The following blog was written by Mr. Don Mitchell. In addition to teaching Inclusion Math at Carson, Mr. Mitchell volunteers much of his time announcing our athletic events as the "Voice of the Cougars."
In America and more specifically in sports, much talk and attention is given to first place. Envision all the frenzied fans waving their giant foam fingers and chanting, : “We’re Number 1, We’re Number 1!” Yes, winning is important; it feels good and makes the fan base feel good, too. Football coaching great, Vince Lombardi has been widely quoted over the years. He is often credited with saying, “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the ONLY thing”. This kind of thinking has led to over zealous and overly ambitious coaches and parents crossing the line from tough love and discipline to brow-beating and berating young people of all ages from 7 to 17 in the quest to be “winners”. Don’t get me started on “little league” parents.
In later life, Lombardi claimed he was misquoted saying instead: “The will to win is everything”. And, “ Wining isn’t everything--but making the effort to win is.”
We get caught up in rankings: sports teams, most-watched TV shows, highest grossing movie debuts, or GPA and class rank. In any contest there can only be one Number One. Americans can’t stand a tie so most contests have a tie breaking protocol.
What happens to all the others who didn’t win? The term “loser” has taken on a strongly disparaging connotation, often used as a derogatory and defaming label.
Please consider legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden, often cited as the architect of the greatest coaching record in men’s college basketball. His teams won ten national championships including seven in a row. Yes, seven consecutive titles from 1967 through 1973! At his retirement, Wooden’s college coaching record was: 664-162, a winning rate of .804.
For all his success, Wooden never spoke much of winning. Instead he talked about working toward success and giving best effort. I highly recommend a TED talk by Wooden on the difference between winning and succeeding.
Coach Wooden talks a lot about teaching and his early experience as a high school teacher. He develops and reiterates his philosophy of giving best effort and letting the final score take care of itself. Wooden mentions that there were games at UCLA when they were outscored, but he considered it a win. Conversely, there were times when his team scored more points, but he had not considered it a win or a successful outing.
So please remember, as teachers, parents, spouses, siblings, colleagues, and students, giving one’s best effort is all anyone should worry about--the score will be what it is.
Each of us have different talents and gifts. We should appreciate and celebrate the effort; not the B if it should have been an A and not the D if it should have been a C. We should not defame or belittle someone, no matter what the result or score, as long as they have truly done their best. Our job is to encourage, not put down.
If, on the other hand, we, as spouses, parents, teachers, or students are not giving our best effort that is another scenario. Each person should be held accountable to give the best effort they can. It is then that that person is truly a success.
Always strive to give your best effort.
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