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Are bad attitudes ruining disc golf??

discgman

Birdie Member
Joined
Apr 9, 2009
Messages
260
Location
Carmichael, ca
I had the displeasure of watching bad attitudes and lack of respect for other players recently. Am I the only one that is seeing this progressing? And in the process, rewarding those players who have bad attitudes with sponsorships at major disc golf manufacturers. Makes guys like me, who are not top pros, never want to play a major tournament again. Does these manufacturers hold some responability on managing their talent? Do they not enforce rules on ethics and sportsmanship? Or is it really about getting that last dollar from us fans who buy everything no matter who is slinging it?
 
and not top pros for that matter too. Disc golf is fine lol.

The basketball courts and football fields are places you don't want your child listening in closely.
 
There are disrespectful douches in any sport or hobby. I think our sport has WAY less than most others but there will always be a few in whatever you do. The friendliness and positivity of most I see on the course is one of the reasons I love this sport. There are no doubt many exceptions of course.
 
Yes the companies are in business for the almighty dollar, the same reason you're in business and the same reason ALL companies are in business.

To. Make. Money!

On top of that a very small percentage of people who play disc golf even know there's a pro tour, so the pro's attitudes have no bearing on disc golf as a whole.
 
The only way the companies that sponsor players are going to know about and be able to address issues with particular players is if they know there's an issue to deal with. By that I mean, if you see poor behavior from a player and are compelled to ask why company X sponsors that player, talk to company X about it. Write an email, make a phone call, tell them what you're thinking. It might make a difference, it might not. But it would probably accomplish more than a random thread on a discussion forum like this.

In general, what sponsoring companies know about what their players are doing most of the time comes from the players themselves. This isn't like other sports where they can read about their player on SI.com or watch a report on Sportscenter. If a player misbehaves, the only way word of that gets beyond the course/park the event is held in is if the people who witness it speak up.
 
In any sport you're going to get a wide range of personalities, just like real life. If you're looking to the best players as your role model for anything other than how to throw a disc, your priorities are a bit off. When I play a tournament, I do it to enjoy the competition. What the top guys do is totally irrelevant to me since I have no chance of competing with them.
 
I like to kill players with bad attitudes with kindness and watch it get under their skin. Nothing derails a jerk more than an opposite reaction of what they are expecting.
 
I guess I will send my "most angry" letter to the appropriate disc companies. Or stop playing pro competitively. I believe 97 percent of the players I have been competing against are great fun, but the 3 per centers are ruining it, for me in general. I am sure the japan open 2014 videos wont show any negative tirades, will it.
 
let me get this straight. you're going to stop playing tournaments because 3% of the competitors bother you?

deal with it.
 
Eric McCabe personally told me he has little respect for locastro because of his bad attitude, and wysocki isn't much better sometimes. I couldn't agree more. I can only imagine how big of a douche he is when the camera isn't on him. I understand frustration, but as a pro there is only one way to handle it. And that's not by punching the closest thing.
 
But yeah out on the local course amongst amateurs... you're going to have to deal with dbags every now and then. I always remain the bigger person and hope it wears off on them. Haven't lost my cool yet.
 
I guess I will send my "most angry" letter to the appropriate disc companies. Or stop playing pro competitively. I believe 97 percent of the players I have been competing against are great fun, but the 3 per centers are ruining it, for me in general. I am sure the japan open 2014 videos wont show any negative tirades, will it.

Not sure if you're serious or not, but the more reports companies get about a player, the more likely they will be to actually do something. But be prepared for your complaint to fall on deaf ears...initially. It's really only when complaints/reports come in volume that we're likely to see any action.

I say this knowing that someone I'm acquainted with called a head honcho at a disc company to discuss the poor behavior of a particular player in their stable, and the call was met with a general "meh, what can you do" attitude. I imagine one letter here or there, or one phone call here or there would amount to the same thing, but a bunch of them? Maybe then they'll see it might affect the old bottom line.

All that said, some of this bad behavior might be headed off if someone, anyone would actually stand up and say something to the player in the moment. If a player is acting like an ass and you're sincerely bothered by it, especially to the point you'd consider quitting competitive play, tell them to cut the **** and grow up. They get away with their behavior because people let them. If people stopped walking on egg shells around some of these guys because they're "name" players, maybe they'd get it through their thick skulls that kicking their bag down the fairway or slamming things around is unacceptable no matter what the circumstance.

The tl;dr version is this: don't be a victim of these players. Call them on their crap or live with it.
 
Its too bad the 3 percent are some of the top pros, putting them in lead card every time. Earbuds were used for the last round, not after it affected my game. And, I usually never get affected, but this time warnings were thrown left and right, and trying to stay calm and focused is not always easy.

And this isn't a commute to work, I'm paying good money to play for cash, there is no need for it.

Amateurs have an excuse, they are amateurs and are learning the game. Ill have more patience with them than season pros. They know better.
 
Not sure if you're serious or not, but the more reports companies get about a player, the more likely they will be to actually do something. But be prepared for your complaint to fall on deaf ears...initially. It's really only when complaints/reports come in volume that we're likely to see any action.

I say this knowing that someone I'm acquainted with called a head honcho at a disc company to discuss the poor behavior of a particular player in their stable, and the call was met with a general "meh, what can you do" attitude. I imagine one letter here or there, or one phone call here or there would amount to the same thing, but a bunch of them? Maybe then they'll see it might affect the old bottom line.

All that said, some of this bad behavior might be headed off if someone, anyone would actually stand up and say something to the player in the moment. If a player is acting like an ass and you're sincerely bothered by it, especially to the point you'd consider quitting competitive play, tell them to cut the **** and grow up. They get away with their behavior because people let them. If people stopped walking on egg shells around some of these guys because they're "name" players, maybe they'd get it through their thick skulls that kicking their bag down the fairway or slamming things around is unacceptable no matter what the circumstance.

The tl;dr version is this: don't be a victim of these players. Call them on their crap or live with it.

I agree with you, they were called out. But its hard when there are four players in a group and two are the problem with one staying out of it. I'm an island.

Im mostly venting, Im sure nothing can really be done. People are going to be whoever they want to be.
 
Its too bad the 3 percent are some of the top pros, putting them in lead card every time. Earbuds were used for the last round, not after it affected my game. And, I usually never get affected, but this time warnings were thrown left and right, and trying to stay calm and focused is not always easy.

And this isn't a commute to work, I'm paying good money to play for cash, there is no need for it.

Amateurs have an excuse, they are amateurs and are learning the game. Ill have more patience with them than season pros. They know better.

I see you're being intentionally vague here.
 
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