Winning and Losing

Surprise, this blog piece will double back to a “buy my book” message, but let’s first talk about winning and losing.
Consequences of winning or losing vary depending on the game. A soldier in an army standing against soldiers in other armies face the ultimate consequence. A friendly game of pool before dinner among friends is the other end.
I’ve never faced the soldier’s consequence but my early years were filled with sports winning and losing. I played on a high school basketball team who won a state championship with a 29-0 record. The feeling you get from that kind of triumph stays with you.
In college I would have probably carried home an even more impressive trophy if that clever opponent had not jumped in front of me on a fast break and fouled me out of the game. I know what it’s like to miss the final shot that would have won a game. Losing people is immeasurably worse.
My book, Billion Dollar Bracket, is about various forms of winning and losing. In part, it’s about a contest to win a billion dollars by picking all the winners in the annual NCAA men’s basketball tournament. But it’s about a lot more.
Many lives collide in this story. If someone picks the winners of all the games, the contest sponsors most likely go to jail for fraud. Some of the characters of this book are looking for riches, but others are looking for shelter, for redemption, a second chance in life.
Back to buying my book. Retired now from all work other than trying to be an author, what is winning now? Book sales? Critical acclaim from smart people? Right now, it feels like a privilege to just be in the game…put me in coach, I’m ready to play.