h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Are all Olympic athletes insane? Well you might think so, if you believed the explanation given by certain "I'm a celebrity.." contestants about the reason for the bizarre behaviour of Fatima Whitbread, who simply couldn't deal with losing even the silliest game. They put it down to her competitiveness, what with her being an Olympic athlete and all that. But quite frankly, it was nuts; her behaviour was that of a petulant child. Are they all like that though? They certainly pursue their goal with a single-minded obsession which might be considered insane in any other endeavour, and for no good reason other than 'winning'. Seems like a disorder to me.

The ones who rise to the top have often had a very restricted childhood - training every minute of the day rather than growing up. I knew a couple of olympic runners at the local athletic club and I can only describe them as asocial.

I don't think anyone who specialises in something that means they have to focus on it more or less to the exclusion of everything else can be considered 'normal' in the sense of living within a broad spectrum of humanity where you have to think about and deal with everything.

I dunno. I can't imagine being so single minded that you can allow nothing else to matter. I have a lot of respect for a mind that can do that, but equally, I don't understand how 'winning' (whatever the competition) can mean so much. I'm not a hugely competitive, sporty person. I can summon it up in the heat of the moment, but it doesn't last long!

It's *always* been a more working class idea to win in the UK.

Middle class and uppers were already born winners...they can afford to have the Corinithian spirit.

I had it drummed into me as a child from my working class father.

I think there's a lot of snootiness of looking down on those who know the *only* way to rise in this class ridden system is a 'win at all costs' attitude.

And of course that will be paralleled in sport as well.

For me the insanity is people that don't get that winning is everything in sport. By definition sport is about winners and losers.

If you want the luxury of the 'taking part' stick to needle work or dancing.

Actually I just re-read the OP. I don't watch that stuff on tv..but I remember Fatima Whitbread as an athlete.

Good on her for that single mindedness and ambition. Can't stand that looking down on people that have beaten the odds to rise in the world

God this site is incredible at times.

what i find hard to understand is this obsession with sport.
Local lads get quite upset about it with the "everyone was only interested in those who were good at football - my friends and i thought it was a waste of time and something for idiots"
so you can run well - with supreme effort just a bit better than someone else - i find the man who can tell me my boats starter motor has 10 teeth and should have 11, then goes and fixes it far more interesting and worthy of support.
Sport has one major function, filling newspapers, filling in time on the television news and keeping people off the streets on saturday afternoons. It is a huge industry devoted to those who can do something everybody can, but just that little bit better.

I have no problem with sport.

The world is all about winners and losers in our society.

Those that can make money; those that can't

Those that are considered beautiful; those ugly.

Those that are clever; those thick.

We live in a society founded upon competition. And so someone like Fatima succeeds they get sniping aimed at them. Pathetic.

Those born with silver spoons in their mouths won't get it.

Why attack sport? At least its fun to take part in when you are young. I was at it 24/7.and then in later life you can get some excitement from watching.

**

If people don't like the idea of competition, and winners and losers...look to our society as a whole...not pick on sport..or someone like Fatima Whitbread.

>> Sport has one major function, filling newspapers, filling in time on the television news and keeping people off the streets on saturday afternoons. <<

That's three major functions.

And you forgot "a fanatical devotion to the pope".

RF

Olympic sport has many other functions. Nations use them as ritual displays of power over their 'fellow' nations; and an awful lot of money gets moved around, often ending up in the pockets of those who publicly support it.

Will Self is an outspoken critic of many aspect of the Olympics. Here he is giving Tessa Jowell a very hard time over the wisdom of staging it in London, in which she flounders very much like Nicola Murray MP in "The Thick of It".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqhvmwjFXMg

"And so someone like Fatima succeeds they get sniping aimed at them. Pathetic."

I didn't see anyone sniping at Fatima Witbread for succeeding, but because she is clearly a very poor loser. It's all very well dividing the world into black-and-white all-or-notthing this-or-that terms but that does not excuse throwing a tantrum when you don't win something.

Back to the OP, it's apparently particularly bad in fencing where both the winners and losers frequently lack any sense of perspective or dignity.

Dedication and single mindedness can be very good things when applied to something of great social worth.
Olypians and other "elite" sports people share the collective delusion that runnung in circle faster than anyone else, jumping higher or throwing things further than anybody else is of great use to society.
Of course the dulusion is reinforced by sponsors hoping to profit from the delusion and by politians who see it as a useful way of distracting the populus.

I thought of this thread after reading about Victoria Pendleton's mental health issues. Now that she's out of Strictly, I and hasn't got a big goal to concentrate on, I wonder if she'll be OK?

To a greater or lesser extent we are all just as bad.

For the best pa of the last twenty years I have been a bicycle mechanic and as a consequence have met many interesting people.

But I like to think that I am the best bike mechanic I know and everyone else is inferior.

It is drummed into us from a young age to work hard and do our best so is it any surprise that athletes who have pushed themselves to their absolute physical limits can seem crazy?

They have spent so long pushing themselves to be the best at what they do that coming in second in anything must be an absolute culture shock and no surprise that they react badly.

Perhaps all they need is a nice piece of cake . . .

One of my favourite Star Trek quotes was from the Klingon character, Worf. Commander Riker said something to him about the important thing being how you play the game, not whether you win or not. And his response was pithy and direct:

"If winning is not important, then Commander - why keep score?"

Can't argue with that logic.

"I thought of this thread after reading about Victoria Pendleton's mental health issues. Now that she's out of Strictly, I and hasn't got a big goal to concentrate on, I wonder if she'll be OK?"

I hadn't heard about her having any mental health issues. What issues does she have?

I don't know if they're 'insane' as such, but I think they are probably wired differently to the rest of us.

>>I hadn't heard about her having any mental health issues. What issues does she have?


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/cycling/9515317/Victoria-Pendleton-reveals-history-of-self-harm.html

>>"If winning is not important, then Commander - why keep score?"

Was he asking in reference to comedy panel shows? Because they tend to keep score, and declare a 'winner', even though clearly the point of the thing is not to win, but to be funny.

I still think they all need

But the is a lie, isn't it?