Why Ronda Rousey’s ego can’t be held against her
By: Brittney Farrow
Opinions Editor
Ronda Rousey, and it is easy to see why. As a powerhouse mixed martial artist, Rousey was the first woman from the United States to win an Olympic medal in Judo at the Summer Olympics, and her current record solidifies her title as the undefeated UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion. After defeating rival fighter Bethe Correia in 34 brief seconds during Aug. of this year, she became a household name across the country.
Most people have rallied behind her in support; others, however, are not as impressed. As her celebrity status climbs, more and more people are calling out Rousey for an ever-inflating ego. Rousey is known to be unconcerned with public opinion, and on numerous occasions she has said exactly what she was thinking without remorse. Most notably, after beating out Floyd Mayweather for Best Fighter at the 2015 ESPY awards, she was quoted saying that she wondered how Mayweather felt being “beat by a woman for once.”
The boxing champion has a long history with domestic violence charges – which caused him to serve two months of jail time in June 2012.
Cockiness generally rubs people the wrong way. With that being said, however, I do not think the amount of groaning and distaste surrounding Ronda Rousey has anything to do with her confidence level. Not only is she completely entitled to her inner faith (as she certainly has the career to support such an attitude) but the type of public backlash she has received is completely unjustifiable.
Ego plays a major role in professional sports, and there is a grocery list of athletes who consider themselves gifts to humanity – and yet, most of them rarely receive the same kind of unabashed scolding as the UFC fighter. In the male-dominated sports industry, gender could have a lot to do with that. Call me out for fabricating sexism all you want, but the facts speak for themselves.
The National Football League alone produces more than its fair share of prima donnas. Former Cincinnati Bengals Wide Receiver Chad Ochocinco actually changed his surname from Johnson to reflect his jersey number, and a quick Google search will list numerous quotes from the football player citing his self-proclaimed talents. Johnny “Football” Manziel is also a frontrunner for the NFL’s most notorious divas.
Last season he was a high-profile rookie for the Cleveland Browns, and maybe if the Quarterback had spent less time hanging out with Justin Bieber and clinging to his wealthy kid celebrity status the team would have had a chance to rebuild their dying brand.
Big personalities like Ochocinco and Manziel don’t stand alone. If your favorite sport airs on ESPN, there is a fat chance that it has produced a player with an ego. Major League Baseball has Manny Ramirez and Alex Rodriguez, the former of which was dropped from the Boston Red Sox for causing far too many tantrums.
The National Basketball Association assembled public figures like Charles Barkley and LeBron James. Soccer features crowd-pleasers like Christiano Ronaldo, who regularly models in underwear, and David Beckham, who loans himself out to teams.
Even golf can be attributed to the massive ego of famed player Tiger Woods, whose lack of discretion exposed his scandalous affairs.
The fact of the matter is that Ronda Rousey’s refusal to be humble does not make her stand out in any way.
The sports industry is crawling with self-righteous and self-centered individuals, and they never have to apologize for their actions. As far as I’m concerned, Rousey’s ego is far less appalling than that of her male counterparts. At least she has the skills to back her words up.
