It is a eulogy of bad faith in sport. Defeat is what every athlete seeks to flee during a career. But behind each of them, there is a story being written. And behind a vanquished, two categories can be drawn up: that of the vanquished who recognize the superiority of the adversary. And the other, that of the bad losers, who transpire bad faith.
This work follows the straight line of a first book published two years ago entitled Without the knowledge of my own free will and which related the apologies of the athletes after a defeat. “We had compiled the best excuses from athletes in doping cases”, explains Manuel Tissier. In this new opus, entitled “My slip was too small”, the favorite theme remains defeat but the authors relate those of the losers.
The excuse, the loser’s best friend
The bad loser never admits defeat! Faced with the evidence and the sanction of the result, he refuses to give up his certainty of being the best. “The loser never admits defeat”, quips Manuel Tissier
It’s the horse, too short on legs for his legs that are too long, it’s the ball boy who’s too slow, it’s the wind that slowed the ball down, it’s the bed that was too hard at night before the match, it was the briefs that were too small…
It is moreover this last excuse which gave its title to the work. In justifying a defeat, Lighton Ndefwayl, a Zambian tennis player, said in 1992: “Bwayla (his opponent) is a stupid and desperate man. He has a huge nose and he is cross-eyed. The girls hate him. He beat me because my panties were too tight and because when he served he farted”.
Wacky excuses that keep us smiling throughout the book. And among the excuses that come up the most we find “arbitration or even the weather”, relates Christophe Duchiron.
“You have to laugh at the defeat”
It was in the press that Manuel Tissier and Christophe Duchiron were able to find these excuses which made the headlines. Statements notably identified in the British press. “The English are very fond of this,” explains Christophe Duchiron, continuing: “To protect their foals, English coaches always find outside elements when they lose.”
But this book is still benevolent. “You have to laugh at the defeat. The true champion must recognize it,” said Manuel Tissier.
A book that echoes the “French Federation of Lose”, a parody group on social networks that makes fun of French defeats. A way to play down these difficult times for athletes. Because ultimately, the important thing is to participate.