Interesting Perspective on the Beli-psyche

Tom Monkovic blogs for the New York Times and started a project to incorporate contributions from readers with the simple question of "Who is Bill Belichick?". He got some really good responses from people, but really I'm just posting about this because of one contributor's answer that was just really well done and worth the read. Whether you think it's accurate or not is another question of course.

From Cliff Kuang:

The question “Is BB really a jerk or does he just play one” leads us down the wrong path. It slyly suggests a terrible assumption: That the public persona we see is unsympathetic and that therefore, it must be a ruse if anyone is to like him in private.

But of course, the character traits we see can be used to different ends, for different audiences. So he’s a taciturn, awkward jerk in public. The real question is: What could motivate that jerkiness, but then also inspire so much love in his players? (And his players do love him, above and beyond the simple gratitude that you might hold towards a thoroughbred that’s just won your Derby ticket.)

So here’s my take. BB’s adversarial persona shows us that he needs enemies to stay motivated. It is what motivates him when there is nothing left to prove. No big insight there.

But here’s the thing that people miss: People that foster a deep-seated “me vs. the world” mentality often are extremely gifted at bringing certain people in close to them – and in so doing, it brings other people inside the bubble. Think of all the people you know that make you say: “Yeah, he seems like a boner. But you don’t know him like I know him, and he’s amazing.”

So how does BB bring people close to him? He’s not a naturally warm person, that much is clear. But I’ve known very cold people who are also extremely fair and generous. And here’s the thing: They know that *in virtue* of that iciness, their kind acts are magnified into great significance. Those acts can become almost like a secret two people share.

If you listen closely to his comments about the team, you can see that he’s fiercely loyal to every last member of the team. It isn’t that hard to imagine that every comment he makes to every member of the team is well thought out, perhaps even crafted to that player’s personal needs, whether they’re up or down. If someone that everyone else hates or fears does that for you a couple times, you might become crazy-loyal too.

So why might he be so secretive about his kinder side?
If he shares an affection, he wants to know that affection won’t lead to people taking advantage of him or undermining him. Ergo, he only deploys it in situations where he feels comfortable and in control. That is, in situations where he commands the utmost loyalty.

Cliff later posted another thought:
A point I want to add to my previous comment: The framework I laid out gives us a rationale for why he cheated.

People that view themselves as being at odds with the world can easily rationalize bending rules, even breaking them. If you set your world view up so that you stand outside the circles where other people travel, then in some ways you don’t truly internalize their outside viewpoints. That is, you don’t really care if some of Them think you’re wrong.

And what’s more, BB is acting all this out from the confines of a distinct community: His team. So I think in his mind, there’s something complex at work. Basically, I think he views it as: I’ll do anything to help My Guys, because they’re so loyal to me.

What’s that do for him, and his ability to sleep at night? It turns the simple act of cheating into a communal attitude – and preserves BB himself from seeing his actions as merely craven. It might even turn a wormy action into something that — in his mind — is worth getting self-righteous about. BB not only isn’t sorry that he cheated, he thinks he did right by the only people that matter to him: His team.