The spirit of a victory...

Being a good player and a good sports-person are equally important. Being a good player, one does indulge in mental games too, playing with the psyche - its all about who can hold it together till the end of the game. Coz, obviously all participants are equally under pressure. The one who is good is under pressure of expectations, and the one who is not-so-good is just under pressure to perform.

You use whatever tactics you need, that help you to hold it together, get through the game, win it. But once the game is over, whatever be the outcome, hold your head high and be graceful about it - whether you win or you lose. You do the best you can on the field given the circumstances and given the pressures, and thats it. When the game is over, you are free - whether you win or you lose.

There is nothing more off-putting than a sore loser or a sore winner. Well, in TBBT, Leonard explains that (Sheldon) being an unpleasant winner justifies Sheldon's bad loser behaviour, and that explanation summarizes the whole point. Only an unpleasant winner can ever be a sore loser, and a sore loser is the antithesis of a good sports-person. Ergo, grace in both victory and defeat is an essential component of sports, and ofcourse life.