Thursday, January 31, 2013
Team Lloyd Irvin Hate Explained
You can read a bunch of it here, on Sherdog.
The fact that the detractors are describing the house where the competitors live as cultish, or that the us versus them mentality is somehow unique to Team Lloyd Irvin, or that it's absurd to chase medals in a sport which is largely unpaid all fly in the face of things like the Olympics, most competitive teams have an us versus them mentality, and that many of us pursue jiu-jitsu despite the lack of a clear path or monetary reward.
No one says someone who wants to go to the Olympics, and goes to the OTC, and takes out loans, and sacrifices relationships and a personal life is part of a cult.
It is seen as the pinnacle of human sport and achievement, even if it is Curling or some form of interpretive dance combined with gymnastics. This along with the fact that there is little to any direct monetary reward for most Olympic athletes.
Regardless of assumptions and opinions formed about the current rape scandal/allegations, and the surfacing of Lloyd's own involvement in a rape case from years ago....the discredit the ideas Lloyd's team propose is missing the forest for the trees.
Look around you.
Most of the guys in your gym don't give 100% in training. They train on days, even the young, unmarried, childless guys would rather chase girls and party than get up to train on a Saturday morning. I have slept through and missed training or not performed at 100% due to these same reasons.
Not all coaches give 100%.
Not all teams perform at 100% of their capabilities.
The 3% number only pisses people off b/c they don't want to acknowledge and hold themselves accountable for their own decisions to perform below the best of their abilities.
They make excuses to not roll when they're tired, or roll with the guy with a great wrestling base, or "so and so" only tapped them b/c he's stronger or fatter or whatever.
When someone points this out, they become defensive and find fault with others rather than honestly acknowledging that they have decided to prioritize their lives differently.
They are whiners and complainers who would rather rationalize their deficiencies rather than address them and face the uncomfortable process of holding themselves accountable.
The us versus them mentality exists in every sport with teams that exists on earth, unless you're selling non-tournament self-defense jiu-jitsu whereby encouraging people to not compete will protect your student base by them not realizing part of their jiu-jitsu training is deficient.
All this backlash against the 3% rather than the real issues at large which are the rape allegations and Lloyd's own rape case, shows that this is really about something other than these new and old allegations.
The same slavish devotion to self-defense jiu-jitsu and discounting competition as a whole is no different than the mentality to win at all costs and only medals matter.
If you can't acknowledge the place for both than you're clearly discounting both the spirit of jiu-jitsu whereby you learn what works against opponents fully resisting and that jiu-jitsu is also to help you defend yourself as a martial art.
It's the same as a steadfast aethist arguing with a hardcore evangelical.
They are both as certain of their own position that neither can consider they, themselves, may be wrong. Nor can they even acknowledge the possibility that they may be wrong.
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'....the [sic] discredit the ideas Lloyd's team propose is missing the forest for the trees. '
ReplyDeleteThey're full-time, professional BJJ competitors - going against amateurs: if their fruity little club was really as incredible as you imply, they would have much, much better results,
Marcelo Garcia: brilliant competitor; Caio Terra: brilliant competitor.
I love both of those guys - really like them; so do a lot of other people. Why?
Because they're not dickheads - even though they're brilliant jiu jitsuka. Which is why this is nonsense:
'The 3% number only pisses people off b/c they don't want to acknowledge and hold themselves accountable for their own decisions to perform below the best of their abilities. '
It doesn't piss anybody off: you've baselessly mischaracterised the position.
People are objecting to Limp Irvin, and his acolytes, because they've adopted a needlessly knobheadish attitude - i.e., 'only 3% of people are worth bothering with'.
That's it.
I hate to burst your bubble, but there are many BJJ competitors - who piss all over Limp, and his pupils - and olympic athletes who haven't resorted to adopting this moronic, pointlessly divisive, baseless, provocative attitude towards others - and people love them.
Thinking you're 'It' is a pretty sure-fire way to get people to think you're a dick - because you're saying you're better than them, and coming off as full of yourself; if you doubt this fact, watch practically any reality TV show.
That's right: these halfwits are on a par with delusional dullards on reality shows.
What you're essentially saying is that an outcome is only possible, or likely, if X; however, it is proven that X is not necessary to achieve the outcome...but people who have drank the Kool-aid will not be told otherwise, of course: Limp's got it goin' on!
And while we're on the matter: Limp Irvin and his little cultists are well-known whining little douches.
Limp - about referees, I recall, and - of course - people giving him shit about being part of a gang rape (poor Limp); David Avellan - about losing in the ADCC; and Jordon Schultz about doing shit in the last Euros - it's pathetic.
So don't fucking tell me that they're part of this elite that doesn't whine, and wins - because it's quite clearly bollocks.
Thank you for your highly emotionally charged response rife with namecalling.
ReplyDelete- As for professionals competing against amateurs....the Olympics is the exact same atmosphere. in some countries competitors make a living and a good one in the upper echelon of the sport when not in training for the Olympics (see Japan in Judo for example).
As for denigrating guys who decide to try and eke out a living and train at a professional level, again it is a matter of choice and sacrifice. it takes nothing away from any competitor who chooses to sacrifice a regular or better paying job/social life/significant other/children in order to train at the highest level possible.
as far as namecalling and references to the rape, again, the purpose of the post, which your response essentially proves is that the rape is simply a lightning rod for those who resent his 3% mentality to now have something to crow about. if you want to be upset about the rape and lloyd's own case, that is for the court of public opinion. to denigrate an entire team that has had more legitimate short term success than other teams with a host of black belts and schools, is again, missing the forest for the trees.