The Problem with Sports is...

Begonia 'Painted Lizard' is a Winner

 

The problem with sports is that half of the teams lose at every contest.  A 50% failure rate is not good so each team must convince themselves that they are better and will win, despite the odds.

 

            Sports are perfect metaphors for describing business and life. 

 

            The Summer Olympics prove that the best athletes in the world still lose to the top three medal winners.

 

            The phenomenon of  ‘Winner takes all’ is especially cruel.  Second place gets to try harder next time.

 

            The theory of the ‘long tail’ of sales has given the non-blockbusters hope.  In movies, records and books, the top best seller gets the profit, but the remaining lower ranking digital creations may get a few sales.

 

            But physical products like plants are limited to the 2-3 best varieties due to limited greenhouse space. 

 

            New and different plants create excitement in garden centers, but only the winners show up next year.

 

            So, what is the conclusion based on sports metaphors.

 

            Keep introducing new plants.  If they prove to be different enough, you win.