The Art of Losing

It was a tough weekend for the Harbaugh brothers, which means it was a tough weekend at our house. You see, I am a Ravens fan, and my sister is a 49ers fan. I had the kids watching the Ravens game with me yesterday, and this is pretty much how it went...

Every time the Ravens scored, forced a fumble, got an interception, I would jump up and down and yell and clap. The kids did the same.

Every time the Patriots made a good play, or when they got an interception, or scored, I yelled something similar to "Oh, come on. Are you serious?" The kids did the same.

I swore once, luckily they didn't repeat me.

Well after we ended up losing, all I could do was sit in complete shock and in silence. After processing the loss of my team, I started thinking about how my children were learning how to be a sports fan through what I was doing. And the question came to mind, how would I want them to act in this situation? When they start playing soccer or baseball or whatever sport they choose, how are they going to act when they lose? How are they going to act when they win? The answer is however I do.

I want my children to be gracious losers. I want them to give the other team credit for what they did well. I want them to understand that sometimes, you can give it your all and do your best, and the other team beats you fair and square. Yelling doesn't take away your loss, so at least accept your loss with dignity and grace.

I also want them to be gracious winners. No gloating on the sidelines, no rubbing it in. Still give the other team credit for what they did right. Don't act like you had it in the proverbial bag all along. It's one thing to be competitive, it's another thing to be a jerk.

I hope that with time, my children will learn to be like this, even if I can't always show them by example. Heaven knows there are times I'm not very sportsman-like while I'm watching my team on TV. However, I would be more proud of my son if he accepted his loss graciously, than if he won and acted like a jerk.

Great games Patriots and Giants, but I still hope that somehow you both lose the Superbowl.