On Losing

I vividly remember seeing Barry Larkin and Ken Griffey Jr. on the warning track of old Cinergy Field. In front of me stood two Cincinnati legends gathered to meet with fans and sign some autographs. Behind me stood the shiny new Great American Ballpark, the future home of the Cincinnati Reds, set to open the following season.

For wide-eyed little Mason, the future was bright. Junior (Griffey) was home. The Cincinnati Kid (Larkin) was still around. A new ballpark was coming. The Big Red Machine would rise again.

Fast forward to 2026, the Cincinnati Reds have never won a playoff game in that now aging stadium. I have not watched the Cincinnati Reds my dad grew up watching.

I have watched my favorite team lose a lot of games. I am familiar with losing as a fan, but I also know what it means to lose as an athlete and a coach—I grew up around sports. In 2018, I started coaching basketball and enjoyed a six-year run as an assistant or head coach before stepping away for a bit. Sports have shaped me in fundamental ways.

Before I riff on the value of losing, I want to borrow some wisdom from legendary coach Herm Edwards, “You play to win the game!” Winning should be a goal in competitive sports. And there are lessons to learn in winning championships! I am thankful to have been a part of some special teams that lifted trophies at the end of the season.

Losing is a peculiar grace. It reminds me to think about all that is fleeting in light of the one who never changes.

But, in my life, losing has been immensely valuable. I am convinced that organized athletics, in the life of a young person, are about something more than recreation, exposure, scholarship opportunities, and self-expression. Organized athletics are for character formation. And nowhere is our character more visible than the crucible of losing. Losing is painful, but losing is valuable for at least three reasons.

First, Losing Humbles Us

Losing has a unique way of showing us our shortcomings. We do not enjoy seeing our insufficiencies, yet only in seeing those insufficiencies can we take steps to address them. Success can blind us to these things; it can lull us into a false confidence in ourselves. When we lose, we have nowhere to hide.

Second, Losing Prepares Us for Disappointment

Life is full of disappointments big and small. We do not get the job we wanted. We do not get the promotion we think we earned. People around us make decisions we do not like. There are seasons of life where disappointments multiply.

What if we learned how to deal with them, in part, by being benched in high school? By losing because a referee made a bad call? By missing two free throws? By losing to a rival on a buzzer beater? By having a bad practice? Sports are like a simulated reality—the lessons we learn in this controlled environment translate to everyday life. Sports should remind us that while we control our own inputs, we do not control all outcomes. Disappointments and setbacks are inevitable. How we respond to them is crucial.

Third, Losing Gives Us Perspective

As the grass withers and the flower fades, trophies collect dust and lose their shimmer. Yet the Word of the Lord stands forever. After every crushing loss of my career, the same thing has happened the next morning—the sun rose again. Setbacks, failures, and losses—just like victories and championships—are fleeting. A moment is here and it is gone.

Our goal in life is not merely to win, to succeed, to be liked, or to be remembered. Our task, as long as we live, is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by offering our whole selves to him as living sacrifices, day in and day out. Sure, we can keep this perspective and still win in sports or in life. But losing is a peculiar grace. It reminds me to think about all that is fleeting in light of the one who never changes.