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Tennis anyone?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Priceless
  • Start date Start date
MichVandal said:
What do you mean it's not true? She can easily decide to go for it because there is literally zero financial risk if she fails. It's a whole lot easier to commit to that when there's no risk.

And at that point EVERY SINGLE PERSON works as hard as everyone else. So to admire someone to work just as hard as the person across the net makes no sense.

Let alone the financial advantage to have the best of the best team to work with her.

Unless she chooses to go pick veggies for her life, I had not admiration for someone to choose to play a game for a living because they can. It makes absolutely no sense to be a fan because a rich person decided to play a game that takes effort.

To me (and seemingly most here) it's more admirable to actually have risk in your life when you choose to play a game that takes effort to survive in. That's exactly why Venus and Serena's stories are so much more special.

You can't ever convince me that Peluga has had to work anywhere near the Williams sisters to get where she is. Or anywhere near Tiafoe.
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I don’t think you understand what it entails. I mean she’s not going to her local club and playing a couple sets of mixed doubles. She trains between five and eight hours a day. She has to make tons of sacrifices as far as what she eats and drinks. The person on the other side of the net needs the money, she doesn’t.
 
Drew S. said:
I don’t think you understand what it entails. I mean she’s not going to her local club and playing a couple sets of mixed doubles. She trains between five and eight hours a day. She has to make tons of sacrifices as far as what she eats and drinks. The person on the other side of the net needs the money, she doesn’t.
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And that's good because why? How exactly is it admirable for a rich person to "make sacrifices"? It's a freaking game.

Seriously?

Come on, lets not make up reasons to admire rich people.

She's making the "sacrifice" to have fun. That's it. Big freaking deal. Has nothing to do to get mom and dad a livable house to live in.

Everyone of these players are making the same sacrifice. All of them. Being able to do it because you are rich and could sit back and watch TV all day as an alternative is not something that is really that amazing.

Although it does explain why people like you think it was admirable for a rich moron like dumpy to run for President, when it very much was not. Compared to Obama who came from very humble beginnings to make it to the White House.
 
MichVandal said:
Lol, it's not as if she is out in the fields picking your meal. It's a game.
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I will never compliment a billionaire unless it's to say their head rolled perfectly into the basket, however at that level it is not a game. It's pure work. Most athletes are in pain most of the time. And quite frankly the absence of even the slightest opportunity to delude yourself into thinking the activity has some innate value must make it worse. Even actors convince themselves they are somehow contributing a message for the betterment of society. God, even models. Professional athletes have no such refuge. Dance, monkey, dance.

I really hate when people say "they're paid millions to play a game." That is the equivalent of saying being a sex worker must be fun because hey who doesn't like getting laid.
 
Kepler said:
I will never compliment a billionaire unless it's to say their head rolled perfectly into the basket, however at that level it is not a game. It's pure work. Most athletes are in pain most of the time. And quite frankly the absence of even the slightest opportunity to delude yourself into thinking the activity has some innate value must make it worse. Even actors convince themselves they are somehow contributing a message for the betterment of society. God, even models. Professional athletes have no such refuge. Dance, monkey, dance.

I really hate when people say "they're paid millions to play a game." That is the equivalent of saying being a sex worker must be fun because hey who doesn't like getting laid.
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But it IS a game. Moreso for her than the rest of the field.

Just because people work super duper hard to play it does not change the fact that it's a game for the entertainment of the viewers.

Tennis adds entertainment to society, picking food actually feeds them. Entertainment is important, sure. Food is required.

I'm not saying it's better or worse- the winners really do work incredibly hard to play the game. BTW, I'm not sure why you think acting and being a model is so much easier than an athlete- many of the former make massive sacrifices, too, to be healthy. Can a model eat a hamburger whenever they want?

But lets not elevate entertainment much more than just entertainment. It's awesome and all, and puts a lot of meaning toward life. But it's not food or water.
 
Drew S. said:
It helps up to a point, but to get to the level she is at there are no shortcuts. The people who think the money is the reason she’s there don’t understand tennis.
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Money definitely helped her get there because it helped her every step of the way.

My wife and I used to have near fights about this because we both went the same PhD route and it was VERY important to her for me to realize it has been easier for me than her, and thus that I didn't deserve it as much, because I came from the 90th economic percentile while she came from the 70th.

(Nobody here has never met anyone who comes from 50th or below. 50th or below is so insanely horrific nobody in possession of a computer and the time to post on USCHO will ever be able to conceive of it.)

I started out a bit peeved at this because I worked my adorable teenage butt off to get my 4.3 and get into an Ivy and then get my 4.3 and my 1760 so I could get into a Stanford PhD program and blah blah blah, without any tutors. So she said: "Fine, but did you have to work fulltime while you did it? Did you have a kid at 20? Do you have the support of parents who had graduated college and appreciated and supported what that meant? Did you have friends who were going along the same path? Did your school have resources? Did you neighborhood have the tax base to have a great library? Did you have health care? Did you have quiet at night?"

And she was right and I changed my mind. Partly I changed because of analogy: I met so many kids in college who came from the 99th economic percentile, and they all worked just as hard as I had, and they were all rightfully proud of it because they knew blow off peers who didn't achieve what they did. But... they also had personal tutors, and went to private schools where they didn't have to worry about the threat of the idiot 50% of the public school population, and had 10x the resources I did. And they felt just like I did: "I earned this." Because, they did.

When I went up against the best college graduates in the country to get into the best grad school I was the equivalent of what you are talking about: 5000 applicants, 5 spots. At that level you have to perform. You have to be the real deal. But it is important for me to know I was the real deal in large part because I grew up advantaged. I still earned it, and yes after a point I actually gained no further advantage, but by then I had been given so much that I was Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger that the rest. So to say ignore how I got there and just ascribe to my personal merit my achievement from then on is naive and wrong.
 
Kepler said:
Money definitely helped her get there because it helped her every step of the way.

My wife and I used to have near fights about this because we both went the same PhD route and it was VERY important to her for me to realize it has been easier for me than her, and thus that I didn't deserve it as much, because I came from the 90th economic percentile while she came from the 70th.

(Nobody here has never met anyone who comes from 50th or below. 50th or below is so insanely horrific nobody in possession of a computer and the time to post on USCHO will ever be able to conceive of it.)

I started out a bit peeved at this because I worked my adorable teenage butt off to get my 4.3 and get into an Ivy and then get my 4.3 and my 1760 so I could get into a Stanford PhD program and blah blah blah, without any tutors. So she said: "Fine, but did you have to work fulltime while you did it? Did you have a kid at 20? Do you have the support of parents who had graduated college and appreciated and supported what that meant? Did you have friends who were going along the same path? Did your school have resources? Did you neighborhood have the tax base to have a great library? Did you have health care? Did you have quiet at night?"

And she was right and I changed my mind. Partly I changed because of analogy: I met so many kids in college who came from the 99th economic percentile, and they all worked just as hard as I had, and they were all rightfully proud of it because they knew blow off peers who didn't achieve what they did. But... they also had personal tutors, and went to private schools where they didn't have to worry about the threat of the idiot 50% of the public school population, and had 10x the resources I did. And they felt just like I did: "I earned this." Because, they did.

When I went up against the best college graduates in the country to get into the best grad school I was the equivalent of what you are talking about: 5000 applicants, 5 spots. At that level you have to perform. You have to be the real deal. But it is important for me to know I was the real deal in large part because I grew up advantaged. I still earned it, and yes after a point I actually gained no further advantage, but by then I had been given so much that I was Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger that the rest. So to say ignore how I got there and just ascribe to my personal merit my achievement from then on is naive and wrong.
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I appreciate your other post on being a professional athlete and it is right on the money.

This is a fine point, but just want to clarify that I’m not praising her for getting there as much as staying there and kicking on. There absolutely is an advantage to her as far helping her get there but her ability to stay is down to her own graft and I would argue being so wealthy actually works against her. There is a very easy way out for her and she’s chosen not to take it.
 
Drew S. said:
I appreciate your other post on being a professional athlete and it is right on the money.

This is a fine point, but just want to clarify that I’m not praising her for getting there as much as staying there and kicking on. There absolutely is an advantage to her as far helping her get there but her ability to stay is down to her own graft and I would argue being so wealthy actually works against her. There is a very easy way out for her and she’s chosen not to take it.
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Some society we have when it's an admirable thing when a rich person does not take the "easy" path. Man, you really set the bar high, drew. Way to play down your life.
 
MichVandal said:
Some society we have when it's an admirable thing when a rich person does not take the "easy" path. Man, you really set the bar high, drew. Way to play down your life.
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Being hateful and resentful towards her isn’t going to make my life any better. I think it’s impressive what she’s done, and am objectively someone in a pretty good position to judge.
 
MichVandal said:
Some society we have when it's an admirable thing when a rich person does not take the "easy" path. Man, you really set the bar high, drew. Way to play down your life.
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Yeah I don’t get it.

I know professional athletes in three different sports. None of them sliver spooned. I know how hard they have to work.

none of them view themselves as heroes for how hard they train and work very hard. This thinking that this particular person is so special because she could have acted like a trump kid instead is hilarious. Good for her, doesn’t make her some huge special person
 
I don't follow tennis closely enough to know much about Pegula, what I've read here is the extent of my knowledge.
Yes, she has had an easier path and all the resources to be successful, but it still requires hard work and dedication to make it to the top 10 in whatever career you choose.

I guess I don't understand the hate. Am I jealous of the 1% and think they could do more to help level the playing field for all? yes. Do I think the story of having to work your way up from nothing is more inspiring? yes, but I wish our country did more to help everyone avoid poverty so we wouldn't have those stories.

What would you have the children born with silver spoons do differently to earn your respect? Or is that not possible, we just automatically despise them for having the things we dream about?
 
Drew S. said:
Being hateful and resentful towards her isn’t going to make my life any better. I think it’s impressive what she’s done, and am objectively someone in a pretty good position to judge.
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Naturally, you think that not being a fan, or being less than a fan is hate. Good on you.

I don't resent her, I don't hate her. But I don't root for her and I very much don't admire her.

And the game I see her play isn't one that I'm looking to watch.
 
MichVandal said:
Naturally, you think that not being a fan, or being less than a fan is hate. Good on you.

I don't resent her, I don't hate her. But I don't root for her and I very much don't admire her.

And the game I see her play isn't one that I'm looking to watch.
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The only player I hate is the Serb.

couldn’t care less about this woman
 
wolverineTrumpet said:
I don't follow tennis closely enough to know much about Pegula, what I've read here is the extent of my knowledge.
Yes, she has had an easier path and all the resources to be successful, but it still requires hard work and dedication to make it to the top 10 in whatever career you choose.

I guess I don't understand the hate. Am I jealous of the 1% and think they could do more to help level the playing field for all? yes. Do I think the story of having to work your way up from nothing is more inspiring? yes, but I wish our country did more to help everyone avoid poverty so we wouldn't have those stories.

What would you have the children born with silver spoons do differently to earn your respect? Or is that not possible, we just automatically despise them for having the things we dream about?
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I think it’s mostly people in the modern world not being happy for others. She’s done really well for herself and instead of choosing to be happy people choose to be bitter and resentful.
 
Drew S. said:
I’ve got a ton of respect for her. She could have a comfortable, easy life but instead is out there grinding. It takes a ton of work to get to where she is.

Tiafoe doesn’t have the talent Alcaraz does but should have a good chance after Alcaraz’s match last night. Hopefully Alcaraz is out of gas and Tiafoe makes the final. Ruud is probably the favorite right now.
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Ruud is through to the final. Hopefully in the next few hours Big Foe can join him.
 
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