I am watching the Italy - Finland ice hockey game at the Olympics, and as expected, Finland is winning (currently 9-0) with ten minutes still to play in the third. I might have to update the score again, and again. However, it reminded me of a game of field hockey I played as a kid against the top team, where by half time we were beating them 7-0. Their coach was livid, screaming and swearing at these poor kids to the point that their parents took them home and the game was abandoned.
At the time and for many years after, and perhaps because I barrack for the underdogs, I have always felt bad for the team getting demolished and have thought that maybe once beyond doubt, if the team should let up and not embarrass them. For instance, the game I am watching is the previous gold medal winners, against a team that only qualifies because they are the host country. Is it bad form to destroy them so completely?
However, while I still "feel" for the losing team that has little hope, I also think that perhaps not letting up is a sign of respect. It isn't about scoring more, it is about respecting the other team enough to keep playing. I think if I was in that kind of situation, I would find it disrespectful for the winning team to "go easy" and not play to push harder. It would be even more demeaning.
It's not that they don't love to win.. it's that they don't hate to lose.
Losing sucks. But the reality is that Italy is unlikely to beat any of the top teams unless there is some kind of massive stroke of luck. However, they also don't want to lose, so they go into each game and play each game, giving their best, all the way through, no matter how bad they are losing. They don't let up. Even though now the score is 10-0 with a few minutes left, they are still pushing, still defending like it is the final and scores are tired, still trying to score.
11 - 0
I just had a discussion with Smallsteps that no matter how down, no matter how unlikely to win, a real player plays to the buzzer. No giving up, leave nothing in the tank. This is one of the reasons I like to watch the Olympics, because there are people who have almost zero chance of winning, but they are there and their success is not the medal, it is competing - many of them having to struggle through comparative adversity just to get there. They represent their country, but more importantly, they represent all their supporters that helped them get there. And they represent themselves and can show what they are made of - harder stuff than almost everyone else on earth.
Most of us give up before we even start.
These people have kept going, failure after failure.
Would you let up?
Taraz
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I'd think I would probably let up. Depends on the situation. I know with my nieces travel ball team if they were beating the piss out of the ball the coach would eventually have one of them step off base to earn an out and make it a little less painful on the other team. I've also seen softball games make wild swings in just a single inning, so you never know if letting up is the smart move.
This is the risk. But I am unsure what I would do these days. As a kid, it would be to let up, but as an adult, I am not so sure. Professional level at least. Amateur, I would let up, but then, I'd barely compete :D
I think it depends on the context, if you are playing vs a star team even if you are losing 10-0 you might make a score and say you scored against the best... If you are heavily losing against an average not really...
On the 0-0 it's a must to try even as underdog, it's not uncommon a surprise
In the context of Italy v most other teams in ice hockey, they are always playing much better than them. I like to see them push.
Hockey in Finland is at a high level.
I remember playing hockey with my kids in the street under the streetlights in the 1980s; it was an unforgettable experience, better than football. Now I don't see kids with hockey sticks on the streets; everyone plays indoors.
Yeah, it is decent here, though I also think it will degrade as less kids play, and less parents can afford to pay. Was thinking about getting Smallsteps out with a stick. I have no skills on the ice, but perhaps enough to have some fun with her.
Well it takes a lot of courage to go from failure to failure without suffering overwhelming demoralization. It's part of the life of competitive athletes---to never throw in the towel no matter what. This kind of belief is embodied perfectly in soccer, that's why we have numerous instances of a soccer team coming back to win a game they are losing, against overwhelming odds.
And that's how it should be in life too. Because life is a game, and far more brutal than any sports game, because much more than the emotions and salaries and glory are at stake. If someone haven't got the fight in them, they'd give up before the game even begins.
Yeah, soccer is a good example too. A lot of poor kids get into it as a way out of poverty. They have the hunger.
You can take the Australian out of Australia.....
Yeah for sure.
The game of sport is always demanding, especially if it involves team playing. No matter how brilliant one is, if there's no cooperation amongst the team, it's going to be difficult to ascertain victory. Life is a competition no matter how we want to look at it. And in every competition there is always a winner and loser and funny thing is that the best doesn't always win the game at all time. Luck also has it place in sports.
I think this is another reason not to give up. If one gives up, it lets the whole team down.
It is not only about winning; but also about showing who you are and representing your country with pride through every challenge encountered on that field.
"Let up" and "slow down" kind of mean the same thing to me in this context ^_^;
I picked "slow down" as I guess throttling back (very) slightly to save for a potential next round is probably not a bad idea for this kind of sport, I agree/also think that "letting up" is kind of disrespectful to the other team (and they should also not give up either because unlikely as it might be you never know if the turns may table XD). For a martial art absolutely freaking let up if they're getting beat down! x_x
That score doesn't even sound like hockey...