I watched in horror as a participant of the Indian Idol contest raved and ranted about the judges’ meanness and bias in front of the audience, when he was asked to leave mid-way. Clearly, this gentleman had not been able to take his defeat graciously and was venting his negativity, thus inadvertently showing his lack of sportsmanship!
Winning and losing are two sides of the same coin; hence one must be able to handle both with a smile on his/her face instead of behaving churlishly. It is this attitude of pride and ego that translates into violence, peevishness and sulking. One must remember that there are many people around who may be more talented than one-self; hence congratulating the winner must win over howling and making a scene! Blaming the judges for one’s own inefficiency is a strict no-no.
Indeed, children must be encouraged right since their growing years, to be able to accept defeat graciously. They must be explained the irrefutable adage that, “Winning is not as important as trying to succeed. Try and try again till you succeed!” The winner and loser must shake hands and the loser must warmly congratulate the winner and the winner must smile and say, “Better luck next time buddy. You put up a tough fight! It was a pleasure playing with you.”
One can’t always win in life or even in what one does every now and then! Obviously, someone has to lose for the winner to win! The next best thing that a loser can do is roll up his sleeves, tighten his socks and strive hard for success the next time around. He/she must look upon it as a challenge and overcome his shortcomings and polish his/her skills/talent so that he/she can be in the spot-light as a winner, in future.
I am reminded of my father’s friend who was a sportsman and played several games like hockey, badminton, table-tennis, etc. He was partial to ‘Scrabble’ and just adored the board-game, so much so that he was always rearing for a game or two and on the look-out for new partners. It goes without saying that he always wanted to win and was proud of his prowess with a magnificent vocabulary. The heavens would fall whenever he met an opponent who routed him. He would scatter the tiles on the board and sulk throughout the day. I always wonder, till date, about how he could be so un-sportsman-like. Surely he should’ve had the sporting spirit!
No one likes to lose, but when defeat is inevitable, accept it. The mighty Emperor Alexander defeated the valiant King Porus in battle. He then asked Porus “How would you like to be treated?” Porus proudly replied, “Treat me as you would treat another King!” The Emperor was impressed beyond words and accorded him great respect.
Even if the winner jeers at you and says unkind, hurtful words, never retort like-wise. Show your polite demeanor and make them squirm! You may say quietly, “There’s always a next time.” Thus leave it unsaid but certain that you’ll win the next time.
If you are overwhelmed by your loss and feel like crying, go ahead. It’ll definitely make you feel better and prove that you are human, not a superman or superwoman. Of course, one always admires the brave ones who just stand tall and quiet, composed and smiling as they wave to the audience and take a bow. Look at those elegant ladies who haven't won the coveted title in a beauty contest!
So be a sport in defeat and bowl over the world with your grace!
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The copyright of this article is with Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan
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