---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The crowd and its team had finally…"
description: "\"“The crowd and its team had finally understood that in games, as in many things, the ending, the final score, is only part of what matters. The process..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71b/thomas-boswell-16231_baseball_the-crowd-and-its-team-had-finally-under_2114210.png"
---

#  The crowd and its team had finally understood that in…

![“The crowd and its team had finally understood that in games, as in many things, the ending, the final score, is only part of what matters. The process, the pleasure, the grain of the game count too.” quote by Thomas Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71b/thomas-boswell-16231_baseball_the-crowd-and-its-team-had-finally-under_2114210.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71b/thomas-boswell-16231_baseball_the-crowd-and-its-team-had-finally-under_2114210.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71b/thomas-boswell-16231_baseball_the-crowd-and-its-team-had-finally-under_2114210.png)

> ““The crowd and its team had finally understood that in games, as in many things, the ending, the final score, is only part of what matters. The process, the pleasure, the grain of the game count too.””

[Thomas Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-boswell/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Winning scores matter less than the enjoyment and process of the game.

**In simple terms:** Enjoy the process, not just the result.

Key Takeaway

Focus on the experience.

Themes

process joy competition

Mood

enthusiastic inspired

Type

motivational philosophical

When to use this quote

- team sports
- creative projects
- learning new skills

Key Concepts

mindset flow state

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you savor the journey?
- What does the process teach you?

A Different Perspective

Results still impact outcomes.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Baseball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baseball/) [Ending Final](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ending-final-4283052/) [Final](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/final/) [Final Score](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/final-score-625902/) [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Score Matters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/score-matters-248506/) [Team Finally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/team-finally-4283053/)

## Related quotes

> [The only important statistic is the final score.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-russell/the-only-important-statistic-is-the-final-score/)

[Bill Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-russell/)

> [There are no right or wrong, or fair results. There's just the final score.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-rehhagel/there-are-no-right-or-wrong-or-fair-results-there-s-just-the-final/)

[Otto Rehhagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-rehhagel/)

> [It's not the score that matters, it's how you play the game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/it-s-not-the-score-that-matters-it-s-how-you-play-the-game/)

[Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/)

> [Yards don't matter. The score is all that matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-herman/yards-don-t-matter-the-score-is-all-that-matters/)

[Tom Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-herman/)

> [ It's crazy to say that after three games \[without a goal\] I was in crisis. I do not care whether I score or not,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-messi/it-s-crazy-to-say-that-after-three-games-without-a-goal-i-was-in/)

[Lionel Messi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-messi/)

> [Spurts don't count. The final score makes no mention of a splendid start if the finish proves that you were an also ran.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-kaufman/spurts-don-t-count-the-final-score-makes-no-mention-of-a-splendid/)

[Herbert Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-kaufman/)

> [Outcome is simply the final score: Who won the game; what numbers came up in a roll of the dice; how high did a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/outcome-is-simply-the-final-score-who-won-the-game-what-numbers-came/)

[Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/)

> [Give me a lead of 14-0 at halftime and I will dictate the final score.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-leahy/give-me-a-lead-of-14-0-at-halftime-and-i-will-dictate-the-final-score/)

[Frank Leahy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-leahy/)

> [Won our game tonight!! Final score 21-8. undefeated so far! 3-0!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade/won-our-game-tonight-final-score-21-8-undefeated-so-far-3-0/)

[Jade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade/)

> [“Just then, the music stopped. The band needed a break from Mike’s requests. As they were exiting the stage, a sudden uproar--an explosion--erupted from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ree-drummond/just-then-the-music-stopped-the-band-needed-a-break-from-mike-s/)

[Ree Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ree-drummond/)

> [“Victory is in the quality of the competition, not just the final score.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-marshall/victory-is-in-the-quality-of-the-competition-not-just-the-final-score/)

[Mike Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-marshall/)

> [Who's your team today? Predict the final score!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/who-s-your-team-today-predict-the-final-score/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I might have been one of the first 'SportsCenter' anchors that complained that I wrote this great lead-in setting up a highlight, and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-eisen/i-might-have-been-one-of-the-first-sportscenter-anchors-that/)

[Rich Eisen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-eisen/)

> [“&lt;si ha elegido libremente su final.&gt;&gt;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerstin-gier/si-ha-elegido-libremente-su-final/)

[Kerstin Gier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerstin-gier/)

> [“The final destination is death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/the-final-destination-is-death/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

## More by Thomas Boswell

> [An almost inexorable baseball law: A Red Sox ship with a single leak will always find a way to sink No team is worshipped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-boswell/an-almost-inexorable-baseball-law-a-red-sox-ship-with-a-single-leak/)

[Thomas Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-boswell/)

> [Football is played best full of adrenaline and anger. Moderation seldom finds a place. Almost every act of baseball is a blending of effort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-boswell/football-is-played-best-full-of-adrenaline-and-anger-moderation/)

[Thomas Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-boswell/)

> [Of the big four, the PGA is the most fair and the least fun. Basically, it's just the US Open set up by nice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-boswell/of-the-big-four-the-pga-is-the-most-fair-and-the-least-fun-basically/)

[Thomas Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-boswell/)

> [Some things cannont possibly happen, because they are both too improbable and too perfect. The U.S. hockey team cannot beat the Russians in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-boswell/some-things-cannont-possibly-happen-because-they-are-both-too/)

[Thomas Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-boswell/)

> [“What most people want to keep under wraps (from reporters) is trivial: petty jealousies, professional feuds, etc. By contrast, most of the things they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-boswell/what-most-people-want-to-keep-under-wraps-from-reporters-is-trivial/)

[Thomas Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-boswell/)

> [Conversation is the blood of baseball. It flows through the game, an invigorating system of anecdotes. Ballplayers are tale tellers who have polished their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-boswell/conversation-is-the-blood-of-baseball-it-flows-through-the-game-an/)

[Thomas Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-boswell/)

> [“Familiarity, and a few dozen cheap flyballs off the Monster, breed contempt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-boswell/familiarity-and-a-few-dozen-cheap-flyballs-off-the-monster-breed/)

[Thomas Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-boswell/)

> [I think baseball is a great support to people who have emotional voids, gaps, emotional difficulties. That is to say: all of us. Those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-boswell/i-think-baseball-is-a-great-support-to-people-who-have-emotional/)

[Thomas Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-boswell/)

> [Baseball is not necessarily an obsessive-compulsive disorder, like washing your hands 100 times a day, but it's beginning to seem that way. We're reaching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-boswell/baseball-is-not-necessarily-an-obsessive-compulsive-disorder-like/)

[Thomas Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-boswell/)

> [Born to an age where horror has become commonplace, where tragedy has, by its monotonous repetition, become a parody of sorrow, we need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-boswell/born-to-an-age-where-horror-has-become-commonplace-where-tragedy-has/)

[Thomas Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-boswell/)

> [In and of itself, sports may be trivial, but as a symbol of the American way of life, it has enormous weight. We are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-boswell/in-and-of-itself-sports-may-be-trivial-but-as-a-symbol-of-the/)

[Thomas Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-boswell/)

> [Baseball is to our everyday experience what poetry often is to common speech — a slightly elevated and concentrated form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-boswell/baseball-is-to-our-everyday-experience-what-poetry-often-is-to-common/)

[Thomas Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-boswell/)

> [Baseball has traditionally possessed a wonderful lack of seriousness. The game's best player, Babe Ruth, was a Rabelaisian fat man, and its most loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-boswell/baseball-has-traditionally-possessed-a-wonderful-lack-of-seriousness/)

[Thomas Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-boswell/)

> [Quarterbacks have to ask the crowd to quiet down. Pitchers never do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-boswell/quarterbacks-have-to-ask-the-crowd-to-quiet-down-pitchers-never-do/)

[Thomas Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-boswell/)

> [Baseball is really two sports -- the summer game and the autumn game. One is the leisurely pastime of our national mythology. The other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-boswell/baseball-is-really-two-sports-the-summer-game-and-the-autumn-game-one/)

[Thomas Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-boswell/)

[Explore all 40 Thomas Boswell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-boswell/)

## More Baseball quotes

> [I'd always have grease in at least two places, in case the umpires would ask me to wipe one off. I never wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaylord-perry/i-d-always-have-grease-in-at-least-two-places-in-case-the-umpires/)

[Gaylord Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaylord-perry/)

> [When you're in the middle of a pennant race, you can't go up there thinking about home runs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-sosa/when-you-re-in-the-middle-of-a-pennant-race-you-can-t-go-up-there/)

[Sammy Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-sosa/)

> [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/)

[Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/)

> [Spring training means flowers, people coming outdoors, sunshine, optimism and baseball. Spring training is a time to think about being young again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-banks/spring-training-means-flowers-people-coming-outdoors-sunshine/)

[Ernie Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-banks/)

> [Pitchers pitch differently. Hitters, hardly anyone has the same stance. That's just how it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-zimmerman/pitchers-pitch-differently-hitters-hardly-anyone-has-the-same-stance/)

[Ryan Zimmerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-zimmerman/)

> [Five World Series rings, 3000-plus hits, the fame, the fortune and playing for the second most historic franchise in baseball... These are just some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mookie-betts/five-world-series-rings-3000-plus-hits-the-fame-the-fortune-and/)

[Mookie Betts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mookie-betts/)

> [I don't want the electronic strike zone. I like the element of sometimes pitches don't get called. Guys don't receive it well or whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-schwarber/i-don-t-want-the-electronic-strike-zone-i-like-the-element-of/)

[Kyle Schwarber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-schwarber/)

> [I sang the National Anthem at Dodger Stadium - at a baseball game - which was crazy; there was, like, 60,000 people there, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-devine/i-sang-the-national-anthem-at-dodger-stadium-at-a-baseball-game-which/)

[Adam DeVine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-devine/)

> [If I was going to make one rule change, I would bring the DH to the National League.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-brett/if-i-was-going-to-make-one-rule-change-i-would-bring-the-dh-to-the/)

[George Brett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-brett/)

> [In all honesty, once you become a professional, number one, you're no longer a fan. I don't root for the Dodgers, really. I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vin-scully/in-all-honesty-once-you-become-a-professional-number-one-you-re-no/)

[Vin Scully](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vin-scully/)

> [I'll tell you what's helped me my entire life. I look at baseball as a game. It's something where people can go out, enjoy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-caray/i-ll-tell-you-what-s-helped-me-my-entire-life-i-look-at-baseball-as-a/)

[Harry Caray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-caray/)

> [When I step into the batters box. The fans, the noise, the cheers, they all disappear. For that moment, the world is just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft-shelley/when-i-step-into-the-batters-box-the-fans-the-noise-the-cheers-they/)

[Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft-shelley/)

> [What we should have done is kept the same team that played in the '95 World Series. Those trades (Eddie Murray &amp; Carlos Baerga)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-belle/what-we-should-have-done-is-kept-the-same-team-that-played-in-the-95/)

[Albert Belle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-belle/)

> [“I can buy baseball cards to view an entire career on the back of a little square of cardboard. But nobody sells major league…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg-jr/i-can-buy-baseball-cards-to-view-an-entire-career-on-the-back-of-a/)

[John Ortberg Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg-jr/)

> [The wind always seems to blow against catchers when they are running.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-garagiola/the-wind-always-seems-to-blow-against-catchers-when-they-are-running/)

[Joe Garagiola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-garagiola/)

[Browse all 7,461 Baseball quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baseball/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“The crowd and its team had finally understood that in games, as in many things, the ending, the final score, is only part of what matters. The process, the pleasure, the grain of the game count too.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Thomas Boswell"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-boswell/the-crowd-and-its-team-had-finally-understood-that-in-games-as-in/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Baseball"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-boswell/the-crowd-and-its-team-had-finally-understood-that-in-games-as-in/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71b/thomas-boswell-16231_baseball_the-crowd-and-its-team-had-finally-under_2114210.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71b/thomas-boswell-16231_baseball_the-crowd-and-its-team-had-finally-under_2114210.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71b/thomas-boswell-16231_baseball_the-crowd-and-its-team-had-finally-under_2114210.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The crowd and its team had finally understood that in games, as in many things, the ending, the final score…” — Thomas Boswell",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Thomas Boswell",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-boswell/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“The crowd and its team had...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-boswell/the-crowd-and-its-team-had-finally-understood-that-in-games-as-in/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-boswell/the-crowd-and-its-team-had-finally-understood-that-in-games-as-in/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
