It's about winning

Racing is better than soccer.

As if you didn’t think that already. But with all the World Cup buzz (that’s the annoying drone of vuvuzelas), I wanted to say why racing has one thing over the so-called “beautiful game.”

Now I’m not going to bash on the sport, it takes an incredible amount of physical ability to play. But there’s one thing that I can pick on, and it’s an accepted - sometimes even celebrated - part of the sport that I can’t stand.

The tie.

Ties are looked at as a success. Not quite as much as a win, but still...a successful outcome. The British and American fans and media were treating the 1-1 game this week as an achievement. The upstart Americans were almost able to beat mighty England, and that fact should be celebrated.

Seriously?!?! It’s a tie. Not better than, not worse. But not finished either. In racing, there’s only a tie when the eye or transponder, or clock, or whatever measuring device can’t resolve any finer detail. It’s the determination that “well, I can’t say who won...but I can’t say who lost, either.”

Vince Lombardi (after Red Sanders) stated “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.” The great coach clarified that later to make the same point I’m presenting: that while you can’t always win, you should be striving to win. Even if it’s only beating the guy in front of you.

But the soccer crowd seems content with ties. It doesn’t take “not losing” to know where you are in terms of progress. Nebraska lost to Texas in the Big 12 Championship last year (one second or not), but they knew they could play anyone without the score ending up 12-12.

Ties perpetuate the “good enough” culture we are slipping into. Showing up is enough. How often do you see that where you live, where you work? Where’s the incentive to improve, and if there’s no incentive, why bother watching?

Two great examples of “ties” that we all are aware of: North and South Korea. Same goes with Israel and Palestine.

I’m not saying “domination or nothing,” I’m not saying victory is the only thing, but improvement - no matter how incremental the goal - should be.

And it’s why I love racing. Whether you’re the champion and defending your title, or a starter looking to crack the top ten, it’s not enough just to be there. It’s fun, but there’s a goal.

It’s why we watch.