04/18/24
February 13, 2011
Just a Game?: Donnie Moore was the California Angels' relief ace in 1986. After he gave up a home run that began the Angels' collapse in the ALCS, Moore's life and psyche steadily deteriorated, until he committed suicide in 1989. Steve Hofstetter wrote about Moore and the divergent paths taken by other athletes in similar situations (via MetaFilter).
You know, I can see how this would happen, sadly enough. I play a goofy online game that has tournaments and I lost a best 2 out of 3 match last week. The losses stuck with me for almost a day: replayed it in my head, getting frustrated around unrelated issues, etc. All of these things totally disproportionate to the importance of the event.
So I see this as an amplification of this state of mind by 10,000%. I can imagine someone whose entire life is dedicated to becoming the best they can be, their waking hours dedicated to gaining an edge over opponents. This psychic energy has to go somewhere, and I think certain personalities are better adjusted to deal with the competitive stress and public failure than others.
posted by jeremias at 08:48 AM on February 14, 2011
oops
posted by amatzek at 09:15 AM on February 14, 2011
Here's a Instapaper version that's easier to read.