Congratulations to the Pullman Greyhounds. This weekend they won the Washington State 2A Men’s Basketball Championship. And congratulations to our friend Corey Langerveld who received the Tournament MVP award as he led his team to that victory.

Unlike the days of my youth, I no longer believe that winning is the only thing. I have learned a lot in losing a battle or two along the way. But in this day of profound mediocrity, I do believe we are to go down desparately fighting. It’s not that winning is the only thing, the true issue is that mediocrity is unacceptable. I believe that God teaches the same.

1 Cor 9:24-27 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

And what I liked most in watching the basketball finals was that someone had to lose. Our society teaches us today that everybody is a winner. They’re not! It teaches us that those who want to win are over-zealous. They’re not! It teaches us that those who “run in such a way as to get the prize” are erroneously driven. They’re not!

What our society needs now more than ever are winners! We need men and women to throw off the shackles of dependence upon government handouts and entitlements and renew the fight to win the race against poverty and ignorance, not by accepting a handout but by hard work and sacrifice.

Vince Lombardi believed the same.