Question Everything, Part XIV - Is Winning Everything?

This is the text transcript of a Non-Public Access Television Show called Question Everything

Moderator: Manny Stiles - Some people say "winning is everything". More stringent people say "Winning ISN'T everything, it's the ONLY thing!"

But here to debate both sides of the topic for another addition to the series Question Everything is Author/Poet/Musician/Reverend/Tattoo Artist/Hyperactive Freek/Fake Television talk show host/Blogger/Stockbroker/Occasional Time Traveller/Amateur Botanist (He's saving his pro status for the right reasons)/Soothsayer/and most of all, Superdad - Manny Stiles.

MS- Thanks for your time, Manny.

MS- My pleasure, Mr. Stiles, I have always enjoyed your work.

MS- Thanks, kissass. Let's get right into it! Here at Question Everything today, we look at the generally accepted theorem that "Winning is Everything"; but, I ask of you... IS WINNING REALLY EVERYTHING?

MS- I don't think it neccessarily is, Manny. If winning is EVERYTHING, does that leave anything short of that NOTHING?

MS- I'll ask the questions here...

MS- While the ultimate goal of every athlete, every team or franchise is (doing the finger quotations with his hands) "To Win", logic dictates that there can only be ONE championship team per season. In the NFL that means there are 31 teams that are failures every year. In MLB and the NBA 29 teams essentially accomplish nothing. And so forth... To say that anything less than ultimate success is failure just doesn't make any sense.

MS- What are you alluding to?

MS- My personal business motto is "If it doesn't make sense, then it probably makes dollars". That's why 'WINNING" is such an elite category. It's Human nature to want to be loved, percieved as successful or placed on a pedestal. It feels good, and if we can't find that egoboost in our own lives, we gravitate towards and attach ourselves towards winners. Last year after the Steelers won the Super Bowl, did you, did anyone go to bed that night thinking, damn! those Pittsburgh Steelers were the Best Team this year? No. They were the Best team that day according to the score, but they will wander through this season as defending Champs. Even though the Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Steelers AND the Seahawks last year, they were essentially a failure. Even though the Jags beat the Defending Champs on Monday, big whoop... the Steelers still reign supreme until they are dethroned, and their merchandise will FLY off the shelves. They are winners! Now look at a team in the same city, similar historical greatnesses, even the same colors... the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are currently jammed in an extended losing cycle. How is their merchandise selling? Even from the same basic fanbase, nowhere near as well. So from a strictly marketing and monetary perspective, winning IS everything.

MS- So, you're saying winning IS everything?

MS- Let me finish. Each professional sports team starts their season at 0-0. They try to sell the (doing the finger quotes motion) "idea" and in some cases "hope" of winning. Again, the basic human instinct WANTS the team they associate with to be winners. Well, except maybe Cubs fans. But professional sports teams are run by very intelligent minds, whether you want to believe it or not, and they'll go to great lengths to cash in on the average sports fan's lack of sensibilities. After all, they want you to separate yourself from your hard earned cash for the right to prove your loyalty to them. Where else in the world does THAT work???

MS- As far as the team concept, we can see winning is clearly the ultimate goal, but what if you don't (doing the hand quotes thing) "Win it All"?

MS- Well, here's where it gets more interesting. Say your franchise didn't win the championship, (hand quotes) "We'll get 'em next year". Damned if that doesn't play right into the scenario we discussed earlier - if weu can't win, we'll give 'em the illusion you might.

MS- Those bastards! I never thought of it like th...

MS- While winning is everything, there are definitely varying degrees of losing. A baseball team that loses game 7 of the World Series, coming Oh! so close to winning it all, would certainly by most forms of rational logic have reaped more benefit than a team that loses 110 games. But it doesn't always go that way. Maybe the losing team lost all of those games because they were developing young talent and took their growing pains in the form of losses. If you look at some of the historically bad teams, some have what turns out to be some really good talent later down the road. Take the 2003 Detroit Tigers as a recent example. Take a closer look at those teams that lose big game 7's, an odd thing happens... they fall apart, they dismantle, they crumble and get remembered as (finger quotes) "cursed". The pain and sting of getting SO CLOSE can destroy a weaker psyche. When you lose like that, you start to think it IS you. See the early '90's Bills teams for an example there. Some teams and players can evolve from near champs to champs. Sometimes getting SO CLOSE to winning can drive them to extreme lengths to succeed that would otherwise go unrealized. More often winning breeds a culture of winning. Once you've (hand thing) "been there", experience gives you an edge. I think if Michael Jordan wouldn't have won the NCAA championship in 1982 he may never have developed into who we remember as "Michael Jordan", maybe the ultimate winner. Michael earlier this week won a poker tournament. Winning is clearly addictive to some people. Sometimes that can be a bad thing.

MS- How can winning be a bad thing?

MS- In the push, the striving, the work it takes to win, an athlete becomes VERY susceptible to external influences. An athlete can have someone suggest 'magic pills' commonly referred to as steroids and performance enhancing drugs. The psychological damage from drug and hormonal changes can literally kill a person. Many athletes striving to succeed have turned to various substances with maniacal, depressive and even homicidal and suicidal results. All because they couldn't accept NOT winning and not being the heroes. They fall into questionable crowds and give up caring about their health and well being just to chase one more grasp at the ring. The road to 'Winning' is littered with these people. Ken Caminiti, Lyle Alzado, Maurice Clarett. Second Place is not acceptable.

MS- Why is second place so bad? I mean... it's not third place, right?

MS- In the GRAND SCHEME of things, second place is almost always a promising prospect: I'm sure the 2nd richest guy in the world sleeps just fine at night, the second best doctor in he world saves many lives, the second best Rocket Scientist probably does a very good job and so on... But in sports, Donnie Moore shoots himself years after depression and substance abuse because of losing a game Seven in a League Championship. That Colombian feetball player was murdered, mutilated and his remains were burned after accidentally causing a goal against his own team! The replay official in Oregon had his life threatened over a Non-conference game!

MS- All in the name of Winning. Ridiculous.

MS- Here's the best part. All of those teams had the opportunity to make the 7th game, own-goal and replay IRRELEVANT. If the teams excel before those plays, meaning if they go out and score 10 more runs, goals or points, then there is NO SCAPEGOAT to be had. There is never a good reason to pin a team's loss on one particular individual. Not Bill Buckner, not the officials and definitely not Steve Bartman. Score more and you leave no room for errors. Team is always bigger than the individual.

MS- You bring up an interesting aspect. How does "Winning is Everything" play out for the indiviual?

MS- The individual athlete in a team sport is somewhat screwed by the nature of fickle fate. If Fran Tarkenton played for the Steelers instead of Terry Bradshaw would he have won 4 Super Bowls instead of losing them? Obviously we'll never know, but it does demonstrate that a little luck goes a long way. I personally remember Tarkenton as being MUCH more talented of a Quarterback, and broadcaster for that matter than Bradshaw, but ask any American to name the 3 best Quarterbacks ever and I bet Bradshaw gets mentioned a good percentage of the time. If Derek Jeter was drafted by the Kansas City Royals, we'd have no Mr November. I don't think Ted Williams was on his deathbed wishing he would have been Phil Rizzuto instead. Charles Barkley and Karl Malone won't be on their deathbed wishing they were Bill Wennington, Jack Haley or John Salley. Follow me? Individuals can be great even on losing teams. Again, only ONE team per year can win it all, so that leaves alot of unlucky dudes on the outside. However, I don't think personal achievement is nothing to be shrugged off. Dan Marino should feel NO shame for being as great as he could be under the circumstances. That's what we have to do as human beings. We have to do the best we can under the circumstances. Sadly, sometimes those circumstances make you a Cub for life...

MS- There are so many great athletes that didn't win a championship, yet many of them do go into their retirement stating their biggest regret is not winning a championship.

MS- Yeah, that's really too bad. You can't live your life for regrets in which you weren't responsible. The logic behind it is no good. Example; Let's take two fake baseball careers, yours and mine. I play 15 strong seasons with the same team, You play for 15 strong seasons for 15 different teams. I become known as Mr My Franchise, You essentially play for half the league and get known as a (hand quote) "journeyman". Now let's also say that 15 different teams win the World Series during our same 15 seasons in the big leagues. One of those years my team gets lucky, lucky and lucky again in the playoffs and somehow wins it all whilst you end up the lone All-Star on losing teams EVERY year. With identical statistics I will be revered as a stalwart, a champion while you will be mocked for being a lifelong vagabond. Even if you have BETTER stats than I, I'll be voted into the Hall of Fame well before you, because I was a "winner", even if I batted .000 in the World Series. Though you never got an honest chance to prove if you could be a winner or not, you're a loser. Should you regret NOT winning a championship? Hell no. You were productive at something a mere .0001 percent of people get an opportunity to experience. Now try telling that to the guy in the supermarket that sees you and cracks on you for "never winning he big one".

MS- So winning shouldn't be used to guage a person's value is what you're saying.

MS- Seriously. There's famine and war and pestilence going on all around us. There are tens of thousands of women having their genitals surgically deformed so they won't enjoy sex. There are even more women being raped by soldiers afflicted by AIDS in warring parts of Africa. There are millions of children every year born with little hope of seeing age 5. There are people being KILLED every day for having their own beliefs! There is no cure for most cancers or even hunger and poverty. The Dangers of toxic waste, Radioactivity, Terrorism, the htreat of meteors, the mystery of Kevin Federline-Spears' (hand quote thing, once more) "career" and Global warming...Even though we war with each other over differences, aliens could come down to earth and vaporize us all instantly. Winning is a fleck of dust compared to what's going on in the world.

MS- So why is winning SO important if it really shouldn't be that important?

MS- Quite simply, Manny... Vitamin M.

MS- Vitamin M?

MS- Vitamin M. Money. Cashola, beans, knots, ducats, flow, dineros, backing, greenbacks, dead presidents and historical figures, Benjamins, sawbucks...

MS- Ok, I get it. Winning's true great appeal is the Money that associates with it. Go figure...

MS- So I guess we've figured it out with this simple equation: We live on planet earth, it's everything we have at this point, and (Hand quote thing, last time) "Money makes the world go 'round".

MS- There you have it folks. Winning ISN'T everything, Money is.

I want to thank our sponsor ArmchairGM.com - All Sports, All You and today's esteemed guest, Manny Stiles.

MS- No, my pleasure, thank you!

MS- I'm Manny Stiles with another episode of Question Everything reminding you to Question Everything and until next time, ???

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