If you only know one thing about me, let it be that I am a die-hard Georgia Southern fan. While admitting that is a little more embarrassing this season than it has been in the past, it is still very much true.

Georgia Southern has had a tough year this year. Tough might be an understatement with the 0-9 record the Eagles are currently sporting, but tough is the word I chose nonetheless.

One thing I, as a Georgia Southern fan, have learned this year is how to take a loss. We’ve done it nine times, so I guess I’ve been forced to learn.

Losing is never easy, whether it is in football, hopscotch or local politics. However, I believe in all losses it is all about how you handle it.

If you’re team takes a loss on the field, yelling at the opposing fans will not change that. If you trip while jumping through chalk-drawn squares, pounding the concrete is not the answer. Finally, if you don’t count as many votes as your opponent in an election, lashing out against voters will not solve the problem.

This past week, I’ve seen some strong competitors take losses. Whether it be my Georgia Southern Eagles losing on Thursday night to their biggest rival or council candidates in our local municipalities falling to their opponents, these losses have been a tough pill to swallow.

Former President Richard Nixon said it best: “You must never be satisfied with losing. You must get angry, terribly angry, about losing. But the mark of the good loser is that he takes his anger out on himself and not his victorious opponents or on his teammates.”

Take a loss, deal with it and move on. The sun will continue to come up and life will continue to go on.

Jackie Gutknecht is the managing editor of The Covington News. She can be reached at 770-728-1409 or jgutknecht@covnews.com. Twitter: @jackieg1991