It's really too bad in the world of athletics that in most instances every team but one finishes the season as a loser.
That was brought to mind during this frenetic week of high school playoffs in baseball, soccer and softball.In all cases, eight teams qualified for the playoffs and only one ended the season with a win.
That means there was euphoria for one team and bitter disappointment for the other seven.
That's the way sports is. Check out the the losers' locker room after the Super Bowl or World Series. Invariably, there are numerous tears, despite the fact those doing the crying are making hundreds of thousands and in some cases, millions of dollars. And in the winners' locker room everybody is pouring drinks on people's heads.
Are we talking strange behavior, or what?
No, we're talking sports.
Sports is emotion.
The person who said sports is like life only with the volume turned up, knew what he was talking about. And the volume gets turned up pretty high during the playoffs.
To youth, particularly, there are things worse than death - like dropping a fly ball with two out and the bases loaded in front of several hundred people at Derks Field. Conversely, there are things more important than life - like hitting a game-winning home run in front of those same people.
And if you doubt that, read some of the chilling accounts of the past several years documenting athletes pouring steroids and other drugs into their systems to gain fame and a competitive edge, despite knowing it will damage their health.
So, what we're saying is that sports, like anything else, can get out of kilter if carried to extremes.
On the whole it provides meaningful experiences that help enrich life. Those who say it's like life are right in a lot of ways. Athletes have to deal with adversity on a daily basis. They find that hard work and perseverance pay off not just on the ball diamond but in school and the work place while laziness doesn't in any of those arenas.
To those who were victorious Friday - the Alta Hawks in 4A baseball, softball and soccer and Springville in 3A baseball, Jordan in 3A soccer and Murray in 3A softball, congratulations. Be proud. Then, be humble.
To those who lost Friday and to those who were eliminated earlier in the week, be humble. Then, be proud. You were, after all, in the Final Eight. Many other teams would have liked to have even had a chance to compete for a state title like you did.
And to all who competed in all sports, whether in the playoffs or not, whether starter or reserve, congratulations on completing a season of joy and pain.
Life's like that.