On Saturday morning the Channel 7 Sunrise program raised the big question about who is the worst sports team anywhere. They nominated the underperforming Nunawading Lions Australian Football team as pretty close to the bottom of the barrel but predicted that bigger things were in store for the boys. It was a great story. A heart-warming story. But… with their focus on how super-coach Kevin Sheedy has plans to help the hapless team out of their many season long slump… the story demonstrated an underlying assumption that there is something wrong with being crap. Please presenters. Be aware that there is nothing inherently wrong with being crap. Being really terrible is something to be celebrated. Every year at my daughter’s athletic carnival the kids who come last in each race inevitably get bigger cheers than the champions who win. Good thing too! As Tom Robbins says “a glorious failure is much less tiresome than a mediocre winner.” If you are going to fail (and there is nothing wrong with failing) do it with style, poise, grace and don’t be afraid to embrace it.
Nunawading have lost every game of the season so far by over 200 points! That is a record to not be sneezed at. But we all know there must be teams out there who have done worse. Let’s find them and tell their stories. As Channel 7 discovered there is always a great story behind a glorious failure. Half of the Nunawading blokes have never played Australian football before. They were always going to be thrashed in a strong competition… but this group of mates wanted to play together. They are happy to take their hidings on the chin. All power to them. Let’s find some more struggling teams and through telling their stories let’s celebrate their sporting failures! Contact us here at sportoscratic.com if you have a nomination for the worst team anywhere.
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