Presumably, a personality is shaped by a number of things.
These days most psychologists feel that personality is the result of the "interaction between hereditary factors and cultural, social and situational ones".
I don't know about you, but when I try to alter my personality... so it'll better fit in at an event, or to appeal to a potential employer... it usually doesn't work well. I tend to get distracted by the charade and lose focus altogether.
That's why I find it so counter-productive when writers rant about player personalities.
Yesterday Suzann Pettersen achieved a sweet victory at the CN Canadian Women's Open. It was her first since 2007, the breakout season when she won five times. When I read Eric Francis's suggestion - in EdmontonSun.com - that Pettersen had "shortchanged fans with her lack of flair", adding that "colourless winners like Pettersen do little to help the LPGA's cause". I found it annoying and presumptious particularly coming on the heels of the Solheim Cup where Christina Kim, a player with a more... demonstrative... style, had been criticized by a number of golf writers for her excitable on-course persona and emotional, "in-your-face actions.
Personally, I don't want Suzann Pettersen to try to be more like Cristina Kim... nor do I want to see Cristina Kim "put on" a more sedate personality. I like them both just the way they are and I'm pretty sure they play their best golf that way. I'd suggest that some of these golf writers might be better off celebrating the diverse personalities of the LPGA players and enjoying the amazing golf they play... as themselves.
Photos: Suzann Pettersen by Hunter Martin, Cristina Kim by Scott Halleran © Getty Images ❀
From Ben Hogan to Fred Couples, some golfers just have a more quiet demeanor. Fans love that about Freddie. Just this coming week, Derek Jeter will become the all time hits leader for the greatest franchise in the history of sport (the NY Yankees.) Derek also goes about things in a more quiet way. Oh- and he will be passing the all time great, stoic Lou Gehrig. So that's my opinion of the writer's complaint.
ReplyDeleteJeez, I guess the guy has never sat in an interview room with Suzann--or read any of hers on LPGA.com. She's one player I never thought anyone would describe as boring! Sounds to me he's applying the "stoic Northern European" stereotype based on 1 TV viewing. But I'm not going to give the guy the time of day to see if I'm right. His snap judgment deserves another.
ReplyDeletePatricia,
ReplyDeleteI guess with the LPGA lately it is "Damned if you, damned if you do not". Can't win that one...
Welcome home...
This is generally the problem with all this "viral" media. There's so much crap "journalism" on the internet, that it's sometimes hard to weed through it to find the good stuff.
ReplyDeleteit's sports - and an individual sport at that - not a Broadway play or some TV variety show.
ReplyDeleteI don't look for the players to "entertain" me with anything other than good golf skills.
Christina Kim is excitable - but doesn't win. Pettersen and Ochoa are quiet, but put on great shows of what the game is about.
I don't expect Pettersen or Ochoa to jump up and down and scream at their ball - and I don't expect CK to put on a nun's habit and walk silently up the fairways. They are who they are - I don't want all of one or all of the other.
One thing I like about golf is that you can like lots of different players for different reasons. There are so many unique personalities that it's fun to see how different people play and celebrate the game.
ReplyDeleteEveryone knows not to join my foursome if you want silent round of golf. However, sometimes I love playing by myself where it couldn't be quieter or more intense. Same person, different experiences.
You know how it is, Patricia - some people are never pleased, no matter what happen.
ReplyDeleteAs for the writer who criticized Suzann, it's obvious he's never seen her when she's in full attack mode. I think Sunday she was just preoccupied with breaking that 2-year no-win streak.
alright, I know this will be unpopular but wouldn't just a wee-bit of enthusiasm for the win be OK? We cannot forget that in order to keep the sport in the forefront of paying viewers, there needs to be an entertainment value. Given that we hear these comments often about a player's personality, I do not think we can just disregard the writer's comments here whether he is right or wrong... or we agree or disagree.
ReplyDeleteSuzanne Pettersen "Not good for the LPGA"? That is just plain wrong! She is talented, atheltic, and very attractive. Emotionless and boring? Hardly, she is one fo the most volatile players when her game is not perfect.
ReplyDeleteThe LPGA is truly a "world" golf tour, that just bappens to be played mostly in North America. The tour income is currently dominated by the tv contacts from Korea, Japan, and Thailand. The success of any player that will appeal to marketers in the US is crucial for the tour. With that in mind a victory by perhaps the most stunningly beautiful woman on tour...is a GREAT thing...and oh yes...don't forget...she is a very dedicated and talented golfer, and athlete.
Does Mr. Francis offer the same criticism of "colourless" PGA TOUR players? Somehow I doubt it.
ReplyDeleteHe sounds like a mediocre, at best, athlete who justifies his existence by whining about women who are better at a given sport than he is. See Women Like Sports.
The comment in Cyrillic is nothing but spam, Patricia. Just sayin' :-0
ReplyDeleteMe, I do not find the LPGA boring. The women are fantastic players, and many have dynamic personalities both on and off the course. Almost all typify class, and if I were raising a daughter, I would use them as role models for not only the success hard work can bring but also how to handle that success in the public eye.
That said, I wish that the women's game got more play in the media.
I don't find them boring. More golfers can relate to their swings than the PGA tour. I like their style, interviews and being mic'ed up on the course.
ReplyDelete