I generally think that Knight went over the top, yeah, but as someone who is both a former athletic competitor (never a pro, by any means, but who was active in college sports) and a "connoiseur of fine whines," <g> I'm inclined to mention what amounts to a uniquely American, perhaps western, cultural nuance:
We love a winner, practically require excellence and domination in our endeavors; but we typically become queasy when exposed to the processes that such an outcome often requires.
Now, I'm not saying that training an athlete, soldier, trader - or artist, for that matter - requires extreme brutality or cruelty, but to be sure: the personalities and/or regimen that each require to instill the discipline and expertise necessary is more than most people would care to be aware of, let alone undergo.
LPS5 |
