0
0
You won’t find a more surprising interview about swimming than a podcast Lilly King did recently with the Olympic Channel.
King talked about how she likes to intimidate opponents before her events so she “wins before the race even starts.”
“If I am going against a really great swimmer, I can stare that person down and they’re going to freak out and be scared of me,” she said. “I try to scare the people next to me and it usually works.”
The strategy’s been working. For the past five years, she’s dominated the 100-meter breaststroke and is the world record-holder in the event. She won the Gold Medal at the 2016 Olympic Games and is favored to win it again in Tokyo this summer.
“I’m the first to say I am cocky but I can back I up,” she said. “There’s a reason I act like that.”
So what should we think about Lilly’s approach to competition and attitude about how she behaves?
Well, my first reaction is it’s not cool to try to freak out anyone. Many of the greatest champions of all time, including Michael Phelps, didn’t actively try to freak out his opponents.
Yet we admire him. He became the greatest of all time by being classy and focusing on how fast he swam without making it a priority to mess with the minds of competitors. Phelps did it the right way.
So it’s not classy to do what Lilly does and for that, she deserves to be called out. There’s this thing called understated elegance. It’s about being good but not flaunting it in everyone’s faces. Understated elegance never goes out of style. Lilly’s not that but hopefully, she embraces this classy way of living.
My second feeling is that she’s not aligned with the philosophy of many of the great sports figures of all time who didn’t feel the need to talk about opponents. They thought it was wrong and misguided.
Ever hear of John Wooden, the greatest college basketball coach of all time who won seven national titles with UCLA? Not in a million years would the late Wooden have said he tried to “scare” his opponents or say he was “cocky” but “backed it up.” Check that: not in a billion years.
He didn’t believe in scouting other teams and never bad-mouthed competitors. He believed it was most important to focus on his team’s performance.
Another great basketball coach, Morgan Wootten, used to often say to never try to beat someone else. Focus on being the best you can be. Embracing this philosophy, the late Wootten became the greatest high school basketball coach of all time.
Like these two great men, Lilly would be wise to focus more on being the best she can be and stop trying to psychologically torment rivals. No man nor woman wants to experience that. It’s just not kind nor admirable behavior. It spreads bad feelings between people.
Now let’s address Lilly’s self-admitted cockiness. Give her credit for being honest. But who likes a cocky person especially one who says they’re cocky and follows that up saying they can back up their cockiness?
No one.
Lilly would be more likable and appealing if she was more humble and showed more appreciation for her amazing talent rather than flaunting it in our faces. She’s lucky to have the talent she has. Thousands of swimmers would love to have her precious gift – blazing-fast breast stroking – but they just don’t.
It’s not a matter so much of who works the hardest to be the fastest. All the elite swimmers do. But she just has that extra edge because she’s a swimming savant and yes her self-admitted hatred of losing propels her to great heights.
Be grateful for that, Lilly. You’ve been given a precious physical gift to swim fast, a strong and confident mind, a healthy disdain for losing, and have catapulted to heights almost no one in swimming ever will. Boasting about yourself is off-putting and unnecessary.
People shouldn’t brag about their great attributes. I know you think it gives you confidence, but it’s a bad look. At a cocktail party once your swimming career is over, if you talk this way you’ll likely not be invited back again. You’ll have fewer friends.
Of course, there’s another side to this. Lilly is a woman and there’s this societal belief out there that when women are cocky it’s off-putting but when men are cocky it’s applauded.
Well, let’s unpack that. Michael Jordan was as great at his craft of basketball – more so actually – than King. I admired his talent and competitiveness just like I do with King. But he also stared down his opponents and tried to intimidate them.
I’ve never admired him for that. It’s not cool to be mean to people. Sure it’s great to compete, practice hard, and aspire to greatness but not at the expense of other people being put down and made uncomfortable and deliberately trying to make them feel bad about themselves.
Michael should have left all those people alone. He still would have been the greatest basketball player ever, but even if he never got there he would not have been justified to freak out people on purpose. I remember Michael Jordan as much for tormenting opponents – and even teammates – as much as I do his greatness. It’s a dark side I find unappealing, and it has tarnished his image forever.
Like Michael, Lilly should leave her opponents alone. We don’t admire people who mess with the minds of other people with the main intent of freaking them out.
That’s not sportsmanship. That’s mental abuse.
Author Profile
-
Sammy Sportface, a sports blogger, galvanizes, inspires, and amuses The Baby Boomer Brotherhood. And you can learn about his vision and join this group's Facebook page here:
Sammy Sportface Has a Vision -- Check It Out
Sammy Sportface -- The Baby Boomer Brotherhood Blog -- Facebook Page
Latest entries
ACCMarch 24, 2025From Boyhood to Old Man, Still a Terps Fan
NBAMarch 8, 2025What Joker Did Last Night Can’t Be Understood
BonusFebruary 28, 2025It’s Official/Inevitable: AI Takes Over Baby Boomer Brotherhood Blog
BonusFebruary 25, 2025On My Living Room Mantel: Framed Photo of Caitlin Clark
So glad you called this obnoxious swimmer out. I saw that interview and was stunned and embarrassed that she was representing the US. From that moment on, I cheered for her opponents to win. So glad she was denied a gold medal. I deeply regret she was representing my country. Too bad we can’t take back the bronze and silver she won. Thrilled for Lydia Jacoby who won Gold in the 100 Breaststroke and Tatjana Schoenmaker who won Silver in the 100 & Gold in the 200 Breaststroke who both beat Lilly. They seem to be both better swimmers and gracious competitors. I also noticed how quickly Lilly pushed right in front of Tatjana (who won the silver in the 100 and was in the lane between Jacoby & Lilly) and photo bombed Jacoby’s moment at the win and jumped in after in Jacoby’s interview with the press. Did not believe that was out of sportsmanship after what she said earlier. Just someone who wanted to take the spotlight. Pitiful.