Abstract
The tall poppy syndrome (TPS) is a culturally specific term defined as the "habit of denigrating or 'cutting down' those who are successful or who are high achievers". The purpose of this study was to understand TPS from the perspective of elite New Zealand athletes. Specifically, this study sought to gain elite athletes' perceptions of whether TPS exists and how it influences New Zealand sporting culture, their personal experiences of being a target of TPS, and how they personally responded to being a target of TPS. Nine current and 11 former New Zealand athletes were interviewed who had competed at Olympic, Commonwealth, or World Championship events. Athletes suggested that TPS was infused throughout society and influenced how the public celebrated winners and viewed success. Athletes believed they had been targets of TPS and viewed it both a positive and negative influence on athlete development. TPS-related criticisms were seen as providing motivation for hard work by some athletes, while others identified the successful use of self-regulation skills and coping strategies to respond to TPS criticisms. How an athlete responded to TPS-related criticisms appeared to be more important than the actual experience of being a tall poppy target. Practical implications and recommendations are presented to highlight the need to better understand socio-cultural influences on athletic talent and career development and to prepare for related challenges.