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For some young athletes, reaching the pinnacle of their sport means reaching the pinnacle of arrogance. I was discouraged Friday when I read on another website, allegedly pro-level skiers disparaging the Men's Masters competitors and their inclusion at the Global Invitational Pro Event in Grand Rapids. More troubling than disrespect for the Men's Masters skiers, is the flagrant disrespect for Dana Reed.
When I was a child, the rule was, as long as you live in my father's house you abide by his rules. That is a perfect analogy. As long as Dana Reed is the event organizer and is doing all of the work, it is his event. If a skier does not like the format of an event, I suggest they stay home. If a group of skiers wish to raise the money and do all the legwork, they can have an event with any format they choose. At the very least, if you are a pro skier who hopes to receive a paycheck at an event organized by Dana Reed, it is enormously disrespectful to publicly and anonymously criticize him.
I would personally prefer to see a men's and women's three event professional tournament instead of Men's Masters Slalom but I'm not a sponsor and I'm not organizer. I'm going to assume that the decision to run Men's Masters slalom the Global Invitational Pro Event in Grand Rapids was not a thoughtless, random decision.
Many of these young athletes, behind a shroud of anonymity, act as if respect is owed them simply because of their buoy score. I suggest to these young skiers that to be a truly professional athlete, they have to do more than just ski. They have to promote themselves, their sport and their sponsors. At an individual level they have to produce sales for their sponsors. They have to become celebrities. They have to become entertainers. They have to acquire a fan base. If Chet Raley, Chad Scott, Dave Miller or Mike Morgan are better representatives of their sponsors, they are the real pro-skiers.
From a business perspective, the only difference between many pro-skiers and the Men's Masters is boat speed and buoy count. Professional sports is a business. If the professional athletes do not elevate themselves above the amateurs beyond just buoy count, they are indistinguishable from the amateurs. If the audience cannot discriminate between the amateurs and professionals, the professionals have failed.
When professional skiing, becomes more professional, the money will flow in that direction. When professional skiing becomes more professional, old guys like me will be where they belong, sitting in the stands and watching. But in the meantime, let’s show respect to Dana Reed and others involved in promoting the sport to position it for future growth.
John Taylor Horton