Do DG pros fake their personalities? (hot take)

[seedlings]

I'm a Chief's fan. My two favorite teams are the Chiefs and whoever's playing the Raiders. I hate the raiders. I hope the air conditioning fails on every bus and hotel they use, and ever fan gets back problems from sitting at their games. I want the Raiders to lose every game, and tie 0-0 against the Broncos.

Boxers and UFC fighters call out their opponents in flamboyant rage-fest press conferences and social media posts.

Are disc golfers allowed to have this kind of sports personality? They will be belittled, de-humanized, boycotted, and cancelled if they do. Why is that? Is disc golf trying to be the model sport? Un-offensiveness can seem very disingenuous. Forced. Fake. Of course there are some low-key isolated cases like recent Brodie/Paul or the under-the-surface Ricky/Paul.

As a newish disc golfer, I wonder (just wondering out loud, you hear), if Disc Golf would be significantly more appealing when Paige and her fans actively root against Kristen or Val, instead of always 'getting along'. Maybe Calvin can't stand Eagle. Wouldn't it be interesting to have a sideline of Eagle fans groaning when Calvin hits a putt, just like they'd cheer when Eagle did? Just like a college Free Throw in the last seconds of a game? A home run hit caught just above the wall for the 3rd out?

Now see here though, I'm not at all suggesting Disc Golfers turn into full Raiders-Fan and start throwing batteries at opponents (or even cause a commotion during throws)… I just wonder how trapped the pros feel… the ams feel… pressured to come across nice and friendly… OR- perhaps there's some cosmic miracle that only polite and compliant people play disc golf.

:thmbup::thmbdown:

 

[biscoe]

In my experience there are plenty of pros who are not liked by their peers/those who know them and disc golfers in general attempt to get along at about the same rate as all the rest of the people on earth. Some are "fake" as well.

The game itself does not lend itself well to the shenanigans you reference and hopefully will not any time soon.

 

[durkmcgurk]

Oh great, another holier than thou Chiefs fan :eyeroll:

Go RRRRAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIDDDDDEEEERRRRRSSSSS!


I don't think the mindset of golf/DG geared that way. I get what you mean though - as a hardcore RAIDER fan and a huge hockey fan/player, having a little bit of passion in a rivalry can be a great show for fans. However, I don't see it going over well with the DG community. From what I see on this forum; a bunch of old guys will cry and "QuIt wAtChInG cOvErAgE."

 

[EarthRocker]

I've been waiting for a Happy Gilmore-ish ball golfer. Someone who exhorts the crowd to get louder as he's getting ready to hit...

On one hand, I understand that some folks really prefer a hushed atmosphere so they can focus. On the other, I feel like a little adrenaline-rush from mad, loud support could be helpful to a different sort.

For me, I think I prefer silence, because it makes me feel like everyone's watching - which is how I get amped to throw. "Watch this, y'all. I'm gonna daze and amaze you."

But I play in enough large, casual groups that I've learned to throw in almost any conditions. Basically, I go when I'm ready. If there's background conversation, it's up to me to ask for silence if I really want it. I've found that it can go well either way - and it can go badly just as easily...

As for actively rooting against someone, well...Golf is the only game I can think of where it's truly the player against himself, the course, the elements, etc. There is no opponent who is 'defending' against your scoring - they're all playing the same game at the same place and time...It's hard enough as it is.

I always come back to this phrase I learned in Rugby: "Soccer is a gentleman's game, played by hooligans. Rugby is a hooligan's game, played by gentlemen." Yes, you're defending and stopping progress, trying to outscore the opponent. But you'll always show respect to the men you're slobberknocking. You're never trying to hurt anyone - and if/when you do, you help him up in the moment (if it won't create, you know, spinal injuries and whatnot), or you shake his hand sincerely when it's all over.

Our game should be played by gentlemen and ladies. There's enough boorish and harmful behavior out there without our adding to it.

 

[VictorB]

Golf is not as much about 1v1 competition (team or otherwise) and a lot more about PvE (player vs environment, to borrow a term from vidya games). Can you manage the course well enough, execute a game plan, stay mentally strong if a shot goes bad? Those are all very different forms of competition - I think golfers do enjoy seeing other players put together great rounds. So less animosity between the players when compared to a more directly competitive sport.

 

[seedlings]

Golf is not as much about 1v1 competition (team or otherwise) and a lot more about PvE (player vs environment, to borrow a term from vidya games). Can you manage the course well enough, execute a game plan, stay mentally strong if a shot goes bad? Those are all very different forms of competition - I think golfers do enjoy seeing other players put together great rounds. So less animosity between the players when compared to a more directly competitive sport.

I don't like how your answer is so good.

Yet, there is still competition between players. Brands, even. It's hard to believe Paul thought to himself, 'Eagle, I'm so happy you beat me here at the EO.' But I see what you're saying. There is also more randomness to deal with. Two players hit the same tree, one goes OB, the other redirects to the fairway. That's not really a skill set to root for/against.

 

[dmoore1998]

About the only athletes who act like this though are fighters. And they're faking it because nobody wants to see 2 people who are good friends punch one another. They have to pretend to hate one another to sell the fight.

Most adults, in most walks of life, simply ignore the people they don't like.

 

[TheOtherBill]

There is (was? not sure) a tournament in New England that used to attract pros because the crowd was encouraged to razz players and get loud. Koling mentioned on one of the tourny vids how much fun it was.

 

[foxdawg10]

I'm a Chief's fan. My two favorite teams are the Chiefs and whoever's playing the Raiders. I hate the raiders. I hope the air conditioning fails on every bus and hotel they use, and ever fan gets back problems from sitting at their games. I want the Raiders to lose every game, and tie 0-0 against the Broncos.

Boxers and UFC fighters call out their opponents in flamboyant rage-fest press conferences and social media posts.

Are disc golfers allowed to have this kind of sports personality? They will be belittled, de-humanized, boycotted, and cancelled if they do. Why is that? Is disc golf trying to be the model sport? Un-offensiveness can seem very disingenuous. Forced. Fake. Of course there are some low-key isolated cases like recent Brodie/Paul or the under-the-surface Ricky/Paul.

As a newish disc golfer, I wonder (just wondering out loud, you hear), if Disc Golf would be significantly more appealing when Paige and her fans actively root against Kristen or Val, instead of always 'getting along'. Maybe Calvin can't stand Eagle. Wouldn't it be interesting to have a sideline of Eagle fans groaning when Calvin hits a putt, just like they'd cheer when Eagle did? Just like a college Free Throw in the last seconds of a game? A home run hit caught just above the wall for the 3rd out?

Now see here though, I'm not at all suggesting Disc Golfers turn into full Raiders-Fan and start throwing batteries at opponents (or even cause a commotion during throws)… I just wonder how trapped the pros feel… the ams feel… pressured to come across nice and friendly… OR- perhaps there's some cosmic miracle that only polite and compliant people play disc golf.

:thmbup::thmbdown:

Disc golf is different from football, players aren't trying to directly pound their opponents into submission. So it makes sense that the atmosphere and environment are less rowdy and adrenaline fueled.

It is more player vs the course than player vs player, as others have said. It's one thing to have a spontaneous crazy reaction like the holy shot. But I don't believe the sport lends itself to orchestrated rowdiness. Football players need that adrenaline rush, disc golf is best played in a zen like flow state.

 

[dmoore1998]

I don't like how your answer is so good.

Yet, there is still competition between players. Brands, even. It's hard to believe Paul thought to himself, 'Eagle, I'm so happy you beat me here at the EO.' But I see what you're saying. There is also more randomness to deal with. Two players hit the same tree, one goes OB, the other redirects to the fairway. That's not really a skill set to root for/against.

I'm sure he isn't happy Eagle beat him...BUT...most top athletes tend to have a mindset of "I wanted to do better" as opposed to "I hope other people who are better than me simply perform poorly". The mindset of wanting others to do poorly is indicative of an acknowledgement that someone else is so much better than you that the only chance you have to win is if they screw up. Even if that's the reality, folks don't tend to get to the top of an endeavor if they have that mindset. I would bet the 100th ranked player in the world actively believes that if they just played to their ability, they could win any tournament.

 

[txmxer]

I'm sure he isn't happy Eagle beat him...BUT...most top athletes tend to have a mindset of "I wanted to do better" as opposed to "I hope other people who are better than me simply perform poorly". The mindset of wanting others to do poorly is indicative of an acknowledgement that someone else is so much better than you that the only chance you have to win is if they screw up. Even if that's the reality, folks don't tend to get to the top of an endeavor if they have that mindset. I would bet the 100th ranked player in the world actively believes that if they just played to their ability, they could win any tournament.

Now I know why I'm so bad. I keep waiting for the competition to lower itself to my level.

j/k

TBh, I'm not good, but like said, I don't want the competition to suck, I want to play better. Though I don't mind if my competitors occasionally miss an easy putt or hit first available. It helps quiet some the negative self talk after a particularly poor play.

 

[seedlings]

I'm sure he isn't happy Eagle beat him...BUT...most top athletes tend to have a mindset of "I wanted to do better" as opposed to "I hope other people who are better than me simply perform poorly". The mindset of wanting others to do poorly is indicative of an acknowledgement that someone else is so much better than you that the only chance you have to win is if they screw up. Even if that's the reality, folks don't tend to get to the top of an endeavor if they have that mindset. I would bet the 100th ranked player in the world actively believes that if they just played to their ability, they could win any tournament.

Completely understand. Consider the difference between these two exact same sentiments:
"I want to play my best at Worlds."
""I want to beat Paul, Rick, Eagle, Chris, and win a world championship."

The former statement is true, but a boring, safe, forgettable yet preferred over the latter, more precise and genuine emotion. Paul can dunk a putt, fist pump, and scream. But he can't do so while staring at his opponent. He has to pretend it's just him and the course.

I threw an ace playing by myself the other day. No one cared.

 

[acrosley]

Brody is the closest thing we have to a heel now until Nikko comes back. I don't really listen to his podcasts or whatever but I think he raised some scuttle butt recently. If he ever wins an elite series/major I'd tune in to the presser.

 

[BillFleming]

Golf - both ball golf and disc golf - is a different sport from other sports. For one thing, it's not a team sport; it's an individual sport. While both ball and disc golf have their rivalries and issues between players, you rarely hear about it on the course. Fans in golf are mainly just spectators. They watch the sport and cheer for great shots. You don't hear of fantasy ownership in golf. In other sports, fans seem to feel they are part of the team....I'm a Steelers fan....there are chat sites where people comment that they 'need to be talked off the ledge' because such-and-such is happening. Harris (Steelers main running back) had a foot injury and fans are really upset that he might be out for a few games. We don't see that same thing happening in golf. Ricky was out for a bit due to Lyme's....fans wished him well, but I don't recall a single comment about how a fan's world was ending because Ricky wasn't able to play in a few tournaments.

I think there is still the image that golf is a game and not a sport. We have our favorite players, but we don't invest as much emotion into them as we do with team sports. Sunday is coming up....how many people on this site will be in front of the TV wearing their teams jersey and rooting for a win? How many people will be watching DGN to see their favorite player in the tournament and how many will be wearing a jersey/shirt supporting their favorite player? (Yes, we buy discs from our favorite players - sometimes - but who sees us using those? Lots of people see us supporting our sports team when we wear the jersey, hat, shirt, wave a flag, etc).

Ball golf has been a "gentlemen's" game - not being sexist here, I mean that golf is polite, you are quiet when the player is taking their stance and hitting the ball, there's no heckling or trying to throw the other players off. In fact, when a player has a good outcome you praise them, when they have a bad one you show sympathy. Disc golf is the same. Can you name another sport where the fans and other players are quiet when a person/team is taking their turn?

 

[WD09]

Paul can dunk a putt, fist pump, and scream. But he can't do so while staring at his opponent. He has to pretend it's just him and the course.

I threw an ace playing by myself the other day. No one cared.

I hope you enjoyed those moments of hitting the ace (and probably fist pumping about it). I thought that the enjoyment of playing the sport was the reason we all played. Guess I was wrong.

 

[seedlings]

Can you name another sport where the fans and other players are quiet when a person/team is taking their turn?

Baseball. Bowling. Shooting/archery. Diving. Tennis.

 

[BillFleming]

Bowling, while there is a team score, is pretty much individual play. Shooting/archery and diving are individual sports. Baseball, I'll agree is usually quiet, but I have been at games where fans were yelling during play. And in baseball, players on one team heckle the other team.

It seems to me, and the point I was trying to make, is that sports that are about the individual tend to be politer. Sports with teams seem to be the more rambunctious.

 

[EarthRocker]

Hey-batta-batta-batta...sa-WING, batta!

Baseball ain't quiet. You guys are nuts.

 

[Hampstead]

There is (was? not sure) a tournament in New England that used to attract pros because the crowd was encouraged to razz players and get loud. Koling mentioned on one of the tourny vids how much fun it was.

 

[biscoe]

Now I know why I'm so bad. I keep waiting for the competition to lower itself to my level.

j/k

TBh, I'm not good, but like said, I don't want the competition to suck, I want to play better. Though I don't mind if my competitors occasionally miss an easy putt or hit first available. It helps quiet some the negative self talk after a particularly poor play.

Personally I like to play well but if I am not going to then I appreciate the competition sucking.