It Feels Out There

So wait.  Are you the champions, or are you still fighting ‘til the end?

Sad Freddie Mercury is sad.  

So, not long ago, I was listening to the radio, as I am wont to do.  The radio in my bedroom, which wakes me up in the morning by making me listen to the radio, is generally set to the local classic rock station.  They decided to play "We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions" by Queen.  We've all heard it many many times, but this particular time, something about it bothered me.  

Sure, I get the fact that it's a very common celebration song when a sports team wins a championship, and that's all well and good.  I also get the fact that to be a championship team, you have to work very hard for the entire season plus playoffs in order to win.  That's fine, and it's all pretty well documented in the song as well as all of the usual interview cliches. 

As a side note, perhaps you're aware of the Oakland Athletics player who used The Right Cliches while doing his Post Game Interview.  It was pretty solid.  

Anyway...what didn't make sense to me on this latest run through "We Are The Champions" is the fact that the tense changes within the chorus.  What's up with that?  "We are the champions" implies that the contest is over, a team has won, and they can now celebrate their victory.  "And we'll keep on fighting 'til the end" implies that they want to be champions, that it's not over, and that they need to keep fighting in order to win.  Which is it?  Have they won or not?  

I'm confused.