# Motivation to win for a losing team at the end of the season

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/motivation-to-win-for-a-losing-team-at-the-end-of-the-season/511046>\
**Category:** The Game Room\
**Created:** [September 22, 2009, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/motivation-to-win-for-a-losing-team-at-the-end-of-the-season/511046 "2009-09-22T03:22:35Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\
**Post date:** [September 30, 2009, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/motivation-to-win-for-a-losing-team-at-the-end-of-the-season/511046/21 "2009-09-30T19:39:03Z")

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There’s a very simple answer in pro football, that doesn’t enter the picture in other sports: in SOME sports, a player can go through the motions in meaningless games, with no harm done. I mean, now that the Toronto Blue Jays are out of the playoff hunt, their players COULD just “punch the clock.” They COULD just show up the last week, take a few half-hearted cuts and go home until Spring Training.

But if you’re, say, an offensive lineman for the Detroit Lions, you and/or the guys you’re supposed to be protecting will get KILLED if you try to give a half-hearted effort in the last few games of the season! You HAVE to give it your all, or you risk getting badly injured by guys who do.

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