How to Lose Well

Michael Agovino writes for the New York Times on the emotional effects of losing in the World Cup (NY Times, "Losses and the Losing Losers who hate them", June 18, 2006). He wonders whether it is "tempting to suggest a link between national character and the ways nations have coped with defeat".

"Sam Mchombo, a linguistics professor at Berkeley who has lectured on soccer in
identity formation, is similarly reluctant to impute reaction to collective
personality, but he does note that many of the African nations, given their
meager resources, are just happy to have qualified for the cup, and the
reactions to the losses, he said, "have not been irritable or violent but rather
with a degree of stoicism or grace."

This is an interesting perspective that Americans may learn much from. Many Americans
knowingly or not, believe in entitlement, or hold a certain level of expectation for success which they me feel entitled to. Defeat in the USA is not taken easily. This could be seen after the US loss to Chech Republic where few accepted the appreciation that we had made it to the highly competitive World Cup alone. The fact that we did not win was something difficult for Americans to face - maybe this is one reason why soccer has not taken off in the USA.
The comment by Sam is telling in that much of Africa remains hopefull and thankfull even in the midst of many hardships.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/18/weekinreview/18agovino.html?_r=1&oref=slogin