Very thoughtful piece. We (myself included) are far too critical of athletes; there's a difference between constructive criticism and discourse about a player versus personal attacks and criticism that we ignore too often.
This is the kind of reminder everyone should see! It’s so wild how people are so quick to want to tear someone down, it’s to the point where people are rooting for someone’s downfall more often than supporting them and appreciating them and that’s across the board not just athletes
Been a while since I been round these neck of the woods! But yes, after reading and sitting with this for a couple of days, here are some of my thoughts!
What I appreciated most is that you separated accountability from dignity. Those two are often treated as opposites when they don't have to be. We can criticise a performance, question a decision, or analyse an athlete's shortcomings without collapsing the person into the moment.
I also think sport encourages a kind of narrative compression that often we reduce an entire human beings dignity to a missed penalty, a bad season, or a headline. Good analysis expands the frame. Good humanity reminds us there was always a person inside it.
And that's one of things that makes your writing stand among the most unique on Substack and it is the kind of writing I deeply appreciate when the humanity and a person's dignity is preserved.
Very thoughtful piece. We (myself included) are far too critical of athletes; there's a difference between constructive criticism and discourse about a player versus personal attacks and criticism that we ignore too often.
This is the kind of reminder everyone should see! It’s so wild how people are so quick to want to tear someone down, it’s to the point where people are rooting for someone’s downfall more often than supporting them and appreciating them and that’s across the board not just athletes
Love this. And it’s a reminder we need to think about these labels and phrases we toss around all of the time.
Been a while since I been round these neck of the woods! But yes, after reading and sitting with this for a couple of days, here are some of my thoughts!
What I appreciated most is that you separated accountability from dignity. Those two are often treated as opposites when they don't have to be. We can criticise a performance, question a decision, or analyse an athlete's shortcomings without collapsing the person into the moment.
I also think sport encourages a kind of narrative compression that often we reduce an entire human beings dignity to a missed penalty, a bad season, or a headline. Good analysis expands the frame. Good humanity reminds us there was always a person inside it.
And that's one of things that makes your writing stand among the most unique on Substack and it is the kind of writing I deeply appreciate when the humanity and a person's dignity is preserved.