Soon we will get trophies for existing

That's a fringe situation that should not be considered. Most situations where there is a winner it is very clear cut winner/loser line. Trying to apply competition logic to romantics would be like trying to put the football scoring systems onto basket weaving. This post (and the 40 million others like it) are specifically referring to competition situations where winner and loser are defined states of being with a clear dividing line between them usually with a numerical proof of superiority.

But the same principals apply, I just gave a clear cut advantage. Somewhere right now an All state wrestler, track champ, or football star is getting ready for a day of drudgery and scraping by, while someone who didn’t make the team is living a happy and satisfied life. What did all those trophies really win them? Somewhere an all state champion is making millions as a pro. Case by case it may be different, example by example. But overall- the fact that someone proved superior at a competition and won it- doesn’t mean that no one else won either. From the boxer taking a dive, to the athlete who blows an ACL in the finals and instead finds a new and meaningful passion, to the kid who just learned that they might not be the best, but they can belong and be a part of something, winning and losing in an ultimate sense are individual. Being the best st something is quantifiable yes, and being declared the best doesn’t mean the others aren’t still valuable or winners on their own.

While technically true your statement your statement is very politician as it answers the question you wanted to be asked rather than the point you were trying to counter. Whether or not a person is winning at life makes no difference in whether they won a specific competition. A boxer could be crowned space pope the next day but that changes not the fact that he lost a match in the 3rd round from a TKO. He still was the loser of the match and failed to earn the reward.

Omfg, I want to be the next space pope!