the generalizability of success
i can do a small number of things really well, a slightly larger number of things pretty well, and a whole universe of things poorly. that's why i'm astounded when folks can do a whole universe of things really, really well.trent tucker, the former gopher, bull, and knick, could rain three-pointers of astonishing distance and accuracy. mr. tucker held his eighth annual celebrity golf tournament this weekend, adding a poker tournament to the festivities for the first time this year.
according to the press release, some A-list athletes and card players turned out for the $2,500 buy-in event:
"From the household names like Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Patrick Ewing, and other NBA greats to Poker's elite including Phil Hellmuth, Greg Raymer, Hoyt Corkins, Marcel Luske, Patrik Antonius, Liz Lieu, John Phan and Robert Williamson (and more) -- the list is an impressive 40+ celebs long which will put a celebrity at every table in the tournament. "
so, guess who beat all the high-powered poker champs? that's right, the tall gentleman with six rings on his fingers. if he set his mind to it, i bet mr. jordan could lead a sociology department to the top of the NRC rankings in under a decade. or maybe win the heavyweight boxing championship. it makes me wonder whether he was really even trying with the white sox and wizards.
posted by christopher uggen @ 12:25 AM
4 comments
4 Comments:
I was looking over some of John Clausen's life-course research this morning (Prelim #2 approaches), and he spent a great deal of time discussing the attitudinal aspect of a "successful life." One's happiness is self-evaluative based on many measures, most of them relative to others.
It makes me wonder about Mr. Jordan. While (almost un)-questionably the premier Baskerball player of the 20th century, the fact that he was subpar at a sport he truly claimed to love makes me wonder how he identifies himself as a "success."
I'm sure he does, since he's reminded everyday that he's Michael F'ing Jordan. Those sponsor checks sure don't bruise the ego very much either, I imagine.
The critics must ask: Does Professor Uggen have generalizable success? Will Minnesota have the lowest or highest ranking ten years from now? Will enough science and nature articles be produced to move minneversity to 20th in the world?
23 people in the world are watching [that's a total of 38 personalities!]
mike, clausen's work is eye-opening, isn't it? i haven't read any of the MJ bios, but i get the sense that he's a competition junkie. the word is that he'd bet on anything, sometimes even rigging "friendly" bets in a clever way. also, you're right that he was subpar as a pro baseball player, but ... he was still good enough to play pro baseball. if he hit .220, i probably would have hit about .0220. and i might love the game as much as him!
anon, all i can promise is that i'll put my heart and soul into my new duties.
Clausen's work very similar to some work by Robert Frank and Richard Easterlin on relative happiness. Check out vol. 133, Issue 2 of Daedalus for a nice collection of essays on happiness.
A pseudo-bronfenbrennerite
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