I wanted to share a discussion I had with someone about the Omega Tour ending, and a new Tour starting up that will be run by guys.
A player (male) shared his opinion with me that he thought that a male running the Tour would have less issues to deal with. I guess he was saying that it's tough to run a men's Tour as a female. And he thought as a guy, he would be able to handle the male players "better" because, as he said it, "If they start bitching, I won't put up with anyone."
I listened to his words and my first thought was running a tournament well is not about being male or female, but about leadership and how one handles players and issues. Respect, empathy, fairness, and integrity go a long way.
In my humble opinion, it really honestly doesn't matter if you are male or female. An abrasive female will have a difficult time handling difficult situations with guys or girls. And a male Tournament Director (TD) with no leadership skills will not handle confrontations well. So, it really is mostly about personality - not male versus female.
I shared with him, from my perspective, I think a female TD has a slight advantage dealing with male players than a male TD would, tho.
Hear me out.
If a male player is pissed and gets upset, he is going to vent his frustration to me and be vocal. How I react and respond is key to handling these situations well. However, if a male player is pissed and gets upset, he is going to vent his frustration more confrontational against a male TD than a female.
Most of the time, most guys are more asshole-ish with other guys, than with girls in public. They will be more in fight mode with a guy. With a female, when they are upset it will be a verbal argument, yes, but less confrontational.
Don't get me wrong, I have been chewed out royally by players after they lose (you know, it's always the tournament directors fault). But I have a feeling the players would be even more vocal with a male TD. And depending on the male TD, how will they handle it? Will they simply argue back, or will they handle it well with leadership skills?
See? PERSON dependent, not sex dependent.
1 comment:
Yes, it was totally YOUR fault I dogged that 9 ball in my hill-hill match. YOURS. :)
Great article as usual. I might add, I feel my voice would be heard more readily by a female TD than a male. Playing in a majority male field as much as I do, I feel my concerns, if any, are not as valuable with a male TD. I have been told more than once by a male TD, "you wanted to play with the big boys, deal with it"... if I had been male, that wouldn't have been said. (I've seen a male voice the SAME complaint after me and he wasn't pushed aside.)
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