From the best sports movie I’ve ever seen: Searching for Bobby Fisher
(Joan Allen) "He's not afraid of losing. He's afraid of losing your love. How many ball players grow up afraid of losing their fathers' love every time they come up to the plate?"
Very interesting Joe, thanks so much for giving the additional info about Richard. A couple thoughts- 1) I haven’t seen the movie but your description made me think of the movie The Founder, about Ray Kroc. It showed his good and his bad side, and while it left me a little uneasy about the man it seemed to be a pretty thorough showing of his complexity, for better or worse. Clearly from your description that is missing in the Williams movie, And based on the stories you just told that would probably make it a way more compelling movie.
2) It sounds from your description that the movie portrayed Richard as being all about his girls, but the stories you told that did not make the final cut show a man that was all about himself.
There likely won't be a movie, but go read about Mike Trout and his dad.
Makes me think it is always about the child and little to do with wether the parent simply supports and encourages or takes the tough love approach. Professional sports is hard and very few succeed and even fewer are elite.
Makes me wonder what Federer, Nadal and Djokovic relationships were with their parents.
Don’t have a link. But have read some shorter pieces on Trout’s dad and his relationship with his son. From what I read he is pretty much the opposite of King Richard, Mantle’s , Brett’, and Fisk’s dads (to name a few cases of very pushy dads). He played minor league ball, but never pushed his son to play. Was supportive without being obsessive.
Start with Joe's essay from his Baseball 100. He's #27. I've heard bits and pieces when people talk about Mike and where his talent came from. Seems he was more the encouraging type than the vicarious approach from missing out on his own shot.
Thanks Joe. For the stories of Richard that you used that were not in the movie, is there a good book available that profiles him that you’d recommend?
I know people are complicated, I get that, but I agree with Ed K. PLUS, I do not care that he made them “champions.” Sports parents like him, and millions of others, make me physically ill. Mickey Mantle was a great baseball player—-and I am old enough to remember watching him play—-but what a sad and honestly pitiful human being he was, and what a depressing life he had. What does it profit a man to gain the whole world……
I get it. Loving daughters want to honor their father. But the question is: are we really supposed to accept that a man who would willingly walk out on, and abandon, his first family, did all that he could for Serena and Venus out of paternal love? To me, the most important measure of a person, regardless of the extent of their other achievements, is how well they do well by their families. Williams may have been an amazingly successful motivator and coach for his daughters (frankly, despite my personal repugnance, I will admit am not qualified to judge his particular choices in motivating the sisters), but he remains for me a less than admirable human being.
My wife’s father walked out on his first family as well. And became an entirely different father for her. Loving. Supportive. Empathetic. Life is complex.
From the best sports movie I’ve ever seen: Searching for Bobby Fisher
(Joan Allen) "He's not afraid of losing. He's afraid of losing your love. How many ball players grow up afraid of losing their fathers' love every time they come up to the plate?"
(Joe Mantegna) "All of them."
So, I wonder, does Katie beat you at Tennis?
Very interesting Joe, thanks so much for giving the additional info about Richard. A couple thoughts- 1) I haven’t seen the movie but your description made me think of the movie The Founder, about Ray Kroc. It showed his good and his bad side, and while it left me a little uneasy about the man it seemed to be a pretty thorough showing of his complexity, for better or worse. Clearly from your description that is missing in the Williams movie, And based on the stories you just told that would probably make it a way more compelling movie.
2) It sounds from your description that the movie portrayed Richard as being all about his girls, but the stories you told that did not make the final cut show a man that was all about himself.
I read about sports, mostly baseball, mostly because of great sportswriters, like you, Joe. Now I have to read more about tennis...
There likely won't be a movie, but go read about Mike Trout and his dad.
Makes me think it is always about the child and little to do with wether the parent simply supports and encourages or takes the tough love approach. Professional sports is hard and very few succeed and even fewer are elite.
Makes me wonder what Federer, Nadal and Djokovic relationships were with their parents.
Hi Robert. Is there a link you’d recommend about Mike Trout and his dad?
Don’t have a link. But have read some shorter pieces on Trout’s dad and his relationship with his son. From what I read he is pretty much the opposite of King Richard, Mantle’s , Brett’, and Fisk’s dads (to name a few cases of very pushy dads). He played minor league ball, but never pushed his son to play. Was supportive without being obsessive.
Start with Joe's essay from his Baseball 100. He's #27. I've heard bits and pieces when people talk about Mike and where his talent came from. Seems he was more the encouraging type than the vicarious approach from missing out on his own shot.
Thanks Joe. For the stories of Richard that you used that were not in the movie, is there a good book available that profiles him that you’d recommend?
I know people are complicated, I get that, but I agree with Ed K. PLUS, I do not care that he made them “champions.” Sports parents like him, and millions of others, make me physically ill. Mickey Mantle was a great baseball player—-and I am old enough to remember watching him play—-but what a sad and honestly pitiful human being he was, and what a depressing life he had. What does it profit a man to gain the whole world……
I love sports, but sports parents, not so much………
Love Joe’s words on any subject, this included!
If the movie told the complete story, Will Smith would have been unlikely to star in it.
I get it. Loving daughters want to honor their father. But the question is: are we really supposed to accept that a man who would willingly walk out on, and abandon, his first family, did all that he could for Serena and Venus out of paternal love? To me, the most important measure of a person, regardless of the extent of their other achievements, is how well they do well by their families. Williams may have been an amazingly successful motivator and coach for his daughters (frankly, despite my personal repugnance, I will admit am not qualified to judge his particular choices in motivating the sisters), but he remains for me a less than admirable human being.
My wife’s father walked out on his first family as well. And became an entirely different father for her. Loving. Supportive. Empathetic. Life is complex.
Wow. That conclusion.
Just cut this out ready to paste into the replies of any Joe column
I mean - yes, of course. But that was some "Letter to Brezhnev" kind of magic.