Why is Winning so Important ?

Why is it that sportspeople are so obsessed with winning ? Surely the idea of games is that they are played for fun and exercise, something to be enjoyed. Yet everywhere you go, people want to win. Athletes are obsessed with winning Olympic medals - personally had I ever been selected to take part in the games, just being there would have been enough for me. Besides, the vast majority of Olympic competitors never win anything, and most have to go home before the games end !
It's time we sat back and looked again at sport in general. OK I understand that professionals have to win in order to make their livings - for some reason people only pay to watch successful teams, partly I suppose because they want to see the best players and also because of the herd mentality whereby success is all important. And no doubt amateurs want to do well so that they can perhaps turn professional and make lots of money.
So perhaps it's professional sport which needs a rethink. The pay is of course out of all proportion to what the players do, particularly in the major sports like football, golf, and in the USA baseball, basketball and their version of football where no-one actually kicks the ball. The huge sums of money paid to these people of course tempt anyone who is the least bit sports-minded - and why not ? We do, unfortunately, live in a capitalist society.
The attitude of most professionals fails to set an example to young people. Whilst most are reasonably well-behaved, it only takes one or two to show off or lose their tempers - often deliberately to gain publicity - and youngsters take them as role models because the press gives them so much coverage.
This year's Olympics in China were excellent, but I was disappointed that the UK team did so well - coming 23rd in archery is what we do in this country ! Not really disappointed I suppose, because it was great to see people who had trained hard achieve their goals. But should they have devoted so much of their lives to training and winning ? Do they have the right goals ? Did they actually enjoy getting up at some ungodly hour to train, day after day ? Or did some coach or pushy parent make them do it ? I don't know, but it disturbs me to see young people miss out on their childhood just to win a bloody Olympic medal. And what will most of them do in later life ? Education should come first and I hope that parents and coaches realise this.
Games are there to be enjoyed, so play them, enjoy them, keep fit, make friends and remember that it doesn't matter one jot if you come last as long as there's a smile on your face.