Editor's Note: This is the latest installment of my column series, "Church of Crimson", that runs on Sundays. With this series, I typically focus on one big idea and follow it up with one or two smaller notes. If you have any suggestions on something you’d like me to write about, please feel free to reach out or discuss them in the comment section.

Patty Gasso and the OU softball team won their third consecutive national championship last week. Seventh total.

That puts them in rarified air, not just in college softball but sports as a whole.

Only one other softball team (UCLA) accomplished a three-peat before Gasso’s Sooners. Expand it further to all major American sports, and the list isn’t as big as you might think.

In the MLB, it’s happened just once since the early ‘70s (New York Yankees, 1998-2000). In the NBA, it’s happened three times since the 60’s (the Chicago Bulls twice, the Los Angeles Lakers once.) It’s happened twice in the NFL. Five times in the NHL. Only once in Division I men’s basketball and only three times in women’s basketball.

Basically, it almost never happens. There’s a few different reasons for that.

One, it’s just hard to be the best team in a sport year after year after year. But another point that isn’t discussed is the physical and mental toll that winning can have on a team.

When it comes to how impressive OU softball has been, that’s a point that’s not discussed enough.

It wasn’t surprising to hear Gasso and the Sooners speak so candidly last week, within minutes of winning another title, about the stresses of winning. And they didn’t just win a title — they ended their season on a 53-game winning streak, shattering the previous NCAA record.

“I think this really was the roughest (season) I've ever had to go through just because (there’s) lots of fans and the growth of the sport (brings) a lot of pressure,” Gasso said in the postgame press conference. “I think I've felt that and they have felt that. To be sitting up here and telling you this is still kind of amazing because everybody's out to get us. They want to bring down the ‘Evil Empire’, whatever it is. I don't know.

“We just want to play ball. That's all. Jayda Coleman wants to rob home runs. Tiare Jennings wants to hit doubles and be clutch. That's how they're made.”

Jennings was pretty honest, too.

“The hardest thing is just the chaos I guess,” Coleman said. “There's always something to do next. We just got done celebrating. All right, (now we have to) come here and talk. There's always something that we’ve got to go to next.

“These 19 girls that are by my side, they're the only ones out of everyone that know what I go through, my struggles that I've been through. Just holding onto that, really just leaning on them because it does get hard, it does get challenging.”

It doesn’t matter how much talent, or chemistry, a team has. Winning all the time is hard. Opposing teams become better equipped to compete. Locker room dynamics can change. Coaches' voices can be drowned out. Important players graduate or move on. Plus, the Sooners are in a rare position because their dominance is helping grow a sport that didn’t have much support until recently.

The old expression that winning cures everything is true in a lot of cases. But it can cause issues, too. It’s not a coincidence that former OU star pitcher Jordy Bahl mentioned the overwhelming pressure in her social media post Monday, which explained her shocking decision to transfer after two national championships with OU.

“From staring defeat in the eyes and never giving in, the behind the scenes grind, handling the pressure that only grows every year, only the girls on this team will ever be able to fully understand,” Bahl wrote.

Bahl had several (justifiable) reasons to transfer. But it’s telling that the pressure of winning is the first reason she gave. Her honesty should be celebrated, and her explanation shouldn’t be entirely surprising.

She wanted a change of scenery. She'd already won with Oklahoma, and she decided to play at home in Nebraska. It'd be hard to find much fault with that.

For some players, winning isn’t always the No. 1 priority. Why? Because when you win as much as the Sooners have, it can be exhausting. The players have talked all season about the need to emphasize that they aren’t simply identified by softball. They are people who also play softball. There’s a reason they continue to stress that point. And that’s healthy.

Even without Bahl, the Sooners will certainly be favorites to win another national title. There’s plenty of returning talent. Nobody knows how to win big games like Patty.

But they won’t just be battling opposing teams. The pressure, expectations and exhaustion will only increase if they make another run to the World Series. If they do win again, the most impressive part might be their ability to fight through that exhaustion.

Just like losing takes a toll, winning does, too. And the Sooners have been feeling it for awhile. That makes their dominance even more impressive.

There’s been a lot of fun discussion since the Sooners’ 2024 conference slate was released on Wednesday.

It’s a year away — which seems both forever away and incredibly soon at the same time — and there’s already plenty of reactions and predictions. How successful can OU be against this tough of a schedule? The Sooners have to play Alabama, Tennessee and LSU?

It’s inevitable. The discussions will continue through the upcoming season, even with the Sooners still in the Big 12. But there’s one important thing to keep in mind when it comes to 2024.

Their chances in the SEC depend significantly on how they perform in 2023.

If the Sooners bounce back from last year’s campaign, win nine games or more and make their way back to the Big 12 title game? That would certainly make things feel more optimistic heading into the SEC. But what if they have another disappointing season in 2023? What if they win seven or fewer games? That would only increase the anxiety about their early chances in the SEC.

So, continue to discuss the Sooners chances in 2024. That’s what makes sports so fun.

But just remember, OU still has another season in the Big 12. And their record at the end of the year will play a big role in their ability to be successful in 2024.