Not a choker.

A week or so ago, we as golf fans witnessed some great competition at the US Open. For three days there was a constant struggle among the top 5 or 6 leaders, all either tied or within a few shots of the lead. I thought it was great sports drama to watch the guys in contention vie for the top spots. It was also a great human drama when these great players would miss (to a viewer) an easy putt.

At the end of the weekend's play, the sports media labeled many of those golfers who missed some of those "easy" putts as "chokers" or describing their play as "choking". I personally don't like the term "choke". I think it reflects poorly on any person and is an unfair word to describe a professional athlete. What did these golfers do when they missed a putt? Did they cry and whine on the green? No, they went back to the ball, went through their mental checklist, put the ball in the cup and moved on to the next hole. To me, these are not the actions of a "choker".

Choker.

Saying that any of these golfers "choked" is an easy thing to do by those not under the pressure of the sport at that particular time. Athletes in every sport have failed under pressure at some point in their career. The great athletes are the ones who "choke" the least and are able to put that momentary failure behind them so they can rebound and be ready for the next challenge that they will face. The momentary failures of athletes in action is what makes them human and is what makes sports so entertaining to witness.

Without the small, human mistakes, i.e., "choking," the games we love would be nothing but boring displays of mechanical perfection. In any sport, perfection is the ultimate goal. Athletes rarely, if ever, achieve it but it is their striving for that perfection which compels us as viewers to watch them compete.

June 28, 2001

edmarinaro@sportshollywood.com

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Ed Marinaro

In his three seasons as Cornell's tailback, Ed Marinaro was the all-time leading rusher in Ivy League history. He established eight NCAA career records and was the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy. After turning pro he became a running back for the New York Jets, Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks. Then he turned to acting and played everyone from Joe Coffey on the classic TV show "Hill Street Blues" to Joey Buttafuoco in "Long Island Lolita." In his off-time he enjoys ranting in his column for SportsHollywood.

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