There Can Only Be One

Who won the World Cup in 2018? France.

Who won the last Olympic Gold Medal in Beach Volleyball in 2016? Brazil.

Why are those names remembered compared to other prominent soccer (also known as futbol outside of the United States) and beach volleyball championships? Because they won the BIG ones.

What constitutes a BIG one?

The weight of these championships end up in history books. It is why, for a moment, the world stops to watch the World Cup. As Medium writes (speaking of the World Cup), “The World Cup has managed to ease political tensions and conflicts… During the 1998 World Cup in France, the United States and Iran were drawn in the same group. At the time, there was political unease between the two countries and it could have turned out to be a very tense and awkward game… "We did more in 90 minutes than the politicians did in 20 years.”

The reason countries want to watch and stop is because it provides an escape and brings pride on a global level. Pride that your nation, your team, has an opportunity for glory.

And For Glory is what we stand for at TOGS.

I had the opportunity to spend my honeymoon in Costa Rica, which is a beautiful country. One day my wife and I went to the bar to get some Pina Coladas after a wonderful day at the beach. On the TV was a game between Costa Rica and Panama where they were playing in a tournament to decide where they would sit in regards to the World Cup. For those reading who don’t understand the rivalry, Costa Rica and Panama are neighboring countries and are of equal talent. Soccer (again, futbol to them) are the main sports in their countries and the World Cup is the platform where the world can see their talent.

This game was a riot to watch, and we found ourselves cheering for Costa Rica with the bartenders and staff as they went on to win in the later minutes of the game. A definite highlight of the trip, and the bartender was much more generous to us the rest of the trip as we were able to experience a fantastic rivalry game with them.

However, when we got home no one knew of Costa Rica playing Panama, nor did the rest of the world seem to care. It was an internal rivalry, and though we had a lot of fun watching while making great new friends – the weight of the game was simply minimal.

Ask the Russians who lost to Team USA in the 1980 Olympics. The Russians were one of the greatest teams to ever play internationally, but everyone will remember Herb Brooks and his victory against the team as the platform they had was viewed by the world. Did you know that an all-star NHL (the highest level of professional hockey) team lost to the Russians prior to the Olympics? You may have forgotten that fact because you remember Team USA winning the Olympics.

Cities and Countries spend time, money, energy and heart to make the big tournaments happen. They give sovereign funds and bring the best of the best in their country to make an attempt at winning on the world stage.

Everyone watches, everyone is engaged, and winning gets your name written in the book of history.

Therefore, there can only be one Main TOGS a year. The weight of winning in the summer is achieving pride on that global level. It gets your name written in history, on a platform where everyone is watching, where people fly in from different states and Olympians show up. The one time of the year everyone comes together from different walks of life, from the highest of ranks to the lowest, from family and friends to outsiders who will forever be remembered in stealing a championship against powerhouses.

Money, t-shirts, prizes, trophies, and legacy are in the Main TOGS. It is not just some “throw together” rivalry tournament, many have invested in bringing serious weight to the tournament – equivalent to an Olympics or a World Cup. To those who play in TOGS it is their World Cup.

Phil Dalhausser (maybe the top American Beach Volleyball player playing as of writing this) has won many championships in his time. He has beaten rivals and won the gold medal in 2008. He even won the AVP title in 2007, but USA remembers him for winning gold. A world stage is important, the weight of these championships carry meaning.

For Glory means something. We cannot dilute the meaning by having more than one official TOGS. Rivalry tournaments can happen, but there can only be one Main TOGS.

Mitch