Intimidation and Winning in Sports: Woods, Tyson and Jordan

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: August 17, 2010

commentComment        

Mike Tyson hitting the canvas in the McBride fight, the last of his shortened, sad and tragic career epitomizes the way sports intimidation usually ends. A defeat against a nobody. In a venue far away from the past. In a way that makes us sad and feel pity. Even for the intimidator whose only blessing was a special way to get under a competitor's skin and into her or his psyche.

There are many intimidators in sports. In fact, one might make the case that every top sports athlete is an intimidator. Compare Tyson with Ali. Jordan with Bird. Ernhardt with Petty. Woods with Trevino or Palmer. Is each of the first listed athletes an intimidator through style and mental intimidation? Or are they just better athletes? 

While Jordan remains a point of fascination whose career did bottom out but who maintained a semblance of honor and decorum, the others did not retire with grace. One ended in tragedy. All will carry the title "intimidator" to eternity.

Tyson was the epitome of intimidation. He entered the ring and at times his opponents seemed to shudder. Most were unworthy of a second thought, in an era with few rivals and upheaval. Indeed, as has been the case throughout history, a lull in competition tends to allow someone whose major style is intimidation to come through. Can anyone intimidate a whole sport if there is more than one worthy competitor? Doubtful.

So it was with Dale Earnhardt, whose nickname was the Intimidator. Yet, anyone who really follows NASCAR racing knows that intimidation can be everywhere. In the first fully televised NASCAR race in 1979, the Daytona 500, Richard Petty stole the race after Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison wrecked in the final lap. Yarborough, Allison and his brother were caught in a fist fight after the race, cementing the drama and culture of NASCAR ever since.

Do we like intimidation? Is it the essence of sports, or something to detest? Is winning all ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Golf

Latest News


Comments

Comments are closed.

Sponsors

Bruins Tickets The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Red Wings Tickets The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League.

Penguins Tickets The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New York Rangers Tickets play their home games at Madison Square Garden, they are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion franchise, and are part of the group of teams referred to as the Original Six.

San Jose Sharks Tickets The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States.

Toronto Maple Leafs Tickets The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New Jersey Devils Tickets The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Washington Capitals Tickets The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C.

Buffalo Sabres Tickets The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League. Get the Sabres and all of your NHL Tickets here.

NASCAR season is on of the most attended sports in the world. NASCAR Tickets to the best tracks is a must every year. Some of these tracks are: Talladega Tickets, Lowes Motor Speedway Tickets, Pocono Raceway Tickets, located in Ridgeway Virginia you have Martinsville Speedway Tickets and southern US you have two of the most popular Atlanta Motor Speedway Tickets and Texas Motor Speedway Tickets. Don't miss all the racing events this year!

Boston Red Sox Tickets The Boston Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Since 1912, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park. This is one of the hottest MLB Tickets sales of any team in the major league.

New York Yankees Tickets The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division. Get tickets to one of the hottest games of the season Yankees Red Sox Tickets.

Chicago Cubs Tickets The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League.

Phillies Tickets The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883.

Orioles Tickets The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Do you love wrestling? Get your WWE Tickets and WWE Survivor Series Tickets today!