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PLAYER NAME Rankles Against "Gritty" Image
PLAYER NAME wants you to know he's not "plucky." His heart isn't any bigger or smaller than the average ball player. He's hasn't made it with spit and determination, hasn't made the "most out of the least," and has never tried to impress the manager by dirtying his uniform.
"What would impress me? As a manager? Is whether or not I got the damn out, not if I got a face full of dirt or whatever."
Spend a day watching baseball, and you're likely to hear about players who are "gritty" or "gutsy," who "leave it all out on the field" and "just battle up there at the plate."
But PLAYER NAME suggests you take a careful look at who the announcers tag with "tenacious" descriptions.
"99% of the time, it's a guy like me who doesn't fit the slugger mold. You know, not built like a linebacker."
Though beat reporters and broadcast announcers likely mean no harm in stereotyping smaller players, it's the implication that shorter players need super-human willpower to succeed in the league that irritates PLAYER NAME.
"Really, it's worse than a back-handed compliment," says PLAYER NAME. "You're saying the way I survived at this level is not through skill and ability, but through some magical Joe Morgan-esque force called 'Guts' or 'Grit.'"
I made this team the same way the other 24 guys did -- by being one of the best 500 or so ballplayers in the world."
According to PLAYER NAME, it goes beyond lazy broadcaster shorthand, too; there's an element of race involved, too.
"How many black guys have you ever heard described as being 'plucky?'" PLAYER NAME asks. "How many Dominicans have guts like those I supposedly pack? It's dumb, it's lazy, and it's insulting."
Requirements
White
Under 6'
Effect
Small decrease in national popularity
Small increase in local popularity
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