Rousey

Students have asked me if I like Ronda Rousey, and now in the wake of her defeat there are a lot of criticisms being aired. Sad that people feel the need to reserve commentary on what appear to be negative personality traits for fear of being shouted down by those who cannot separate an athlete's skill, dedication to greatness, sacrifice, and talent from their behavior, demeanor, or persona. How long is the list of elite athletes who have been condemned for their attitudes and behaviors toward things that are totally unrelated to their jobs? "It's different," I'm told, "And you're not a fighter; you don't understand." Granted, I'm not a professional fighter, but I'm also not a police officer or sherif's deputy and yet I know that those men and women are quite capable of fighting for their lives without the necessity for hyping, confidence boosting, building a brand, or because they're highly skilled and have worked so hard - all reasons listed for the least appreciated Rousey behaviors. Others claim that as long as Rousey is "doing her job" her attitude or behavior are irrelevant. Ironically, those who make such a claim are often those who complain about how rude their server is, how nonchalant the DMV worker is, or how disrespectful a sales associate is. I don't want to conceive of a world where publicly displayed attitude and personality don't matter. 

So, do I like Ronda Rousey? I appreciate her dedication, skill, and pioneering spirit, but I don't know her beyond what has been portrayed about her through the media, so I don't know if I "like" her. I can say that I would feel honored to meet her and would hope to have a conversation steeped in the humility, grace, and thoughtfulness that I presume are part of her lesser publicized self. Maybe this defeat will allow her handlers (and I hope they are very good to her in terms of future planning) to reveal a different side of the Rousey experience. 

Farang!