Self-delusion in sport

[Andrew]

Yep, there's also a bit of delusion going on in the fan's view of a sportsman and, to a lesser degree, sport (at the professional,level).

It's a job and a business. Sure, athletes love their sport (wouldn't do it otherwise presumably) but do they really care about the badge on their shirt? Without doubt, they see representing their national team as an honour but is that pride or simply a measure of personal achievement? I'm not being critical BTW, I would understand it.

Patriotism and sport is mixed up emotions. I recognise it in myself. I want my fave to play/compete well, with ability and style (and a myriad of other things besides probably) but I also want them to win. The two desires are often at odds.

If I watch something and don't have a loyalty then it can be very enjoyable indeed. A neutral appreciating the talent on display. In that context, I'm not overly interested in the plucky contender trailing the field. No interest in SA dicking USA 64-0 or whatever it was.  I'm not saying that they shouldn't be there, I can see that they want to be, but I have little interest in watching it.

[LEE]

An Olympic marathoner that has a PB 30 minutes slower than the likely winning times is wasting their time and should try another sport. Somebody jogging their local marathon can do whatever they like but they aren't describing themselves as elite athletes.

I can't think of any sport where there are more than about 5 potential winners.  Anyone else may be delusional if they think they will win.
In the 100 & 200 metres it's down to about 1 potential winner currently.

The huge, overwhelming, majority of competitors are running for minor places and personal bests.  That's in every sport.

I believe there are qualifying distances and times in most Olympic sports now.  That's a good thing.  It keeps it "elite" (but doesn't change the odds of an outsider winning by much).
Note. Eric Moussambani's dreadful (is he going to drown?) swim brought that about I think.
However, for Eddie "The Eagle", he was as deluded as most ski-jumpers in the event.  He was as likely to win as 90% of the other competitors. 

I suppose they were deluded only if they thought they could beat the 4x World Champion (or whoever won it) BUT I don't think Eddie thought he was going to win. 
Therefore he wasn't deluded. 
I expect he knew he may come dead last in fact.

[Legs]

(or whoever won it)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matti_Nyk%C3%A4nen
This is quite interesting...

TLDR:

"...three gold medals at the 1988 Winter Olympics..."
"...met (and married) millionaire sausage heiress..."
"...stabbed a man in a pizza restaurant..."
"...allegedly injured his wife with a knife and tried to throttle her with a bathrobe belt..."
"...manslaughter of a family friend after losing a finger pulling competition..."
"...worked as a stripper..."
"...made a comeback as a singer..."
"...present(s) his own cooking web series..."

[mrcharly-YHT]

Ski Jumping didn't have entry requirements, that's why Eddie went for it. It does now. He would have had no chance of qualifying with the current requirements.

Saying he was still great going for it is like someone entering a marathon who is only going to manage to run it in 4 hours.

[LEE]

Ski Jumping didn't have entry requirements, that's why Eddie went for it. It does now. He would have had no chance of qualifying with the current requirements.

Saying he was still great going for it is like someone entering a marathon who is only going to manage to run it in 4 hours.

I'm not saying he was great, just that he wasn't deluded about his chances.  I don't think anyone was deluded about his chances.
Delusion is about thinking England will win the (football) World Cup.

The marathon analogy is a poor one as Eddie was presumably the best UK ski-jumper and therefore had some entitlement to have a go at the Olympics.

Above all this though is the fact he went to the top of a ski jump and voluntarily slid down it and off the end.  That can surely not be the same as entering a marathon.

[mattc]

Riding for 50th place in the TdF isn't what they try to do. They ride to win stages or they ride to help teammates win stages or finish in the top ten.

Indeed.

So I assume you are now happy with sportsmen who strive for top ten places? ( as opposed to your win-or-go-home posts earlier!) This is certainly more in line with my view (for what its worth).

[Legs]

Above all this though is the fact he went to the top of a ski jump and voluntarily slid down it and off the end.  That can surely not be the same as entering a marathon.

  99% of moderately healthy, say, 18-60 year olds could complete a marathon, given a couple of months of preparation.  99% of moderately sane people would not be brave enough to try ski-jumping off this (Calgary Olympic Park, September '08).

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Matt, making the final in athletics or swimming is a top ten place.

If you are saying that elite sport only occurs during the Olympics, I disagree. My example was a 2'35" male marathoner not being up to scratch as an Olympic-level marathoner. That is not a win or go home attitude.

Bangladesh occasionally wins against cricket's elite. The local comprehensive's first 11 would never do so and accordingly the local comp shouldn't play cricket against England.

[Legs]

As long as someone else was in charge of steering and braking, I'd be up for a bit of this, though (Mrs Legs at scene of Cool Runnings).

[trekker12]

I don't think anyone competing in elite sport is deluded. If they are then they shouldn't be there in the first place.

In an individual sport such as marathon running or ski jumping then you have to have worked bloody hard to get there in the first place. You may be the best in your country and you may come outside the top ten in a world event such as the Olympics but failing to turn up because you won't win will have two fairly catastrophic effects.

The first is your nation might not get an invite next time. Suddenly out of school comes the fastest runner in the world but because your last best runner didn't bother to turn up your nation now doesn't qualify or if you do then you have to jump through many more hoops than had you entered last time.

The second is that you yourself are unlikely to get funding from your home nation to continue the sport you love and have devoted your life to. In many sports that don't see the light of day outside an Olympic year funding is very hard to come by. If you don't show willing then your governing body isn't going to support you. Finally if your governing body doesn't send you as an entrant then your sport won't get funding from the agency within your country be it government or as in the case of the UK lottery funding.

Rugby and Football are obviously constantly in the papers so there will always be funding, sponsorship and TV deals but that then subjects the competitors to the sort of nonsense we've been hearing since England lost last week, from press and pundits alike. They have all forgotten we hoped for a win but knew it would be difficult. Punditry is becoming a career for retired sportsmen and the moment they get behind a microphone they all seem to have forgotten how hard it is to beat Australians at most sports.

The last bit of my essay is about the Japanese. They aren't going to win the world cup but look how much excitement they created by beating South Africa. If they had no hope of winning why did they turn up and play they way they played? Mostly they played that way on that day to show the world they are catching up. If we allow the elite amongst the elite to only play each other and leave a second tier system (which Cricket are seemingly trying to do) then the teams in the second tier don't stand a chance of catching up.

[LEE]

As long as someone else was in charge of steering and braking, I'd be up for a bit of this, though (Mrs Legs at scene of Cool Runnings).

Here's the Jackson family famously recreating a scene from the movie at Michael's funeral.

[Legs]

brilliant 

[Exit Stage Left]

Rugby; officially less interesting than baking.

[madcow]

Premiership  owners and managers  demonstrate enough delusion to beat all other sports hands down-QED

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/34484081

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

How about:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsOmizjm0Xw

or:-


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPxxG31JOCg


Mind you, I'm struggling to remember the last time The Flour Of Scotland sent us homeward to think again.....


ETA I'm talking sport, here.  Politics is still too raw.

We don't care about football and rugby any more. We're a tennis country now. 

[Peter]