It is interesting to me to see the reaction of people to
world-class sports figures who go through tough times performing in their
sport. Roger Federer recently had a stretch of tennis losses, Tiger Woods, a
short time back, missed the cut for only the second time in his professional
life at a major golf event (the British Open). Then, for the first time in his
professional career, lost on the last hole of a major (the PGA) after
coming into the last day leading.
I was saddened, mystified and slightly sickened at the
uncharitable, nasty even, remarks of not just everyday you-and-me people, but
television personalities, sportscasters and newscasters alike, and on air.
I heard one anchor literally spit the word “Choked!” about
Woods’ PGA loss. “Choke” according to Webster’s old reliable dictionary is
defined as “to perform badly in a critical situation,” which it cannot be
denied on the last hole, Woods did not shine. But by the pejorative way the
word is being used today, in anger and even in contempt, it is a personal
attack…like a payback for a personal, deliberate, betrayal.
Federer in his disappointment at losing at the Australian
Open earlier this year wept openly…I was amazed at a woman sportscaster,
months later, who mocked his tears openly. Woman have had the (earned
or not) reputation of being easy to cry, so it may be she has learned to
literally shut down her emotions and felt threatened by his tears. I
believe the remarks are too personal not to come from a personal place in the
person mouthing the vitriol.
I found it even more interesting that both Federer and Woods
seemed to take the trash talk a lot better than I did for them.
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