You're supposed to hate it more the deeper you go, that's why sports is such a giant pain in the ass.
The closer you get to the goal and lose, the more it hurts, and the more it makes you want to come back for more next year, and get further. The mindset of wanting to lose early to avoid pain is the real loser mindset. It's just a ******** coping mechanism.
"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard everyone would do it. The hard....is what makes it great."