POLL: Is Jordan Spieth a Whiny Baby?

[ScouseJohnny]

2 hours ago, Phil McGleno said:

Some members today were talking about how Jordan Spieth is a whiny baby-Their words not mine. That he whines about bad breaks or bad shots or putts that lip out or whatever.

I disagree, but if that's an important topic of debate for some, then so be it, I suppose.
 

Quote

 

That if Tiger did those things thousands would hate him but because he is Jordan he is okay still.-But they did not like him.

What do you all think?

 

 

 

I think Tiger Woods is completely irrelevant to any question of whether or not Jordan Spieth is whiny.

Edited July 26, 2017 by ScouseJohnny

[iacas]

Just now, ScouseJohnny said:

I think Tiger Woods is completely irrelevant to any question of whether or not Jordan Spieth is whiny.

I don't (speaks to a double standard, possibly racial reasons?), but man do you love to latch onto ANY Tiger mention. Let one or two slide now and then, man.

[ScouseJohnny]

Just now, iacas said:

I don't (speaks to a double standard, possibly racial reasons?), but man do you love to latch onto ANY Tiger mention. Let one or two slide now and then, man.

I genuinely loved watching Tiger in his prime. I am bemused by the extent to which his name is somehow introduced into practically every single tour-related thread whenever I read this site, often under the most tenuous of circumstances. I understand the direct comparisons with the other greats of the game, both pre and post Tiger (the Nicklaus thread makes sense, for example).

I have a friend at work who regards himself as a bit of a musicologist. A very nice guy, but unfortunately he is also a massive Beatles fan. Therefore every single solitary conversation about music, alas, is quantified against the (in his mind) unquestioned brilliance of the Beatles...It gets a bit dull. Time moves on. Sometimes it feels as though Tiger is to golf as the Beatles were to music. And both, I think, belong to history, not the present. That doesn't mean they shouldn't be discussed, but sometimes they are discussed too much, in contemporary terms.

[iacas]

6 minutes ago, ScouseJohnny said:

I genuinely loved watching Tiger in his prime. I am bemused by the extent to which his name is somehow introduced into practically every single tour-related thread whenever I read this site, often under the most tenuous of circumstances.

It doesn't happen nearly as often as you think, I think. Bit of a Baader-Meinhof thing going on here. And you're as responsible as many others for it.

Back on topic please.

[Vinsk]

10 minutes ago, iacas said:

 Baader-Meinhof thing going on here. 

Yes, back on topic...but what a beautiful reference...

[Golfingdad]

I voted that yes, he is a little whiny and yes I like him.

Hes just a lot more vocal than others.  Many players might hit that same shot he hit on purpose on 1 on Sunday and been annoyed at the bounce, but just not said anything out loud.

Another notable "whiny" incident was during his US Open victory a couple years ago.  Don't remember which round but it was it was on one of the holes that they rotated between par 4 and par 5 each day talking about how dumb it was that they did that.

Yes he whines, but like Erik, I kinda like it because it's his character.

[Hardspoon]

I voted that he is a little whiny, but I still like him.

I think the "reality show effect" applies to sports stars as well - you often see such a small, selected piece of their lives/personalities, so it's silly to think that you can actually know what a person is like.  When you say Spieth is "whiny", what it really means is that he is whiny under the very narrow set of circumstances in which you see him (ie, competition, and really only on the rounds/shots they choose to show on television).

[Rsuslow]

I like him.  I don't think he's whiny, I think he puts a lot of pressure on himself and gets disappointed when he doesn't live up to his own expectations.  When he gets a bad bounce, I don't think he's blaming anyone other than himself.

If you want to see whiny, follow me on the course haha.

[ScouseJohnny]

29 minutes ago, iacas said:

It doesn't happen nearly as often as you think, I think. Bit of a Baader-Meinhof thing going on here. And you're as responsible as many others for it.

Back on topic please.

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Baader-Meinhof

In this particular context? Christ, that's gibberish. You haven't a clue on that score, sorry.

Look (and I appreciate this should be a PM, but I really can't be bothered) - you're the site owner, please ban me into perpetuity, forthwith. Life is too short. Goodbye.

[iacas]

8 hours ago, ScouseJohnny said:

In this particular context? Christ, that's gibberish. You haven't a clue on that score, sorry.

Look (and I appreciate this should be a PM, but I really can't be bothered) - you're the site owner, please ban me into perpetuity, forthwith. Life is too short. Goodbye.

Read more  

Ban yourself. I'm not doing it for you. All you ever talk about is others talking about Tiger. (See how that works?)

Baader-Meinhof.

[Vinsk]

8 hours ago, Hardspoon said:

I voted that he is a little whiny, but I still like him.

I think the "reality show effect" applies to sports stars as well - you often see such a small, selected piece of their lives/personalities, so it's silly to think that you can actually know what a person is like.  When you say Spieth is "whiny", what it really means is that he is whiny under the very narrow set of circumstances in which you see him (ie, competition, and really only on the rounds/shots they choose to show on television).

I can't speak for the others, but I think all we're referring to is just that..on the course. I'm certainly not suggesting he's 'a whiny person' as I do not know him at all. I'm only saying what I've seen myself regarding Jordan Spieth as a PGA tour pro.

Pure speculation here but for an example of Spieth in a less favorable light:

Real Spieth: "this is crap...pure crap..hit a great shot and not get rewarded."

Spieth on mic: " Well we thought we hit a great tee shot but ended up in the long rough. But that's just one of the wonderful challenges this beautiful golf course throws at us...and The Open in general"

8 hours ago, ScouseJohnny said:

I'm afraid

Eaaaaaasy Johnny....no need to be afraid. Just talking a little golf talk...

[Hategolf]

I dont know what you are talking about.

[MacDutch]

I admire Spieth for his mental toughness. I like it when he shouts to his ball to go hard or something. I like it that he shows emotion on the golfcourse. Off the golfcourse he sometimes is a class act and sometimes a 23 old guy making fun.

All together: I like him a lot. Whining baby? Look around you at the golfcourse and also assess yourself. If Jordan is a whining baby, 95% of us are bigger whining baby's.

I could be wrong about the 95%, could be more.

[70sSanO]

I wouldn't classify Spieth as a whiner, especially for a 23 year old.

I probably wouldn't compare him to Tiger.  A 23 year old Tiger is playing in the 90's, different era and maybe expectations compared to the millennialist generation.

Now it would be interesting to compare Jordan's demeanor to Jon Rahm.

John

[Midpack]

It's been a while, but remember when we rarely if ever heard what pros said while playing and didn't know much if anything about their personal lives. Some of golfs past idols wouldn't be so favorably viewed in today's world from what we've learned subsequently. I wonder if there were discussions about whether Palmer, Nicklaus or Player were whiny? Progress?

I tend to view players by their performance, especially under pressure or when faced with a bad situation. Not how they'd fare on an episode of some reality show. Our culture sure loves to find any reason to tear others down these days. Speith is a great player, I don't much care if he whines or not. YMMV

Edited July 26, 2017 by Midpack

[CarlSpackler]

I didn't vote. I have never met Jordan, and I don't think I could make this call unless I did. Even then I try not to paint people into corners. There is enough hate in the world without me adding to it. 

[boogielicious]

On a scale of 10 to 1, 10 being incredibly whiny (a.k.a Bubba Watson) to 1, not whiny at all (Matt Kutchar), I see Jordan around a 4 or 5 or average for the PGA. He is certainly not in the league of Bubba or even is friend Justin Thomas, but let's his emotions show more than Kutcher or Davis Love III as an example.

I also think we should separate anger at one's self from whiny. Many of Jordan's emotional moments are anger at himself. He will usually say, "Oh Jordan!" out loud, which is very similar to Tiger. 

I see whiny as more of blaming the course for your own mistake. You see it when Pros step back incredulously after missing a putt and wave their hands with fervor indicating the putt should have broken left but gravity conspired against them in this instance. Or when they put it in the water on a par 3 then grab grass with anger and recheck the wind instead of acknowledging the real cause of a heavy shot or over-curving their shot.

With that, I like to see emotion on the course. Jordan, Rory, DJ, Day etc. are the new faces of the PGA Tour. We watch because it is really happening with real people. They suffer some of the same frustrations as we do on the course, which is refreshing.

[Wally Fairway]

I voted that he is a little whiny, because I think that is the perception. But really I think it is 2 things - a) he can get down on himself, and he talks to himself (and to Michael) on the course and most of that is picked up these days; and b) he speaks his mind in pressers and isn't a robot with the media.

I look at this past weeks final round and I didn't see him being whiny either with his tee shot at #1 (I think he was surprised it didn't jump out of the rough, but I wouldn't call it whiny and his adventure on #13 he wasn't whiny.

I think if it was an option I would vote people will always find something to complain about - with Jordan it should be his slow play, due to his pre-shot rituals and resets.