Goughy
Hall of Fame Member
A new-ish Malcolm Gladwell book 'Insiders' looks at factors apart from talent that impact people.
Sports being an obvious area and one aspect is timing. Some people arrive 10 years too early, some people ten years too late and some time it just right to make the most of their talent and earnings potential.
Insider= Maxed career potential as hit the scene at the right time
Outsider= Someone that who had a career that was not as big as it could have been due to the culture and environment
An example cited as an insider was Kournikova who earned 10 times as much as she would have done if she would have played 10 years earlier due to the internet revolution fueling her marketability.
An example of an outsider was Larry Holmes who didn’t have the personality to 'sell' himself as a great heavyweight champion, lived in the shadow of Ali and didn’t have glamour opponents with which to have mega-fights. Due to this he never got the recognition he undoubtedly deserved and his legacy is less that it would have been if he was ten years earlier or later.
So, for cricket. Insiders and outsiders?
Insider= Shane Warne. Would have been a great whenever he played but he hit the scene when there was a dearth of spin and was seen as the spin bowling messiah. He also had the personality and distinctive looks to make him stand out from the crowd. He also played on the best team in the world. His career was timed to perfection to maximize his profile and success
Outsider- Ali Brown. Scorer of two list A double-hundreds and one of the most destructive batsmen the game has seen. He was branded a clown by The Times "If Brown had appeared on a one-wheeled bike, wearing a silly hat and a red nose, and thrown custard pies at the umpires, he would scarcely have struck a more ridiculous figure than he did yesterday". He was a player that the English establishment was never comfortable with. He debuted for Surrey in 1990 but if he had debuted in 2000 he would now be a key England player and a multi-millionaire.
Sports being an obvious area and one aspect is timing. Some people arrive 10 years too early, some people ten years too late and some time it just right to make the most of their talent and earnings potential.
Insider= Maxed career potential as hit the scene at the right time
Outsider= Someone that who had a career that was not as big as it could have been due to the culture and environment
An example cited as an insider was Kournikova who earned 10 times as much as she would have done if she would have played 10 years earlier due to the internet revolution fueling her marketability.
An example of an outsider was Larry Holmes who didn’t have the personality to 'sell' himself as a great heavyweight champion, lived in the shadow of Ali and didn’t have glamour opponents with which to have mega-fights. Due to this he never got the recognition he undoubtedly deserved and his legacy is less that it would have been if he was ten years earlier or later.
So, for cricket. Insiders and outsiders?
Insider= Shane Warne. Would have been a great whenever he played but he hit the scene when there was a dearth of spin and was seen as the spin bowling messiah. He also had the personality and distinctive looks to make him stand out from the crowd. He also played on the best team in the world. His career was timed to perfection to maximize his profile and success
Outsider- Ali Brown. Scorer of two list A double-hundreds and one of the most destructive batsmen the game has seen. He was branded a clown by The Times "If Brown had appeared on a one-wheeled bike, wearing a silly hat and a red nose, and thrown custard pies at the umpires, he would scarcely have struck a more ridiculous figure than he did yesterday". He was a player that the English establishment was never comfortable with. He debuted for Surrey in 1990 but if he had debuted in 2000 he would now be a key England player and a multi-millionaire.