you have that thrill and excitement a month later? If you lose do you still have that awful taste in your mouth?
Everyone and every situation is different.
As an athlete, I love to win and succeed. I believe that is what helps me prepare in practice. The winning. The feeling of success. But when it comes game time. I hate to lose. The fear of losing pushes me in the game situation. I know I don't want that nasty feeling after the game. So I push hard to win, so I don't lose.
As a coach, losing doesn't get to me as much. Losing is a teaching tool to make the athletes learn and become better. And when the winning comes, it still feels oh so sweet. Every coach is different and reacts to their team's wins and loses in they're own way. For me, it's almost a win-win. Either way the coaching is never over and you continue on to the next task.
As a fan, it can depend on my expectations. When Andy Roddick played Federer all those times, the fear of losing and the agony in defeat was not nearly as high because it was expected. When he did pull off the upset though it was time to celebrate and enjoy the accomplishment.
I always expect Brazil to have a go at winning the World Cup, so when they lose, it hits hard. Gets me me right in the heart. When they win though the feeling can be relief and euphoria at the same time for accomplishing what I expected. Two emotions that stay with me equally, the agony of the 3-0 lose to France in 1998 and the thrill and excitement of the 2-0 victory against Germany in 2002. Both are engraved in my memory with totally different emotions attached to them.
One of the hardest things for me to watch (outside of my beavers losing to the ducks) is Peyton Manning losing in the playoffs. Despite his playoff struggles, I always expect him to go all the way. The closer he gets the harder it is. The agony if he loses becomes even greater! I remember having to leave the room filled with Saints fans because I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. My heart hurt so much watching Peyton lose that Superbowl. But I know if he can pull it off again, it will be the greatest thrill. I'll be watching the highlights for years to come just like the 29-17 victory over the Bears 7 years ago.
