Discover new ways to elevate your game with the updated DGCourseReview app! It's entirely free and enhanced with features shaped by user feedback to ensure your best experience on the course. (App Store or Google Play)
This is my favorite Ricky interview. I know he's quiet and focused during a round, but I think it would be fun to watch him play if he was like this the entire game:
While I absolutely love the current batch of top FPO and MPO players out there they all seem...a bit stale. Look at their interviews like at that tourney McBeth was in in Florida just a few weeks ago. Yawn. No one wants to say anything out of line. Way too calm and collected.
I think (and I know a lot of you are going to hate me and really disagree with me for saying this) but we need more personality in this sport. When someone sticks a camera in their face they just let it rip and say whatever comes to their mind. Here's a good example of what I am talking about:
John Force has been around for YEARS in the NHRA and is still driving today and you either love him or hate him. But as you can see from that interview he is a character. From what I've seen he's a super nice guy just rather loud with a gigantic personality. Dude makes me laugh and I always think, "Oh crap what's he going to say THIS time" whenever they interview him.
So yeah, we need a Dennis Rodman (minus the psycho) or a Johnny Bench or Tom McEnroe (minus the ridiculous temper) or something like that. PDGA needs to loosen up IMHO a little. Don't believe me? Look what happened when Drew went for a swim at Ledgestone this year. Everyone remembers that - but who won? So some player does something a little unexpected that makes us all laugh and look how we react. It's was kind of a moment all of us could relate to because we've all been there done that. Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of room for the Nate Sextons of the world and we need guys like him badly but just once I want to see a top pro who is willing to let loose a little when they are in the spotlight.
No. That 24 hour drama mentality being offered up by the espn sports package is mostly terrible.
Disc golf doesn't need prima donnas or people who are newly rich with the attitude to match. Taking it down a notch into force of will and having fun with it: ala doing a Neil Blender Oceanside '86 graffiti hit mid-run. Hmm. Could work, if any of the touring pros are artistically motivated enough to break the stage like that. But force of will over actual skill or luck or whatever isn't winning anything except sales. So. that's where I see that idea headed. Not a bad idea actually. But. It's a very slippery slope for sure because of how much recreational disc golf relies on public space.
With how much of its growth is coming from video. Breaking the stage and coming at the camera after a great or bad throw just to make a joke or brag or whatever. Hmm.
John McEnroe was a brilliant player, but his temper was a complete distraction. Just like McBeth and Locastro on their bad days.
A hot rod driver also has a death wish. Kind of like how downhill skiers and competitive snowboarders have that extra flash of personality because the risks are real and they have lasting consequences. I somehow don't see that complex to overcome emerging from competitive disc golf.
Caffeine must be working.
No. That 24 hour drama mentality being offered up by the espn sports package is mostly terrible.
Disc golf doesn't need prima donnas or people who are newly rich with the attitude to match. Taking it down a notch into force of will and having fun with it: ala doing a Neil Blender Oceanside '86 graffiti hit mid-run. Hmm. Could work, if any of the touring pros are artistically motivated enough to break the stage like that. But force of will over actual skill or luck or whatever isn't winning anything except sales. So. that's where I see that idea headed. Not a bad idea actually. But. It's a very slippery slope for sure because of how much recreational disc golf relies on public space.
With how much of its growth is coming from video. Breaking the stage and coming at the camera after a great or bad throw just to make a joke or brag or whatever. Hmm.
John McEnroe was a brilliant player, but his temper was a complete distraction. Just like McBeth and Locastro on their bad days.
A hot rod driver also has a death wish. Kind of like how downhill skiers and competitive snowboarders have that extra flash of personality because the risks are real and they have lasting consequences. I somehow don't see that complex to overcome emerging from competitive disc golf. Methamphetamine must be working.
On one side: We need a more professional image. We need to transcend the stigma of dirty hippies. We need to become a sport of Gentleladies and Gentlemen, similar to the PGA.
Other side: We need more "personality", but which I mean rootin'-tootin' scumbags who don't give AF about anything! I want my top pros to spit tobacco juice on the floor with reckless abandon!
Simon is the perfect example of someone who just says what he's thinking. I really enjoyed a recent interview I heard with him because of his freewheeling responses.
Human beings are at their best when they can be truly geniune IMO.
But if someone at their most genuine is an a--hole, well, that doesn't change the fact that they're an a--hole.
As it stands, I don't see anyone with personality changing the fact that watching people throw orbs of plastic at metal baskets isn't all that entertaining to those unititiated with our sport.
I think that there's a lot of "color" to be had on tour that we aren't seeing - occasionally I'll hear Ian and Corey or Nate and Jerm mention something about Paul ribbing another player, or that there was some running joke going on on the card or the like, but we don't see that due to the crisp editing. I would call on Jomez and CCDG to try something new next season and showing a little bit of the conversation and camaraderie between holes. This would stretch the videos a bit but would allow for more commentary between holes and allow us to see some of that personality come out that we know is there.
Other side: We need more "personality", but which I mean rootin'-tootin' scumbags who don't give AF about anything! I want my top pros to spit tobacco juice on the floor with reckless abandon!
I think that there's a lot of "color" to be had on tour that we aren't seeing - occasionally I'll hear Ian and Corey or Nate and Jerm mention something about Paul ribbing another player, or that there was some running joke going on on the card or the like, but we don't see that due to the crisp editing. I would call on Jomez and CCDG to try something new next season and showing a little bit of the conversation and camaraderie between holes. This would stretch the videos a bit but would allow for more commentary between holes and allow us to see some of that personality come out that we know is there.
I would love to see more entertainment value in the interviews and tour. Maybe they should do a Halloween tournament or April Fools sort of one.. Maybe Nikko could dress like McEnroe and cook up an attitude to match. Or maybe the Monday Night Raw Tourney encourage gaudy costumes and smack talk kind of a one day a year purge on decorum.
As much fun as it is to watch a train wreck I don't think any serious dg players want to do anything off track the way sponsors duck and drop athletes to disassociate their product with an athletes poor behaviour it's suicide. There isn't that much money going around, or public interest, someone would have to be untouchably awesome to talk sh** and still have a company pay for them to play.
