WBEZ Chicago Presents: Losers

Losing is a part of life. Whether the loss of a job, a rec league game or watching the home team lose the championship title, losing is not a phenomenon to be overlooked. Inspiration and power can be found in sharing stories of risk, resilience, and getting up after you have been knocked down.

Join WBEZ’s Justin Kaufmann on August 19 for a conversation about losing with sports journalists Mary Pilon and Louisa Thomas. As sport reporters, Mary and Louisa are no strangers to loss. Their book, Losers: Dispatches from the Other Side of the Scoreboard, collects essays from sports figures and fans that explore the value of defeat.

Mary and Louisa will discuss the stories of athletes featured in the book including LeBron James’ NBA Finals record and the legacy of Bill Buckner’s error in the 1986 World Series. And, in the midst of Covid-19, they’ll talk about the losses we’ve all experienced in 2020 and invite you to share your stories of loss, tenacity and triumph.

This conversation is not just for sports lovers but all who have experienced loss of some kind. Viewers will have opportunities to ask questions about the art of losing and how we can all apply the strategies that help athletes cope.  

Tickets to this virtual event are available for a suggested event fee or at no cost.

Losers: Dispatches from the Other Side of the Scoreboard is presented in partnership with The Seminary Co-op Bookstore. Copies of the book can be ordered from Seminary Co-op here.

About the Authors

Mary Pilon is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Monopolists and The Kevin Show. She regularly contributes to The New Yorker, Esquire, Fast Company, MSNBC, Vice, and Politico, Pilon has also worked as a staff reporter at the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.

Louisa Thomas is the author of Louisa: The Extraordinary Life of Mrs. Adams and Conscience: Two Soldiers, Two Pacifists, One Family — A Test of Will and Faith in World War I, and the coauthor of Mind and Matter: A Life in Math and Football. A staff writer at The New Yorker and a former writer and editor for Grantland, her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The New York Times, Vogue, and other places.

Both Mary and Louisa have been laid off from sports reporting gigs and lost a variety of sporting events throughout their careers.