As the wise Ricky Bobby once said, “If you’re not first, you’re last.” And if you’ve ever participated in any organized sport or competitive activity, then you’ve definitely lost before.

Losing isn’t fun, but sometimes it can provide essential insight into one’s psyche and allow growth and maturity to reign supreme.

On the other hand, it can also just be annoying and sad, especially if you’re a competitive person.

Regardless of the event, when people lose, especially at a high level, we need to be more understanding and compassionate toward their situation instead of immediately labeling those individuals as “bad” or “sore losers.”

Our culture must normalize not having your best day, especially when you lose. We need to accept that athletes at the highest level aren’t satisfied with an “L” and that sometimes their raw and unfiltered reaction isn’t going to be pretty and proper.

In an age of constant media coverage and post-game pressers, we need to normalize losing and not being okay with it. The competitive spirit needs to be celebrated, and although I’m not advocating for the use of violence or rage following sporting events, I do think accepting that true athletes aren’t ever satisfied following a loss is the right thing to do.

One specific example of an instance where the media branded a team as “bad losers” came following the college football national championship.

After their 34-23 loss to Ohio State, Notre Dame came under fire for their lack of professionalism to reporters and fans immediately after the game.

USA TODAY’s Dan Wolken went as far as to say the scene inside the Irish locker room was “bizarre,” as players were seen yelling at reporters, and coaches were actively warning the media to avoid specific questions. Wolken even claimed he felt it was “amateur hour” and had rarely seen such bad behavior following a loss from an entire team.

In response to this, pundit Dan “Big Cat” Katz of Barstool Sports spoke out about the incident on both the “Pardon My Take” podcast and again on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying we as a society need to “normalize being poor losers,” and “everyone should be allowed 24 hours after a big loss to be as nasty as they want.”

I concur with Mr. Katz, and I think that athletes, especially those who compete in collegiate sports, shouldn’t necessarily have to face the media directly following a loss. And if they do, they can be as petty as they like.

Losing anything sucks, and after a grueling six-month-long season, losing a championship in front of 70,000 fans at Mercedes-Benz stadium and over 22 million watching at home isn’t necessarily a fun time.

There was a similar instance back in 2016 when, following his Super Bowl loss, quarterback Cam Newton became heavily criticized for his “poor” behavior and actions toward members of the media.

The main issue was in the way Newton spoke about the game. The then 27-year-old was asked several questions in his post-game presser and continuously gave one or two-word answers to most inquiries about his performance and where the team went wrong. Many considered this childish and unbecoming of the former NFL MVP.

Newton also was bashed for the way he presented himself to the camera donning a Carolina Panthers hoodie, which draped over most of his face during the interview, and the way he was “sulking in his chair” while questions were hurled his way.

I understand that in Newton’s case, he is being paid millions of dollars and answering media questions is a part of his duties, but we don’t need to be overbearing or aggressive when we as media members and fans don’t get exactly what we want. In that case, Newton had just lost the biggest game of his life but was still somehow expected by everyone to be completely cordial and responsive as if nothing had happened, but that’s simply unrealistic. I barely want to talk to my friends after I lose an intramural game, so I can’t even imagine how distraught and emotional he must have felt.

Real competitors aren’t satisfied with losing, so why don’t we accept that and allow for a cool-off period of reflection and be okay with people being bad losers?

Despite sometimes not feeling like it, these athletes are real people with real emotions.

So, let’s allow them to be exactly that, even if it’s not our favorite look on them.