When Johnny Milleris Talks Choking... he starts with Himself

Players that do color commentary for their sports are an assortment that are brilliant (Charles Barkley and Troy Aikman) and those that are unwatchable (Tony Siragusa).

Johnny Miller Had the Yips

Miller is often brilliant and like a car crash, you cannot take your eyes and ears off of him. The fine line between love and hate is rage and Miller brings that out in the PGA Touring pros and the golf community. His take on a player’s nerves and pressure is one not seen from other color commentators and when he uses starts talking about pressure he describes it using the choking term.

“It’s a slow game, and there’s a lot of time to think—a lot of memories you don’t want to pop up’” said Miller. “Golf is about the choke factor. If you don’t think choking and handling it is important, you’re missing the point of the game and you’ll never amount to much.

All golfers can relate to that point.

While it’s true that 99%+ will never have to deal with it on a grand stage, how many of us have gotten the yips or nerves when you know that a good shot or a made put is all that you need in order to win a match or a skin? In my mind, that is something most people need to hear about what it takes to compete at a high level or any level of sports. Can you imagine Troy Aikman talking about Matthew Stafford or Tony Romo missing a pass and perhaps the pressure is a cause? As a golfer you can relate to golfers but Aikman may or may not be able to get you in the head of a defensive end that is trying to sack him. Anyone can give you historical anecdotes (you just look them up) but getting in the mind of a player who is rising or succumbing to the pressure is an entirely different animal.

As Miller said, “(Pressure) is a foe you must overcome. It’s a foe that’s wonderful to overcome. Whether it’s because the hole doesn’t suit your game, the pressure, the player you’re up against—they’re all things that if you overcome and win, man that gives you joy. Choking sounds like a bad word, an ugly word, but choking is golf.”

In individual sports many still require a competitor such as tennis or wrestling and some swimming events. In golf, how you deal with your emotions and keep them under check more consistently than your competitors makes all the difference. In many sports they highlight the best elements. Miller is simply bringing up the elephant in the room and punches it square in the nose.

Everyone likes elephants but not everyone likes Miller. Something tells me he is ok with that.