Do you know what color a 7th place ribbon is?

It's purple.

I know this because I "won" one in a wrestling tournament.

I stashed that garbage in my nightstand for years. Not to remind me some idiot thought it was a good idea to hand a 7th place ribbon to a child. Rather it was a symbol of how it felt to come up short and that maybe I loved Taco Bell more than I loved winning wrestling matches.

It also reminded me that training for tournaments is hard work.

That it's even harder to win one.

We celebrate tournament champions with trophies, headlines, and book deals. They sip fake cups of coffee on morning talk shows. Winners ride on flatbed trucks while we throw paper at them. Parades are weird.

Competitors treat tournaments like a gauntlet of trials. Slay these gladiators and win the Emperor's favor!

It's a longer way to that top one than it looks from here. (Photo by Florian Schmetz on Unsplash)

Tournaments are universal.

The Olympics is a showcase of tournaments. March Madness. The Stanley Cup. You can't open social media without reading about your friends' kids' soccer tournament this weekend. There may be a law that says there has to be a kids' soccer tournament in progress somewhere at all times or the world ends.

Professional golfers spend 47 weekends a year in tournaments.

I play in backgammon tournaments all the time. The old guys from Boston mop the floor with me.

What is it about this world of breakneck competition that draws us in? Why would anyone compete knowing that there are always 63 losers and 1 winner?

How many public beatings does it take before you scream, "That's it! I don't want to hear the word 'tournament' ever again!"?

But, when your buddy comes up and slaps you on the shoulder, "Hey, you playing in the tournament next week?"

Like an amnesiac, you reply:

"Yeah, can't wait. See you there."

Good luck.

To future worlds,

Matt Ventre

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