Emotion sears memories into our consciousness, the double-edged sword of the ecstasy of victory and indelible scars of defeat. Emotion changes us (see below).
Emotion reinforces memory to add value...the fear aroused by predators helps us with avoidance behavior.
But soul-crushing defeat can feel as though we enter Dante's 'Seventh Circle of Hell'.
We can feel as though we're in the boiling blood of Phlegethon...guarded by the Minotaur and trapped by Centaur archers...among neighbors like Attila and Xerxes.
What brings us to the seventh circle? Does the paragon of pain follow narrow defeat, overwhelming humiliation, or "turning victory into defeat?" There is a bigger picture?
Red Auerbach described his worst defeat in Let Me Tell You a Story. The prep school team he coached lost a one-point lead when the inbounder threw a behind-the-back pass that was intercepted and turned into a game-winner.
UCONN crushed Mississippi State by sixty in the 2016 NCAA Women's tournament...but the Bulldogs exacted payback as top dog over the Huskies to advance to the 2017 finals.
The Northern Iowa collapse against Texas A&M ranks among epic examples of victory turned into defeat. The Aggies forced overtime despite trailing by a dozen with only forty-four seconds remaining.
Dean Smith's Tarheels trailed Duke with seventeen ticks left, tied, and won in overtime.
Reggie Miller scored eight in nine seconds in a playoff game against the Knicks.
But the coaching family faces far greater losses. Brad Stevens delivered a eulogy after the cancer death of his former player, Andrew Smith. "Life is not measured in years, but in meaningfulness."
Loyola Marymount lost Hank Gathers to sudden cardiac death during a 1990 game. NBA coach Erik Spoelstra played for their opponent as a guard at the University of Portland.
Loss isn't final. Bill Buckner moved on. Donnie Moore suffered demons worse than defeat that ended his life. Great players in every sport (Dan Marino, Carl Yastrzemski, Charles Barkley) never win a professional championship. We only enter the Seventh Circle when we lose perspective. Persist.
