I recently came to the realization that a large part of the economy, or at least the sports economy, is built upon the unwillingness to lose. Makegirai is a special term in Japanese for people like me who are very competitive and hate losing, won't stop until they win. It literally means, "hate to lose."
I grew up, like many other boys, daydreaming (and dreaming normally) about hitting the game winning homer in the bottom of the 9th, or scoring the winning touchdown in front of the rabid home fans, performing on the biggest stage and proving that I was the best at the sport I was playing. (Later on these dreams turned into making the winning move in chess, spelling the winning word at the spelling bee, playing the winning hand in bridge, and some other nerdier pursuits, but the idea remains the same). It's the competitive drive in most people that I know to try to be better than others, to prove that they themselves are good, to become a champion, and they spend most of their lives pursuing that dream, chasing that goal to be the best .The problem, only so few people or teams can actually be the best, and they do their best to stay there.
The sports business is driven by this competitive drive (There is a brand of sports apparel literally capitalizing off this drive called "Champion" ; if it's not people searching for their own championship in the sport or activity they engage in, it's them vicariously living through their favorite sports team to seek victory. It's kind of a disease, this "desire to win."
Back in the medieval ages it was necessary to be the best to protect your family, to keep the invaders out, to survive. Nowadays, there's really no need to be the best, especially in sports. So what if your favorite sports team wins the championship? Are you that much better for it? So what if you've proven to the world you're the best kayaker in the world (unless you're pro and that's what you do for a living). Yet so many people abandon other facets of their lives in pursuit of that elusive chase to be the best; marriages have been disrupted, lives put on hold, etc.
I can't say I really judge those people with the makegirai disease though: it's very powerful, and always hungry, always wanting to be fed more information that you're superior, striving to be the best. It's what keeps those of us working, to motivate us to raise our energy level (MJ says I'm a high-energy person and she's a low energy person; I guess I get my high energy from competitiveness).
Sadly, what happens to people who have makegirai who never fulfill their dream of becoming champion, not meeting their goals, and ultimately, "losing?" Unfortunately, this weekend at the Ultimate Dodgeball Championship in Chicago, IL, my dodgball team will probably find that out at some point. Chances of winning are slim, but we've come so far, played so much dodgeball (6 years and counting for me!) and want this so bad that I think there's a chance we will ourselves to victory. Ultimately, I think the lesson is that as long as we tried our best to go for that goal of being champion, we have not "lost" but gained an experience of chasing after that championship that will live with us forever. At least, that's what those of makegirai can fall back on.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
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