Why do athletes look up at the sky when they win?

 

Why do athletes look up at the sky when they win?

Just about every athlete looks up, at the sky, when things go their way. Why? Is it their way of saying thanks to the Almighty? If yes, what should the other athlete do? Look down? Or, look up at the sky with a forlorn mien on their face? Would the Almighty respond to each, and how?

If only there were no Almighty, such questions would not have arisen. There would be competition, but both the winner and loser would still be friends, beyond the conventional handshake across the net in tennis and similar gestures in other sports and games. Across the board in chess.

Magnus Carlsen said it best in the context of the World Blitz title for men: paraphrasing, it would have been cruel had he not extended his hands across the board to Ian Nepominiachtchi offering a draw to a hard-fought and long game, had it been taken to a tiresome  and a “very, very cruel” conclusion. I do not know chess, but I can appreciate the depth of the sentiment.

Why can’t the world appreciate losers? Oh, commercial endorsements.

“Money for nothing …” Dire Straits sang. Truly so.

Raghuram Ekambaram