Using the term "They wanted more"

[BADSANTA]

I find people always use this in a close hard fought victory and it is far over used. I always believe both teams wanted just as bad but one team is just more talented than the other or caught more breaks. Your thoughts?

[jimmyw]

I believe that two equal teams will give it there all and the difference in a win or loss could be luck, bad break, or just a missed assignment. The term "they wanted it more" is generally used by a team spectators that losses to a better team. I believe the last 4 times my Newton team has played Silsbee the game could have went either way. Don't remember the scores but they were close. I do know both teams wanted to win and wanting it more had nothing to do with it. They left it out on the field and luck for Newton was a bad break for Silsbee or visa versa.  JMHO

[MossHill]

Wanting it more generally has nothing to do with HS athletics. The kids are 99% of the time going to give it their all. It's quite possible they might not know "how" to win, or avoid costly mistakes.  I've never understood that term, but I rarely understand the spectator anyway. Little Johnny's daddy is usually the guy saying the other team wanted it more, but we all know that Little Johnny's daddy just didn't provide little Johnny with the skills it took to get the job done.  #BadGenetics 

Whats that ole' saying? You can't teach speed, or athleticism. 

[UTfanatic]

14 hours ago, BADSANTA said:

I find people always use this in a close hard fought victory and it is far over used. I always believe both teams wanted just as bad but one team is just more talented than the other or caught more breaks. Your thoughts?

And when in a dogfight 

good coaching usually prevails!

[gohornets23]

I like it when they say a team "has that killer instinct"...I have no idea what that means. I mean I know what the people who say it think it means, but it doesn't make any sense. If a team loses a lot of close games, they don't have that killer instinct...I mean do we really think that the team stops playing hard late in the game? Or is is more likely that they are good enough to play with other teams but not necessarily good enough to beat them, or maybe just have had a run of bad luck late in games

my other favorite is a coach that "can't win the big game" .....seems to me that every game is pretty big, especially in district..but a guy loses in the 3rd round and people go all "he can't win the big game"....it's pretty easy to just wait until a team loses and then go "see....see...that was the BIG GAME and he couldn't win it".......pretty much everybody who doesn't win the whole thing can't win the BIG GAME

[DXTR]

15 hours ago, BADSANTA said:

I find people always use this in a close hard fought victory and it is far over used. I always believe both teams wanted just as bad but one team is just more talented than the other or caught more breaks. Your thoughts?

I agree. Maybe we should start saying "They executed better when it counted".