The Paradox of the Ryder Cup

steve@shivas.org — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 01:27:15 GMT

The Paradox of the Ryder Cup

Thinking about the Ryder Cup today I was reminded of this quote from Michael Murphy’s Golf in the Kingdom:

"Our relation to paradox is a barometer of our enlightenment."

I love the Ryder Cup — I deplore the Ryder Cup

I love the Ryder Cup... for its competitive spirit... its sense of history and ritual... the importance of the team over the individual... the excitement and drama of match play and the possibility of bold shot-making that goes with it... and more.

I deplore the Ryder Cup for the relentless media hype... the metaphors of warfare... the glorification of conquest over the experience of the game... the attention to partisanship over sportsmanship... the exaltation of nationalistic pride over the appreciation of sheer athletic ability... and more here too.

So, I love it AND I hate it! I have no pretense that I am very far along on the road to enlightenment but right now both feelings seem true. What I do know is that I am looking forward to this weekend with a strong sense of anticipation and the hope that those things that I love will take precedence.

I’ll be rooting for the “home team,” but win or lose I hope that Shivas’ ideal will prevail, and it will be obvious to all of us that although winning is important, it may not be the most important thing.

Singin' the Praises

The Paradox of the Ryder Cup