Olympic "Media Talk"
The aging U.S. women's soccer team looks a lot more like a group of moms who left their minivans behind to take a two week soccer hiatus than it does your typical international soccer team. That fact alone has made it all the more fun watching them whoop up on the rest of the world for the last two weeks.
After the gold medal match today, I was fascinated to hear the responses these thirty-somethings gave to the interview questions. It was all about everyone but themselves. Each athlete gracefully talked about the entire team, how it never gave up. They talked about their families. About what the victory means to little girls who are playing soccer all across the nation. Nobody took any credit, individually. Nobody gave any credit to any other individual.
Contrast those responses with the typical NFL/NBA-er response: Nobody thought we could do it. Guess we proved something today. Joe had a great game today. He really came through for us. The other guys played a hard game. Gotta give them credit, but we put together a good game today.
Why did Hamm and company view their accomplishment in such a broader context? Why was it not so much about beating the other guys (and/or the media and/or the naysayers and/or the adverse situations they faced) as it was about what they had accomplished for themselves, their families, and their country?
On a related note, did you notice how non-American-athlete-ish Paul Hamm was when he was asked about the controversy surrounding his gold medal? It went something like this: "Its been stressful on me to be sure. A lot of people have said a lot of hurtful things. I really appreciate everyone who has come out and said they support me. It makes me feel better."
Think you'll ever catch an Alex Rodriguez or Emmit Smith saying something like that? Not a chance. For them, it would be: "No, I don't pay attention to that. You can't pay attention to what anyone else says. You have to focus on your game and not worry about what other people do, because you can't control that. I'm just getting ready for the next match-up. Now, don't talk to me about this any more!"
What a contrast. Do you think it is because the olympic athletes aren't used to handling a national spotlight? Is it a difference in the sports? (In the case of the soccer team) in the gender? Is it the difference between amatuer and professional play?
Anyone want to play sports psychologist with this one?
After the gold medal match today, I was fascinated to hear the responses these thirty-somethings gave to the interview questions. It was all about everyone but themselves. Each athlete gracefully talked about the entire team, how it never gave up. They talked about their families. About what the victory means to little girls who are playing soccer all across the nation. Nobody took any credit, individually. Nobody gave any credit to any other individual.
Contrast those responses with the typical NFL/NBA-er response: Nobody thought we could do it. Guess we proved something today. Joe had a great game today. He really came through for us. The other guys played a hard game. Gotta give them credit, but we put together a good game today.
Why did Hamm and company view their accomplishment in such a broader context? Why was it not so much about beating the other guys (and/or the media and/or the naysayers and/or the adverse situations they faced) as it was about what they had accomplished for themselves, their families, and their country?
On a related note, did you notice how non-American-athlete-ish Paul Hamm was when he was asked about the controversy surrounding his gold medal? It went something like this: "Its been stressful on me to be sure. A lot of people have said a lot of hurtful things. I really appreciate everyone who has come out and said they support me. It makes me feel better."
Think you'll ever catch an Alex Rodriguez or Emmit Smith saying something like that? Not a chance. For them, it would be: "No, I don't pay attention to that. You can't pay attention to what anyone else says. You have to focus on your game and not worry about what other people do, because you can't control that. I'm just getting ready for the next match-up. Now, don't talk to me about this any more!"
What a contrast. Do you think it is because the olympic athletes aren't used to handling a national spotlight? Is it a difference in the sports? (In the case of the soccer team) in the gender? Is it the difference between amatuer and professional play?
Anyone want to play sports psychologist with this one?
posted by Matt at Thursday, August 26, 2004
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