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Winning/Losing Mentality

6 Comments
Gabe

From my “Take me out to the ball game” post, the comment left by Tereza made me think. Is it common for (certain types of) people (or people in certain locations) to think their team will lose? Being a Detroit fan, I have come to learn that the Tigers will suck and lose most of the time, when they win it is a surprise. This wasn’t always the case, they did win the 1984 World Series. I’m not a big hockey fan, but the Red Wings won a few Stanley cups recently. My favorite sport: Basketball, the Pistons won 2 Championships in a row not too long ago. The Lions (football) haven’t won jack shit in my lifetime!

Is it because of my (pessimistic) personality that I assume the team I want to win will lose? – Do optimistic people always think their team will win, regardless of previous record?
Is it becasue I live in Detroit and most of the time our teams don’t win all that much? – Do people in places like L.A. believe their team will win (because they won 6 basketball championships recently, though were knocked out of the running this year, rather surprisingly) because their team does win more often than losing?

The part of Tereza’s comment that made me wonder is in Brazil, seems they win a lot of soccer games (sorry, futeball!). I don’t keep close track of Brazil’s record, but I assume they win more than they lose. If that’s true, does it mean that Tereza is a pessimist?

Categories: Mentality Sports

Comments ( 6 )

  1. / Mary Jane
    It is, I think. Ask Luciana, Im from a city called Campinas and my soccer team is Ponte Preta. Ponte always loses the games. I don't think it is your pessimist personality. I know, when Ponte is playing 70% pf the chances are: Pont will lose. About Brazil ( it's funny : futeball with two ll's, I love when americans try to speak portuguese, its so nice) we feel that Brazil will win all the world championships. I don't know why, But it's a stronger feeling. It's more being realist (there is sucha a word?????) than pessimist/optimist. Its nice to have you in the "blog's world". Good Luck. M.J.
  2. / Rebeca
    I believe Brazil has always a big chance to win even though sometimes the players think they are the best.... but I have a bad experience with this "winning" feeling. I lived in Mexico for several years (they love soccer as well) and I was always very proud of our reputation of being the best but one day I decided to go a game Cruz Azul (Mexico) x São Caetano (Brasil). There were only few brazilians over there and São Caetano LOST the game, what a shame. I was lucky I took a jacket to hide my Brazilian jersey. Anyway, I don't think Teresa is pessimistic, I just think brazilians do not acept when Brazil lose a game.
  3. / Tereza
    I don't know if I'm a pessimist or not. In any case I’m not courageous enough to watch a game till the end because I don't like bad results. Maybe I’m just a bad loser ;-)
  4. / Gabe Misura
    Mary Jane - Yes, there are realists. The usual question is: "Is the glass half full or half empty?" (If that requires more explaination, let me know. Seems my audience is mostly Brazilian). So I'm being real by following the numbers and expecting my team to lose (because they do). Did that make me into a pesimist? Would I be a different person if I lived in a city that had a winning team?
  5. / Aline
    I don't know if it's being pessimist, or realistic... but one thing is sure: If you go to the game thinking that your team will lose you won't be as disappointed if they actually do (oh well... I knew that was going to happen.) But if they win! OH wow! that was an awesome game!
  6. / Tereza
    Aline, it's true, I think like you :)

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