the losing culture

[Nacho]

http://out-route.gloriousnoise.com/2006 ... losing.php

i thought this was a pretty good essay on the culture of losing. jj has mentioned it many times. he wants to change not only the culture within the team but in other areas as well. he has mentioned fans in this statement.

we as fans are conditioned to losing. it's all we have known for twenty years. i am lucky enough to have seen the glorious pony express years. many of you have no first hand experience of a great smu team. you think getting close is great because we we were supposed to lose by 8 but you thought we would be blown out. this is not a moral vicotry. there are no moral victories in sports. you either win or you lose. period.

i am a big jj fan. i definitely see improvement in the team. we have weaknesses but we can still reach six wins. the final four games will define the season, not the debacle at wsu.

you should be upset about losing otherwise you are part of the losing culture.

[smuuth]

The losing culture attitude causes a fan to say "we can still get to six wins instead of saying we can still end up 10-3."

[Samurai Stang]

The losing culture attitude causes a fan to say "we can still get to six wins instead of saying we can still end up 10-3."

Wanting to win does not mean you must also be delusional.

[Nacho]

call jj a part of the losing culture if you want but it is his stated goal to win six games.

[JGeorges]

I agree with you that there are no moral victories in sports... You win or you lose...

But, there is definitely a difference in the big picture between being run off the field 45-0 and battling for 4 (or more) quarters and losing a close one...

One makes you want wish you were born somewhere or attended somewhere where winning might actually happen once in a while and the other points to a brighter future where a culture of winning might develop over time and imbed itself...

SMU is headed in the right direction and once the winning culture sinks in watch out...

[ponyinNC]

it is a sad but true statement. i was watching the navy game on tv and told friends that we needed to score again before half; otherwise i thought we would lose. they thought i was crazy, we were up by 14 and had dominated. i said, i am an smu fan, and i know we will find a way to lose. i thought we would find a way to lose at wsu as well, up 24-7 in the third.

the team has to win first for the fans to come around and in order to change the losing culture within the team itself.

"Just win baby!"

[Nacho]

winning breeds winning and losing breeds losing.

i think the truth is that we aren't quite good enough to put away a team when we have the opportunity eg wsu and navy.

not throwing ints has made a world of difference to this team. it gave us the ecu win and gave us a shot at navy.

[ponywhupp9202]

it is a sad but true statement. i was watching the navy game on tv and told friends that we needed to score again before half; otherwise i thought we would lose. they thought i was crazy, we were up by 14 and had dominated. i said, i am an smu fan, and i know we will find a way to lose. i thought we would find a way to lose at wsu as well, up 24-7 in the third.

the team has to win first for the fans to come around and in order to change the losing culture within the team itself.

"Just win baby!"

Funny, I turned to my father-in-law at the end of the 1st half and said "it's goona take 35 points to win this game." I was close, we needed 36.

[RGV Pony]

The losing culture attitude causes a fan to say "we can still get to six wins instead of saying we can still end up 10-3."

Kind of like when your starting qb refers to a road game in which you are favored as "trying to go up there and steal a win"?

[JGeorges]

i think the truth is that we aren't quite good enough to put away a team when we have the opportunity eg wsu and navy. .

Much better than not being in any kind of position to find out if you are good enough to put someone away...

The alternative would be that you yourself had been put away with 8 minutes left in the first half...

It just takes a few wins in a row to develop the confidence to start to expect winning...

Winning one, losing one takes longer...

It'll happen...

[Samurai Stang]

i think the truth is that we aren't quite good enough to put away a team when we have the opportunity eg wsu and navy. .

Much better than not being in any kind of position to find out if you are good enough to put someone away...

The alternative would be that you yourself had been put away with 8 minutes left in the first half...

It just takes a few wins in a row to develop the confidence to start to expect winning...

Winning one, losing one takes longer...

It'll happen...

This thread is not about the team progressing. It is about the willingness of fan's to be content with moral victories. Your point is well taken, but it changes the direction of discussion to an area already being discussed elsewhere.

As for whether it is better to collapse at the beginning or end of a game, I answer that neither is acceptable. One is not better than the other, as they both bring about the same outcome.

Only losers have moral victories. And I would not consider a collapse a moral victory.

[Stallion]

Confucious says: Losing Culture is destroyed by the recruitment of bigger, faster and stronger players. This stuff is mostly window dressing and nonsense often latched onto by fans who don't follow recruiting and so can't really explain why Dear Old ALUMNI U. sucks every year -when its perfectly obvious to just about everyone else

[couch 'em]

While better athletes is the most important key, there is something to be said for mentality. Someone who is just a 'loser' will fold mentally quicker and easier. The "here we go again" factor. Guys who are "winners" can battle back.

[Stallion]

...and almost always are to be found on the better, more mature, experienced and talented team

[Samurai Stang]

Confucious says: Losing Culture is destroyed by the recruitment of bigger, faster and stronger players. This stuff is mostly window dressing and non-sense.

If we are fortunate future players will impact our forces positively so that we might attain victories in the future.

The willingness of SMU's fans to be celebrate a collapse is, however, a different issue. Unless, that is, your proposal includes recruiting bigger, faster, and stronger fans.