A lesson learned.

I love when a winning program in college football has a bad season. The fans and writers in the local papers make such ridiculous statements it is almost comical. Every move the team makes is scrutinized and everyone is frantic about the failure to have a successful season. The coach who was catagorized as excellent most seasons is now a dope who knows nothing. Fans start yelling about how the coaches salary is too high and want him fired yesterday. Suddenly recruiting tactics are questioned and the whole program is a loser because fans who pay big money for tickets are entitled to a "winner". The newspapers are filled with negative headlines and sports writers are hoping to get a quote from one of the coaches admitting his failure to perform at an acceptable level. The best excuse i heard this season for the teams failure was that the coach did not take the wind on kickoffs on several occasions.When winning becomes the only thing  that makes a sports fan happpy it can make for some long and unhappy days and months during the football season. I am not immune to such thinking but it is wrong thinking.  Sports are not ONLY about winning and losing they are supposed to build character and bring joy into peoples lives. People coaches and fans are not defined as people by their success or failure on the athletic field. This brings me to an old saying that i used to think as an athlete was CRAP  but now i believe i understand its wisdom. It is not wheather you win or lose but it is how you play the game. That also applies to how you watch a game as well. The season of 2012 didnt see many wins for my beloved Hawkeyes but it did teach me a thing or two about graditude and the joy of competition.