Title or bust. A common ethos of a professional sports team, especially one that believes that a league championship is a possibility in a given season. Gregg Popovich, the long-time coach of the San Antonio Spurs, took this to the extreme in an interview during the 2013 NBA Finals. Popovich, in his typical deadpan fashion, claimed that anything short of a title was “torture and misery.” Winning, according to Popovich, brought only “relief.” Asked why he does it, given the apparent imbalance, Popovich only said: “We’re sick puppies.”
Not everyone has to subscribe to that harsh philosophy, however.