Yes, we’ve heard of it before. The Biblical Samson’s strength was in his long, flowing locks of hair, and when they were cut, he was sadly defeated by the Philistines. And again, today, I can hear American snowboard enthusiasts say: “Curses! Defeated by the Philistines!”
Was it the case that Shaun White won because he had long hair? Did he lose today because he cut his hair? It could be that he is a modern-day Samson, needing long, flowing locks to retain his power. (Of course, it could also be that by cutting his hair, he seems like a square, and so the snowboarding gods decided he’s not bodacious or gnarly enough anymore to be allowed to rule the halfpipe.)
(Just kidding, snowboarding fans: please don’t kill me! Nobody can win forever.)
Here’s the snowy story:
(You know, maybe it’s that melting halfpipe. Apparently it was pretty bad.)
But it would be pretty easy to test this theory: just have Shaun White grow his hair back out long and see if he wins gold next time.
(But you know, I think Shaun White not winning again is actually good for the sport. If he always won, it would be easy for the IOC to say snowboarding is not really an international sport and then dump it from the Olympics. But now, everybody can say anyone can win, so it will likely stay in the Olympics for years to come.)
(But you know, I think Shaun White not winning again is actually good for the sport. If he always won, it would be easy for the IOC to say snowboarding is not really an international sport and then dump it from the Olympics. But now, everybody can say anyone can win, so it will likely stay in the Olympics for years to come.)
