train the way they do and still adhere to a code of principles that will benefit their community (church, town, school, family, etc)?
or.....
do you believe that the people who are chasing medals and focussing on placing in tournaments make sacrifices that take their focus away from what the other 97% is focussing on?
i think that there are guys like Galvao, the Mendes bros, Xande and others who are doing a good job of focussing on personal goals all while becoming great human beings.
I posted something like this in one of the other thread, I can't see Andre or Gui putting up with that shit, especially when Jordan has a record of doing shady ass shit. I wouldn't want those medal chasers nowhere near my school with the drama they will bring along. I'm hesitant to think none of those medal chasers didn't know anything, they all knew about it.
To be successful in any sport, especially a combat sport, you have to have a heightened sense of self confidence. That said, I have interacted with and interviewed many high level MMA fighters and professional boxing champions who came across as down-to-earth and humble in the way they carried themselves away from the cage or ring. And they are often talking to me in a situation where they need to be promoting themselves and talking themselves up. But a psychologically healthy athlete usually does that by building up himself, not by making a fetish out of being more elite than the common people who don't measure up.
Anyone who describes themselves as a 3%er probably has narcissistic personality disorder.
i think that "getting ahead" (competitively speaking) has a certain amount of sacrifices necessary. i'm not speaking about time either.
the competitive nature of bjj has taken a turn for the worse. i'm speaking mostly about sacrificing morals and taking steriods (or any PED). there is so much pressure in all the ranks to place at a major event that people are willing to do what ever it takes to excel.
this is coming at a time when a large percent of jiu jitsu players are being critical of Ryron Gracie's "keep it playful" philosophy. we all have goals but i think the upper ranks need to lead by example and show the new people on the mats what jiu jitsu is about. we can all be competitive while still being moral.
Lol at church being a moral need... 
church is part of a community and not a moral need. read before you troll.
from the videos and posts that i have seen, it is my assumption. i don't see any of them getting caught up in the stuff we have seen recently. the media they release shows them training, eating and, most importantly, with their family. i never saw that from TLI. of course, i could be wrong, but this is how i have come to this conclusion.
there are things that could suggest the opposite...for instance Galvao's comments after the Ryron match.... or the fact that Diego didn't fair well when training with Saulo. but...the majority of what i have seen has lead me to believe that these guys are trying to be the best they can be and helping those around them to do the same.
It seems that there are those who work hard to succeed, but never do it at the expense of their conscience, or having friends/family - i'm thinking the Mendes brothers, for example; and then there are people who haven't got the ability, personality, charisma, of these guys, so must resort to 'hard work' - i.e., subterfuge, and underhandedness: Team Limp Irvin.
That's how it seems to me: these sacks of shit were always about the 'shortcut' - working hard at succeeding at being a douche, with fat stacks.
Weirdos.
One just has to look at Marcelo Garcia to know that you can be genuinely friendly and humble and still reach the top, gain fame and make plenty of money.
I respected the person I thought Lloyd was, despite all of the marketing bs that I hated, but it turns out that he is probably psychopathic and at the very least extremely self-centered.
To answer OP's question: the whole point of the 3%ers was to take the fighters out of their community (and also any support system and social circle they previously had) and place them in an environment where they didn't need to focus on it at all. All they needed to think about, all day every day was training, winning, being the best. This is brainwashing to the greatest extent, and is not healthy in any environment.
andre -One just has to look at Marcelo Garcia to know that you can be genuinely friendly and humble and still reach the top, gain fame and make plenty of money.
I respected the person I thought Lloyd was, despite all of the marketing bs that I hated, but it turns out that he is probably psychopathic and at the very least extremely self-centered.
Roger too?
What about Jacare?
Royler, Mario Sperry, Roleta, Gordo, Dela Riva
So many legends and recent stars. The only time I hear about this 3% nonsense is from the Lloyd cult and the mental midgets that need his nonsense.
shark tank - from the videos and posts that i have seen, it is my assumption. i don't see any of them getting caught up in the stuff we have seen recently. the media they release shows them training, eating and, most importantly, with their family. i never saw that from TLI. of course, i could be wrong, but this is how i have come to this conclusion.
there are things that could suggest the opposite...for instance Galvao's comments after the Ryron match.... or the fact that Diego didn't fair well when training with Saulo. but...the majority of what i have seen has lead me to believe that these guys are trying to be the best they can be and helping those around them to do the same.
unfortunately, this is what ryan hall was referencing in his open letter
we tend to assume that successful competitors (and sometimes instructors) are good people - sometimes without substantial reason
Hywel is correct about this problem in BJJ, though I'm sure it extends to all martial arts, or any environment where there's a figurehead who assumes authority and gains respect often before earning it personally
they're all people too, and capable of fallacy and doing morally questionable things. with that said, i've heard enough horror stories about renowned instructors and world champions that i can't even get myself to look at jiu jitsu websites or magazines anymore because they all participate in putting the limelight on competition success before anything else (not that i blame them - that's what espn does after all, but i just don't want these things influencing me anymore)
dbl
"church is part of a community and not a moral need. read before you troll."
You are the troll
Jiu-jitsu and religion shoudn't even be in the same sentence.
There are a lot of strange things going on in the BJJ world. Honestly as longer I train as more people I met as less I want to be part of the whole community and just do my thing.....
Not everyone is like this but there is a lot of bad stuff going on......
nogidavid -Hywel Teague -Lol at the way people throw around names in BJJ like they're some kind of moral example
I've heard way too much shit to put ANYone in BJJ on a pedestal without first meeting and judging them for myself.
Too much hero worship in BJJ.
amen bro. fuck that. i know the details of too many married men's sex tours. sorry, SEMINAR tours, combined with the way they treat people, to think that they're good inside.
"But he SEEMED so nice when he came to my school for 2 hours for a seminar" lmao
Not only that, but in BJJ we have INCREDIBLY low standards for what constitutes a "super cool guy". As long as they are not raping a child directly in front of you, they are a "super cool guy".
Just as an example, one major, current champion came to our school --actually we've had all sorts over the years, just as many schools have.
I would describe his behavior as "fine" just not very outgoing. In fact, he was kinda stand-offish really. But when I heard people describe him to others who weren't in class that night, it was like "He was SOOO cool! I asked him a question and he sorta gave an answer to me. What an amazing guy!!!"
--I was just thinking, really...? THAT'S your standard for an "amazing guy"? If this guy had been a visiting Blue Belt, NO ONE would have described him in glowing terms. The most they would have said about his personality would have been,"he seemed alright". But he was a big name. Since he wasn't eating a stray cat in front of everyone or spitting at people when they looked at him, he was "an amazing person".
nogidavid -Hywel Teague -Lol at the way people throw around names in BJJ like they're some kind of moral example
I've heard way too much shit to put ANYone in BJJ on a pedestal without first meeting and judging them for myself.
Too much hero worship in BJJ.
amen bro. fuck that. i know the details of too many married men's sex tours. sorry, SEMINAR tours, combined with the way they treat people, to think that they're good inside.
"But he SEEMED so nice when he came to my school for 2 hours for a seminar" lmao
lol @ married men's sex tours. too true bro, too true
Identifying
i don't think the immorality, cheating and otherwise is any more likely in the bjj community than it is in "normal" society. a lot of jiu jitsu guys look up to these individuals in part because of their skills/abilities but also because there is a certain element of respecting the higher ranks.
i'm not suggesting that we blindly follow or idolize, but one can only make judgments with the information available. some of us know stories and others do not. we all have skeletons but we all have the ability to evolve and become better people. the original question's basis is:
can one evolve as a person when the focus is on doing whatever it takes to win medals?