Comparing "winning" in the arts to winning in sports is a false equivalency. There is no "win" in art: there is only make art & connect or not with an audience to varying degrees of which you are able. There's no touchdown. There's no trophy. There's just the art & the audience.

Sometimes the audience is just you. And objective quality does not determine material success in art. You may think other writers are better, but it's likely Stephenie Meyers sells better than you. Do you "compete" with her even if you're not trying to write what she writes? No.

If I were trying to be the fastest runner, there'd be an objective measure for that. A track, a timer, and an end to the race. Art isn't like that. Your art doesn't even end when you're dead. Van Gogh's art gained value only after he was dead. So was he a loser while he lived?

Seeing other people do well (or poorly) can spur you on, depress you, or inspire you. I prefer to frame it as inspiration. Aspirational. At the same time knowing that some things people achieve in the arts are things I will never have, or things I don't even want.

There's simply no objective measure for "success" in art, and just as art is personal, how you frame what you achieve with art is also personal. In the end, it all boils down to whether or not that art is working for you, in whatever way you need it to work.

Creators who were incredibly successful when they were alive are not well regarded now. Fanny Hurst was one of the most popular writers in the world 100 years ago. Read any of her books lately? No? Does this means she's a loser now? Is success in art about the now or longevity?

Success in art is so malleable and personal that someone can sell a few hundred crowdfunded books and feel like they won the lottery, while others will think their book is a dud when it sold 50,000 copies. Success is dependent on expectations, framing, and culture.

So if you want to compare art to football, and think it's all jolly competition, you can do that, that's fine. I'm telling you why that doesn't work for me, and why IMHO it's a false equivalency to do so. I'll just go over here and zen out and make some more art. Peace, bro.