Imagine just winning a championship in a sport you have been working so hard to be told that you were not the true champion. That you would share the champion title with the runner-up. 

How would you feel? 

The Louisiana State University Women’s Basketball Team faced this unimaginable situation. After an outstanding performance resulting in a 102-85 win against Iowa for the school's first championship in women’s basketball. First Lady Jill Biden who was present for this final match in Women’s March Madness came out and said, “I’m going to tell Joe I think Iowa should come, too, because they played such a good game.” 

Her statement brought controversy to the sports world. Many including star player Angel Resse from LSU disagreed with the First Lady’s statement. Many felt that it was unfair to treat both teams with special treatment. Resse’s emotions rallied from Biden’s statement made her initially respond by saying, “WE NOT COMING. Period,” under an Instagram post. She later was interviewed on USA Today and shared why she felt it was unfair; “I just know if the roles were reversed, it wouldn't be the same," Reese said. "If we were to lose, we would not be getting invited to the White House. I remember she made a comment that both teams should be invited because it was about sportsmanship.” Traditionally only the winner gets the incentive of going to the White House and the runner-up does not get this celebratory experience. 

Participating in a single-person sport or a team sport championship is an important part of sports culture because athletes get to showcase their talents on the biggest stage. Championships show how much work athletes have put in all year to get to where they are individually or as a team as a whole. Throughout the games, many emotions are experienced by the athletes, athletes' loved ones, the coaching staff, fans, and spectators. At the end of these games, many walk away disappointed in the results and some walk away joyful and full of excitement. 

Why is that? 

One group of athletes and their supporters have walked away with the championship while the other group has walked away with being the runner-up. It is essential for every championship to have only one winner and one loser. Not just for the championship title but for many other factors outside of the sport. Winning teaches us how to celebrate the obstacles and struggles we have gone through to get to where we are now. Losing can teach us about having good sportsmanship. Bowen states, “The ability to admit defeat and not make excuses is not only important in sports but in life. No lawyer wins every case. No doctor cures every patient.” Lessons from sports can be applied to life in that it is acceptable to fail and learn from it. Losing teaches athletes to accept disappointment, by being able to admit the defeat and not come up with excuses for the defeat. 

Throughout different levels of sports from youth leagues, high school teams, collegiate, and the pros many athletes at the beginning of their season look forward to making it to the postseason to compete for the championship. This path for every sport and level may look different, but it is still an end goal to be able to play on the biggest stage. At the end of each postseason, there will always be more losers than there will be winners. And for the ones who do make it to becoming champions, it does not always come easily. It can take some time for this to happen for some athletes and athletic teams. 

So should championships be stripped away? 

Championships should not be stripped away, not just because they are interesting to play or watch. Championships are not just about the sport itself. These matches push athletes to work harder, along with teaching them valuable life lessons. Incentives should be given to the winner, as a victorious celebration of what they have just earned. Although the outcome of a championship game is not always what is intended, these games should not end with a tie to show good sportsmanship. 

Instead, championships should end with a result of one winner and one runner-up like how it has been throughout sports history. Society has dimmed championships to have a winner, which is what captures their attention to want to watch these games. If championships were taken away,  and everyone who participated received a participation trophy, then it would diminish the motivation that pushes athletes to work harder and reach that end goal of winning it all, to be that number one.