Sun
Sep 24 2006
08:38 am
'Choking' and getting 'embarrassed'
By: JPROF

As one of the three or four people in America yesterday who was watching the Phillies play the Marlins (rather than one of two dozen college football games that were being offered), I heard Tim McCarver say something that has stuck in my head.Ready to deliver by Jim Stovall

Two words that ought to be banned from sports commentary, he said, are "choked" and "embarrassed." If you play the game, you may lose, but you don't get embarrassed. McCarver did not have time to expand much on the points he was making, but I think the direction of those thoughts is correct.

Winning or losing, especially in team sports, may not have much to do with individual performance. To play -- to give honest effort -- and lose should never be embarrassing. And an athlete who does his or her best should never be described as choking.

These are good thoughts for the baseball fan to carry into the most exciting part of the season -- the October playoffs and World Series.

(And to honor that season, there is a new offering on First Inning Artworks.) 

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GB A's picture

Challenge

Submitted by GB A (not verified) on Sun, 2006/09/24 - 10:15am.

I disagree, JPROF. At this level of play, it is the drive and intensity that MOTIVATES players to reach levels higher than ever reached.

These players are good; very good. To reach the pros, which only a small fraction does, you have to be really good. What drives these players is the embarrassment of loosing. Why? Because if they don't win, there are plenty of other players waiting to take their place.

Win you look at Tiger, as he begins a game, in his mind he's won before he starts; positive reinforcement. The difference between the number one golf player, Tiger and the 200th place golfer is a mere few strokes.

So what makes one the best; mental drive. I don't want to be embarrassed. I don't want to choke in front of my friends and peers. That fear drives the extra ounce out of you, for you to WIN.

Talk to any sports psychologist, and I have, and they'll tell you the same thing.

If they continue to get embarrassed and choke, they'll quit the game.

JaHu's picture

Google 'pyrrhic victory.' or

Submitted by JaHu on Sun, 2006/09/24 - 10:56am.

Google 'pyrrhic victory.'

or maybe, Google 'failure'
Sorry... this was a cheap shot!

GBA's picture

Winning is the bottom line

Submitted by GBA (not verified) on Sun, 2006/09/24 - 11:56am.

"But what if is an embarrassing win?"

Well, if you that too many times, you'll be gone. There are a host of players and coach that will back me up on that.

If you don't win, you're a looser....and the public will NOT pay to see losers.

At this level, MLB, it’s about winning and making money, otherwise how would they pay out all those millions of dollars.

BTW, what the hell does this have to do with my geopolitical views? This is nothing but simple supply and demand.

GBA's picture

Find a better example

Submitted by GBA (not verified) on Sun, 2006/09/24 - 1:39pm.

Those are really dumb examples. If you pay for season tickets, you have them no matter what happens that year.

JaHu's picture

metulj, my earlier comment

Submitted by JaHu on Sun, 2006/09/24 - 5:40pm.

metulj, my earlier comment wasn't meant to be an insult to you. after reading what I wrote, I'm afraid you may have felt that it was. The cheap shot, I was speaking of, was of political nature and wasn't directed towards you. I felt it was cheap, because my comment was totally irrelevant to any of the previous subject matter of any comments relating to JPROF's post. You spoke of googling up the words 'pyrrhic victory' so I thought that while they were at it, they might also type in the word "failure", the top result I found amusing.

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