Risking Psychological Annihilation

Charley Rosen (newly blogrolled):

Besides talent, there's a huge difference between winners and losers. Winners always play hard no matter what the score is or where their teams might rank in the standings. Accordingly, after a game, win or lose, winners are totally drained physically and emotionally.
[...]
On the other hand, losers always keep their sense of self intact by rarely (if ever) making an all-out effort for every play in every game. The very notion of risking even a temporary psychological annihilation is too frightening for them to consider — even subconsciously.

With my (over?)sensitivity to language implications, I do not prefer to characterize people or behavior in terms of "winners" or "losers." Beyond that quibble, Rosen's observation is compelling.