An interesting sequence of news came together a couple of weeks ago which has since generated quite a lively debate. Here’s what it’s all about.
- Last May, a 16 year old golfer from Texas named Jordan Spieth finished 16th in the PGA’s Byron Nelson Championship.
- Around the same time, a 16 year old sailor from Australia named Jessica Watson completed her seven month solo circumnavigation of the globe.
- A few days later, a 13 year old climber from California named Jordan Romero reached the 29,035 foot summit of Mount Everest.
I think it goes without saying that all three teens should have everyone’s respect for being able to set and achieve huge goals at such young ages. And all three are probably so thrilled right now that if they were introduced to one another, none of them would claim their individual achievements to be greater than the others. What’s the big debate then?
Well, unfortunately some in the media feel that’s not good enough, and there has to be a winner among them. And who else to arbitrate these athletic achievements, however slanted they are towards golf and clueless about climbing or sailing, than ESPN. So in a great display of ignorance, ESPN commentator Skip Bayless, in a televised discussion titled “Greatest Teenage Sports Achievement” knocked two of these teens in favor of, you guessed it, the golfer. In an attempt to bring some balance to the debate, ESPN brought in former America’s Cup winner Dawn Riley for some sailing commentary and our friend Neal Beidleman to speak to the topic of climbing Everest. Despite Dawn and Neal’s best efforts to share their expertise and level the playing field, Skip outspoke them and the golfer came out on top. In the end it was about as fair and balanced as Fox News interview. Here it is.
Skip’s attitude was unsportsmanlike. He cited stats and facts that were embellished if not outright false, disrespected the other teens accomplishments as well as the other experts opinions and his insistence– despite having no experience– that climbing Everest or sailing around the world was really no big deal, was extremely ignorant.
I’ve sailed quite a bit. I’ve played lots of golf, too. I’ve even climbed Mount Everest. So I feel comfortable saying that I have a qualified opinion. All three feats are obviously major accomplishments. Yet, just because each teen was performing at the highest level of their particular discipline, doesn’t mean they can be measured against one another. The three activities/sports are just too different, but if they must be compared, here’s how I see it.
Professional level golf has an enormous skill component, yet its physical component is small and the risks are miniscule. Climbing Everest, on the other hand, has a massive risk and physical component, but requires skills that some might say are easier learned than golf. And I believe that sailing, at least on the scale of Jessica Watson, requires all three components at very high levels, and for the greatest duration of time.
Important to consider as well is the mental component. My experience is that the longer the commitment, the more important a strong head game becomes. Without focus, eight weeks on a mountain in wind and weather at altitude can drive you to quit, and when it comes time to make your move and you’re stepping over frozen, dead corpses– reminding you of how serious any mistakes could be– to say a strong head helps is an gross understatement, it’s mandatory. Without mental fortitude, when sailing across the Pacific Ocean, with bad weather looming and nightfall approaching, you can’t just call a time out and wait for conditions to improve. But in golf, while the mental component might be huge at particular moments, it’s short lived and you can say with near certainty that everyone will make it out alive.
We can all debate the merits of the three accomplishments and maybe never arrive at a consensus. I’ll take the diplomatic route and avoid declaring which achievement I think was the top, but I will go so far as to say that I don’t think it was the golfer.
Apologies to my golfer friends out there. As Al Czervik in Caddyshack said, ”No Offense.”
Thanks, Ted, for a fascinating post. There’s a major ESPN facility here in Charlotte and I’ve written about the company; while I’m sure most of us have enjoyed sports events on ESPN and its tentacles, there’s a lot of dead air. ESPN fills the voids with “experts” most of whom are less-than-lucid retired athletes or vapid journalists who express (and I use the word in the scatological sense) strong opinions purely to wind people up so they keep watching.
In between live events, ESPN wants listeners and viewers to know about the next live event. It’s all marketing and it’s all promotion. So the obnoxious talking head was simply acting: who knows what he really thinks and I’m not sure I really care.
As a pure capitalist (and a direct response copywriter) I have no beef with ESPN’s marketing methods: nobody forces me to consume its products. Its shareholders want the company to generate as much profit as possible and that’s the way it should be. I generally avoid loud and ignorant people so that means I watch very little television.
I have not played in a PGA Tour event. I have not sailed around the world. And, as Ted will attest, I’m not quite Everest material. But I know the difference between a red stake and a yellow stake; I’ve walked across England and climbed a couple of 14ers; I can tie a knot and I’ve heard the term “horizon job.” You can’t compare mountaineering, sailing, and golf.
Or maybe, in this case, there’s an obvious connection.
Why is a teenager taking the incredible risk of climbing in the Himalayas, especially above 7,000 meters? Why is a teenager sailing around the world…alone? Why is a teenager playing on the tour when, especially in the Dallas area, there are plenty of junior golf tournaments?
My son is 12 so I feel qualified to answer the questions. A normal, sane, fun-loving teenager does not want to climb Everest, play on the tour, or sail around the world. The parents have taken interest in a hobby and pushed their children to dangeours physical and mental extremes. These parents probably want to make money from their children or make up for some type of vacuum in their lives…or both.
Two examples from golf…Tiger Woods and Michelle Wie, both of whom are basket cases now. Tiger feels invincible sexually and otherwise because a lot of people told him he was “great” and “the best” from the moment he appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show at age three. On TV, Michelle Wie babbles along using PR-speak; watching her play golf, I’m not sure she even enjoys the game anymore. She looks like she has a walleye hangover and I don’t know that she even drinks.
As a 10 year-old, did Tiger ever play in the woods with his friends, making up games and building forts out of dead branches? No. His father was carting him around the country not for Tiger, but for him. Michelle Wie’s father is infamous for pushing Michelle to turn pro when she was barely a year out of getting Ken and Barbie to kiss.
Sadly, far too many parents I know push their children into academies, non-stop soccer, a summer with nothing but lacrosse, music schools run by dictators, and so on. Some parents think their children will get college scholarships (99.9 per cent won’t) and some live vicariously through their achievements of their children. There’s a Capitol Peak knife edge ridge between being a proud parent and making the shocking mistake of tapping your son or daughter’s achievements to help you deal with your issues and your problems. I’d like to meet the parents of the climber, the golfer, and the sailor, and ask…WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?
Instead of a vacuous argument about whether a golfer’s achievement is the same as a climber’s, I wish ESPN would say to the parents, “look…let your child be a child and let your teenager be a teenager. ESPN should be taking the parents to task and saying, “can’t all this stuff wait?” I have a hard enough time letting my son run around the neighborhood with his friends…I’m not about to let him climb Mount Everest and let him stuff crampon points through the down jackets of dead climbers. HOW STUPID WOULD THAT BE?
And I think ESPN should report that a photo of a pivotal scene in Caddyshack has made it to a blog about mountaineering titled, “Stuck in the Rockies.” Now that’s serious news.
Do I get a free bowl of soup for such a long reply?
Scott- I knew you’d be on this one in short order.
As you explained so clearly, the larger issue here isn’t really about who’s the best. I doubt any of the three care about who’s “top teen” but I’d be willing to bet the parents do.
So long as everyone makes it home safe, the parenting side of the story will remain there, to the side. But when(not if) something turns for the worse, then it will be big news, and that’s when big media will shift the focus there.
So hopefully Neal’s working on some talking points for that interview.
You’ve earned a bowl of soup.
Interesting that another 16 year girl in the youngest solo round-the-world race is being rescued as we speak – link here – http://bit.ly/aVQBMa
Crab bisque, please.
Next time we’re up at the sundeck it’s my treat.
I do think it’s Skip who needs more of a talking to than the parents of the kids though, which was the main reason for the post in the first place, and my desire to share Neals funny comments.
Aspen sent about eight locals of varying ages to the olympics this year, none of whom would have made it there had they not had the blessing/encouragement of their parents at very young ages. It doesn’t automatically turn out bad.
Great post, Ted, and excellent comment Scott. I am currently with Mike and Matt Moniz, a Boulder-based father/son team. Matt is 12 years old. He has summitted many of the world’s highest peaks, most recently Denali. We are now trying to cover the highest peaks in each of the 50 states in under 45 days. Matt loves hiking and climbing. He runs along hiking paths due to excitement and is a little mad when dad won’t let him climb some wet rock without protection:-) If done correctly, the parent/child relationship can be awesome if interests and emotions are in alignment.
I haven’t sailed much, but did play tournament golf through high school and have climbed some peaks. The physical achievements of these teens are incredible, but that comes down to some level of genetics, luck, and training. The bigger deal to me is the mental picture. I have a hard time focusing on anything for more than a few minutes. To focus on golf/sailing/mountaineering for 12+ hours at a time is really incredible, especially at 13-16 years of age. Being able to keep your composure in a golf tournament on a Sunday is really something, especially in front of a national audience.
Perhaps we should celebrate the mental toughness and focus of these teens rather than figure out which one is best. When they are out there “competing”, nobody is holding their hand. It’s up to them and them alone to step correctly, sail accurately, and keep their swing on plane. And as Ted said, I’m sure they’d all get along very well together if they ever met, and have a tremendous amount of respect for one another. In fact, ESPN should foot the bill and get them to hang out at some PG-13 movie:-)