By Darius
"If I have done my very best but cannot reach my goal, I need not feel regret. Who can ridicule me then?" — You Bao Chan Shan Ji, Wang Anshi
There will always be winners in the world, but not everyone can be a winner. There will always be strong individuals, but not everyone can be strong.
The weak may sometimes triumph, and the strong may sometimes stumble. However, when faced with failure, the strong prioritize analyzing the reasons and addressing their shortcomings. If their weaknesses are difficult to overcome, they work harder in other areas. As for excuses—yes, they exist, but they are not the focus.
When the weak fail, however, the excuses are endless. Perhaps even fate thinks the same: since you have so many excuses, you might as well have just as many failures. And so, failure keeps knocking on the door.
Since its inception, competitive sports have followed the simplest and most direct principle: strength reigns supreme. Yet, I now see people in today's sports world who cannot accept failure or acknowledge their lack of ability.
These individuals are often extreme fans of certain athletes. It's not so much that they don't want to see their favorite athletes lose, but rather that they cannot accept the failure of someone they admire. Some even go so far as to accuse the opponents who defeated their idols of "lacking sportsmanship," "only targeting weaknesses," or "deliberately studying blablabla to gain an advantage." Meanwhile, they portray their beloved athletes as "pure and flawless," "capable of carrying the flag and having a broad perspective."
In response, I quote this passage:
"The outcome of victory or defeat is known to all. How can one simply call themselves a hero?" — The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, Jin Yong
So, what is sportsmanship? What does a truly strong athlete look like? In competitive sports, scoring is the top priority. Should one ignore scoring opportunities when they arise? Should one deliberately overlook chances to gain an advantage?
When the 1.7-meter-tall Lionel Messi faces a tall and strong but less agile defender, should he not use his skills to break through, but instead charge recklessly and rely on physical strength? On the basketball court, should Yao Ming not utilize his height advantage to score, but instead bend down to compete in dribbling? Compared to other sprinters, Usain Bolt is much taller and has a significantly larger stride. Should he give his shorter opponents a handicap in races?
What kind of championship would that be? The Olympic spirit of "Faster, Higher, Stronger" embodies the hope for humanity to continuously push its limits. Deliberately refusing to do so is a betrayal of the Olympic spirit and competitive sports as a whole.
As for the notion of "targeting," let me use an example from nature: ants are among the most common insects in the natural world. They have numerous natural predators, from fungi and antlions to anteaters and armadillos—enough to fill a list. Yet, despite being surrounded by enemies, ants remain one of the most powerful insect colonies.
True strength fears no targeting, and those who cannot withstand targeting can hardly be called strong. Precisely because you are widely recognized as strong, precisely because you are ranked number one in the world, it is entirely reasonable for so many people to prepare specifically to face you. How, in the mouths of some, does this become some kind of perverse behavior? If everyone knew you were formidable but did not take you seriously, wouldn't you then complain that others were blind?
Here, I will give another example:
Michael Jordan, who won two three-peats and a total of six NBA championships, never complained about being targeted. When he was suppressed by the Detroit Pistons' "Bad Boys" in his early years, Jordan chose to rise to the challenge and eventually overthrew the once-invincible Bad Boys in 1991. In 1996, during his second year after returning from his first retirement, Jordan faced the Seattle SuperSonics' relentless double-teaming. Although affected, he still led his team to a 4-2 victory under difficult circumstances.
By 1998, Jordan's Chicago Bulls were at the end of their rope. The entire league wanted to prevent them from achieving a three-peat, trade rumors affected the team's morale, and an aging roster made them increasingly struggle. Yet, Jordan never took a step back. In Game 6, the final game of the Finals, he scored 45 of the team's 87 points—more than half—and made a critical steal followed by "The Last Shot" to secure the victory.
Thus, Jordan is widely recognized as the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) in the NBA. He was both a perfect winner and a graceful loser. To become a winner, one must learn to accept failure gracefully, because acknowledging one's shortcomings is a quality only the strong possess.
In fact, this applies not only to competitive sports but to all things in life. As I said at the beginning, even if you cannot reach the pinnacle, even if luck is not on your side, as long as you learn to face failure, success will not be far away, and the criticisms of others will be utterly insignificant!
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