The ultimate sporting disaster, own goal is scoring against your own team. As teammates witness in horror, the ball kicks off your foot into the wrong net. Immediate notoriety and emphasis reels always pointing out your error.
But life has own aims as well. Self-sabotage disguised as misfortune. The promotional event you destroyed by taking alcohol at the office party. The connection you damaged by unearned jealousy. The chance talked you out of. We regularly score own goals by prioritizing ease above development and immediate gratification over long-term advantage. Every time we damage declared objectives by means of conflicting behavior, that's an own goal.
Politicians are experts in them, exposing corruption while insisting on honesty. Through tone-deaf marketing, businesses achieve own goals. Sometimes mishaps, typically unavoidable consequences of not monitoring which way you are heading.