True Sportsmanship

Re “In Cycling, Winning With Honor Means Everything,” July 23: Bicycle racers like Germany’s Jan Ullrich retain what America has tossed aside. We once were guided by the honorable belief that “it’s not whether you win or lose that counts, but how you play the game.” That was replaced in the 1960s by NFL coach Vince Lombardi’s infamous “Winning isn’t everything -- it’s the only thing.” Doing whatever one needs to “win” is ever more evident in today’s America in sports, business, politics and even personal relationships. That makes us all losers. He who retires with the most toys has paid too high a price.

John Rossmann

Tustin