Leslie Karst

Why Can’t They All Win?

I don’t think of myself as a huge sports fanatic, but of late I’ve been doing an awful lot of sports watching: the Tour de France, the Euro Cup, baseball, Wimbledon.

Part of it is the timing, since this is the period when those sporting events occur. But it’s also definitely an escape from, well…the world. Because truly, who enjoys reading the newspaper headlines these days?

But the problem with sports in general is that, although it’s super exhilarating and fun when your team wins, the downs can be truly horrible when they don’t win. For me, that was the 49ers losing the Super Bowl this year. Massive downer. Which is weird, I know, because c’mon, their loss didn’t hurt me in any real way. But nevertheless, I was so invested in the team that I was depressed for several days after that game.

Leslie in better times when the SF Giants were on their way to winning the World Series

Now, some people like to watch sports to see players or teams they don’t like lose. Although I do have a couple teams that fall under that category (lookin’ at you, USC, says this UCLA Bruins fan), that’s not generally my thing. (My wife Robin, however, LOVES to watch golf because of the schadenfreude it provides for her.)

Which brings me to why I love the sport of cycling so very much—in particular, the Tour de France (which also has the benefit of all those beautiful shots of the French towns and countryside). Although it appears at first glance to be an individual sport, cycling is very much a team sport, as those individuals who cross the line first could never do so without the support of their teammates. Which is cool. Seven cyclists pushing themselves to their limit so that the leader of their team can win the stage—or better yet, the coveted yellow jersey.

watching the finish of the Tour de France in Paris back in 2008

And as far as those individuals go, I do have my current favorites: Tadej Pogačar, Julian Alaphillipe, Sepp Kuss, Mark Cavendish. So when the recently-knighted sprinter Mark Cavendish, at age 39 (old for a cyclist) won his 35th career stage of the Tour de France about ten days ago—breaking the record that had been held for 48 years by cycling phenom Eddy Merckx—it brought tears to my eyes.

TV screen shot of Sir Mark winning his 35th Tour de France stage

But here’s the thing. I love pretty much ALL of the cyclists in the professional peloton. So no matter who wins on any particular day, I’m pleased. Because they’re all awesome athletes (and pretty adorable, to boot), and it’s a pleasure simply watching them do what they do best—race their bicycles.

So it’s the perfect sport for me, since I’m almost never sad at the outcome—just happy for the winners.

Readers: Do you have a favorite sport? Are the highs of your team winning worth the lows of when they lose?

35 thoughts on “Why Can’t They All Win?”

  1. During COVID, I noticed a reduction in my stress level since I couldn’t follow sports. When the world reopened, I continued my sports-free lifestyle with the exception of IndyCar and pro cycling. In both of those cases, I’m more of a fan of the sport rather than a particular team or athlete. Though I root the hardest for Team EF Education Easy Post. I’ve been following them since their inception as Slipstream Sports years ago.

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    1. I’ve been a fan of EF since their Slipstream days, too, J.C. So nice to finally have a US team back in the professional peloton! (And love the pink, which harkens back to the T Mobile days of Jan Ulrich!)

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  2. Used to be I was a huge baseball and hockey fan. I think huge salaries have ruined a lot of professional sports.

    I got very invested in the Buffalo Bills last season. Too invested. As you said, it was just too depressing when they fell flat AGAIN to the doggone Chiefs. So I’m not doing it this year.

    But there will be a little bit of schadenfreude if someone manages to beat the Chiefs this year. Just like there was with the New England Patriots. 🙂

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      1. Lisa, if you had said this, oh, ten years ago, I’d say we couldn’t be friends any longer. But the Pats have fallen on hard times, so as a long-suffering Bills fan all is (mostly) forgiven. LOL

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  3. I watch very little sports. Hockey is my go-to, but only during the lead up to the Stanley Cup. And, since the Stars didn’t make it, I didn’t watch all of the final games. For the Oilers and the Panthers, I tried to go on who had the cutest players, but they both had cute ones, so it didn’t matter.

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  4. Leslie, you must really be looking forward to the Olympics! I know I’ll be tuned in (when I’m not writing, of course–maybe in the middle of the night). Here in New England, when one team lets us down (because, let’s face it, they have been known to do so), we just tune in to another, depending on the season. (Bruins, Celtics, Pats, Sox). Right now, though, we have just one choice: the Boys of Summer. All our hopes now ride on the Red Sox. That can be risky, b/c they’re known for breaking our hearts, but there’s always that rousing round of Sweet Caroline to belt out in the 8th. If the season’s a bust, we just focus on how many times they beat the Yankees. Go Sox!

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  5. I am possibly the most non-sports person you will ever meet, although ironically I’m also one of the few people you know who’s been to a Superbowl – and knew a player. (1975, they were giving away free tickets to the game being played on the Tulane campus in the Sugar Bowl and I went to HS with Rick Moser, then a Pittsburgh Steeler.) When I went to a football game in college, I thought Tulane had two teams playing. My date had to explain to me that no, it was offense and defense. (First and last date with the guy.)

    I found myself accidentally watching Wimbledon the other day and it reminded me I do like tennis matches. But aside from sports generally boring me to distraction, I cannot BEAR to watch adults cry when they lose. It breaks my heart.

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    1. Okay, “breaks my heart” was a little extreme, but it’s painful and uncomfortable.

      BTW, I do NOT get the Espys. It feels like it’s designed to be a money grab. Isn’t the whole point of sports to either win or lose? Isn’t that the award? What do they need the show for?

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    2. I know–the crying thing is weird! Although I’ve often been super bummed by my team’s loss, I’ve never actually cried. (I only do that when something amazingly good happens.)

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  6. I will turn on sports for the company. In fact, I often have the sound completely off as I’m reading or working on other things.

    Exceptions include ultimate Frisbee. Yes, there is a professional sports league, and this is the first year I won’t go see a game from the LA team in person because all of their home games were down in Orange County, which would have been a ridiculously long drive for me.

    I also love diving. So I’m getting excited for the Olympics coming soon so I can watch that. Although when they do their handstand dives, I always get so nervous before they actually start diving.

    And I do watch American Ninja Warrior. I get more nervous than some of my favorite athletes probably do when I’m watching that.

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  7. Growing up in Toronto, I used to watch sports to connect with my dad. Toronto Maple Leafs hockey. One of the original 6 teams, it was a hockey dynasty in the 1950s & 1960s. But the last time they won the Stanley Cup was 1967. More recently, the Leafs made it into the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in 13 years. And were eliminated in the first round. SIGH.

    Toronto Blue Jays have done better, winning the World Series twice in my adulthood. My dad was overjoyed when I gave him World Series tickets I won while at university – it was too far for me to go back to Toronto for the game.

    Not having cable TV for a decade means I don’t get to watch live sports. I do miss watching tennis, and Winter Olympics. But I will survive.

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      1. Yeah, a 31-year drought since any Canadian team won the Stanley Cup. And Toronto Maple Leafs officially has the longest Canadian sports drought of any professional team.

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  9. Leslie, this is so timely! I just watched my VERY FIRST soccer (aka football) match this weekend: the European Cup Finals with England versus Spain. Since Ian was practically born in the shadow of Middlesbrough there was a lot of energy for England. Despite the loss, we had a glorious time and my goodness, what amazing athleticism on both sides!

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  10. Great picture of you!

    I am a die hard Sacramento Kings and SF Giants fan. I am sad that the 49ers didn’t win, but I’m not much of a football fan!

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  11. Not a fan of baseball, basketball, soccer, golf, or tennis. Though at times, I watch them. But give me some Texas Longhorn football and I am in Heaven. Win or lose (but I hate that), they are my team. I love college football. I started watching the year Vince Young won the National Championship. Hubby Dearest asked why I was into it when I only went to a few games when I attended The University in Austin back in the late 1960s. I answered that I did not know why but I was. He said, “Well you picked a very good year to start watching.” I love it and I now love NFL football. I just love football. I also enjoy Nascar, etc. My mother was a huge tennis fan and would not pick us up at the airport one year as Wimbledon was on and we had to get a cab. She loved Ivan Lendl. I have never been good at sports until late in life when I started bicycling. My neighbors and I used to do 25 miles in 2 hours every weekend and even entered the Grand Prairie Grand Prix in Texas once. I loved it. My knees won’t let me do it anymore. I really miss it. So. I cannot wait for football season to start. Hook ’em Horns!

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