Losing. It hurts. Especially when the games mean so much.
But it also makes for compelling images, shots of the coaches and players as they show on their faces what they're feeling inside: the agony of defeat.
There's a blog for that, one with which Playbook is working to find some the most eye-catching photos of pain in sports each week: the aptly named Tumblr "The Agony of Defeat ."
Here are the selections from the past seven days -- featuring a couple of baseball playoff exits that were particularly painful:
The benched, struggling Alex Rodriguez -- seated here next to Eduardo Nunez, Robinson Cano and Mark Teixeira -- could do little but watch as his New York Yankees were swept by the Detroit Tigers in the ALCS. Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images Geno Smith's Heisman Trophy campaign, once the strongest in the nation, was derailed by back-to-back West Virginia Mountaineers blowout losses, including Saturday's at home against the Kansas State Wildcats. AP Photo/Christopher Jackson Steve Spurrier's South Carolina Gamecocks saw their national championship hopes disappear with back-to-back losses, including Saturday's 44-11 rout by the Florida Gators. Gerry Melendez/The State/Getty Images Taj McWilliams-Franklin and the Minnesota Lynx entered the WNBA Finals hoping for a repeat, but the team lost 3-1 to the first-time champion Indiana Fever. AP Photo/Michael Conroy Despite the Ravens' gaudy 7-2 record, QB Joe Flacco's decision-making has been quite poor. Thomas Campbell/US Presswire Robert Griffin III looked like a winner -- until Victor Cruz's 77-yard touchdown grab gave the New York Giants the victory. AP Photo/Bill Kostroun Linemen Austin Howard (77), Nick Mangold (74) and Matt Slauson were so close to watching their New York Jets come back from 10 down against the rival New England Patriots, but the home team pulled it out 29-26 in overtime. AP Photo/Stephan Savoia Pete Kozma and the St. Louis Cardinals took a 3-1 lead in the NLCS, but the San Francisco Giants dashed their hopes for a return trip to the World Series. AP Photo/David J. Phillip
To see more photos like this, visit The Agony of Defeat on Tumblr.
