To The Men Who Lose!

America loves a winner. We celebrate champions and forget also-rans. We say things like, "Second place is just the first loser." We quote people like Vince Lombardi, who declared, "Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing." We spawn ridiculous Hollywood characters like Ricky Bobby's daddy, who told his adolescent son, "If you aren't in first place, you're in last place!"

Of course, it is about winning. If it wasn't, then why keep score? Why name champions? Why hand out trophies and rings? We all want to win. But there is something to be said for a hard-fought loss, too, isn't there? What about that team that climbs the mountain again and again, only to be knocked down when they reach the peak?

What about the Buffalo Bills of the early 90's? We talk about dynasties and we mention the Packers of the 60s, the Steelers of the 70s, the 49ers of the 80s, the Cowboys of the 90s, and the Patriots of this decade. These are dynasties, to be sure. But which of these played in four consecutive Super Bowls? None of them. The Bills did. The first one, they lost in a heart-breaker. Remember wide right? They were blown out in a couple, too. But they climbed that mountain. They made that incredible journey over and over. Are they losers?

What about the Cowboys of the '70s, the most under-represented near-dynasty team in the Pro Football Hall of Fame? They were a part of an incredible run under coach Tom Landry, in which the Cowboys made the playoffs for 20 consecutive years. They made 5 Super Bowl Appearances in that 10-year period, winning two of them. Each of their losses was by less than a touchdown, and the two games against the Steelers were instant classics.

We all love - and remember - the winners. But history should also remember those who left their blood, sweat, and tears on the field of battle, who strove and fought the good fight only to be at last bested by a force greater than themselves on that particular day. Remember them, because losing doesn't make you a loser. Quitting does.

In my library, one of my favorite books is Best-Loved Poems of the American People. In it I found this poem by George L. Scarborough:

Here's To The Men Who Lose

Here's to the men who lose!
What though their work be e'er so nobly planned,
And watched with zealous care,
No glorious halo crowns their efforts grand;
Contempt is failure's share.

Here's to the men who lose!
If Triumph's easy smile our struggles greet,
Courage is easy then;
The King is he, who after fierce defeat,
Can up and fight again.

Here's to the men who lose!
The ready plaudits of a fawning world
Ring sweet in victors' ears;
The vanquished banners never are unfurled,
For them there sound no cheers.

Here's to the men who lose!
the touchstone of true worth is not success.
There is a higher test -
Though fate may darkly frown, onward to press,
And bravely do one's best.

Here's to the men who lose!
It is the vanquished's praises that I sing.
And this is the toast I choose:
"A hard-fought failure is a noble thing!
Here's to the men who lose."