Nice Analysis

....at Tendulkar, Dravid, FEDERER, Nadal , Michael Jordan, Messi and we can easily conclude, “ Nice guys do finish first too”.

Federer - Nice guy? Yes. Tennis legend? Yes. Probably the greatest sportsman ever? Yes. Humble? Hmmm....maybe not.

Quote (Federer after his loss to Berdych) : "Well, if I'm healthy I can handle those guys … I played these guys 10 times. They're not going to reinvent themselves in a year, you know."

There are quite a few of his post match interviews where he has been ungracious in defeat. You might also want to look into some of the West Indian cricketers for some humility lessons. The article on Ambrose was very good. AR Rahman of Oscar fame is another example though not from the sporting fraternity. Nadal is probably the best example from contemporary sportspersons. Humble and gracious...always (not to mention that he is only 25!

Very well written!! Good insights on behavioural change in sportsmen

good one!really to be the real sportsmen and play a game efficiently and to get ready for the repercussion of the general masses in any of the manner is a challenging job.thumbs up! for their humbleness and dedication towards their career.
congrats !for such an excellent blog.keep on writing.

nice article...and unusual take on the reasons for the humility of these great champions!

It's all about having respect for the game.
Humility comes from knowing that no one is bigger than the game.
Usually the less talented ones' fail to relise this.

As much as I respect and admire the sportsmen mentioned above for their talent, application and accomplishment, as well as their modesty and humility (which makes them more attractive individuals than otherwise) it would occasionally be nice to see a champion display more "character". Media and sponsorship pressure, and increasing professionalism, has left a lot of sportsmen looking a bit like robots when off the field. You can't blame them - witness "Fredalo"; the Giggs affair; Kimi Raikkonen's treatment at Ferrari - but it's a shame for the viewers.

Post-match interviews are now just boring. Strauss and Cook are particular culprits of saying nothing unexpected or interesting, but many sportsmen are guilty of the same. Adam Hollioake stopped giving good copy in a fit of pique. Ravi Bopara got the stuffing knocked out of him for obviously daring to think he was quite good. If sport is about entertainment, perhaps we should let them get away with a bit of brashness now and again?

Jordan is not a "nice guy". He is the one sportman that should not be mentioned in this article as such.

I totally disagree with Michael Jordan being in the list with all the other guys. No one accused Jordan of being humble. Have you even seen his hall of fame speech when he said that he does not envy his children since they have pretty big shoes to fill?

There is nothing about "today's era" that impacts sportsman arrogance. You are selectively picking examples. Isn't Shoaib Akhtar a modern player? Was not Garry Sobers very humble? There is a tremendous amount to be said for a player's background and upbringing. There are so many arrogant Indian cricketers today, SRT and RD should not distract from this.

Very interesting piece, Sourabh. One point I'd like to raise is a distinction between modesty and humility. Modesty generally has a self-deprecating air to it ("Oh, what am I? What are my achievements? I am nothing"), whereas humility focuses on acknowledging the roles played by fellow players, mentors and luck (in addition to one's own effort) in one's success. Modesty insists on putting oneself down, whereas humility insists on never talking oneself up, but crucially, never putting oneself down either.

That is why modesty comes across as false and pretentious, whereas humility comes across as mature and honest and well-rounded, not only because you're acknowledging outside elements for your success but also because you're acknowledging your own role in your success. (Witness how many times Tendulkar has said that there is no short cut to success and that the only way is to work hard.)

Good arguments, too, on why the present generation of sportsmen appear to be humbler.

While what you are saying on economics influencing the behaviour of the players may be right, Sachin, even in early 90s was as humble as he is now. Why go far, look at Graeme Smith or Afridi or Ponting, etc to see the sportsmen of arrogant variety even today. I think this is a coincidence internationally of having so many champs who are humble. I wouldn't consider Agassi or Tyson or Rooney to be humble. It's not as if sportsment are chaning, just that we have a few nice guys doing their thing at the same time. However, the not so nice guys used to make things interesting. Remember McEnroes's tantrums, Shane Warne's on field abuses, Ganguly's activities, etc. They used to keep sport interesting. Look at the Indian team currently. Other than Gambhir, the entire batting is almost docile in their behaviour.

Sorry I disagree - Federer has made plenty of pompous statements recently regarding fellow tennis players, clearly indicating that he is anything but humble. Tendulkar fakes humility (as Schopenhauer indicated) - SRT is quick to remind everyone (by interviews/ statements to the media) of his `greatness` when he doesnt get his way, be it the team declaring when he is on 194 or when he feels he wants to play until his son is old enough to take his place in the team!

I think your mostly correct, but I disagree that humility in champions is necessarily a good thing. Humility is boring.
I put forward Muhammed Ali, Viv Richards and Eric Cantona as cocky, confident sportsmen that are infinitely more entertaining off the field.

Fantastic read...a very relevant topic...and I agree with you that the availability of information has been a major driver behind this change...

loved the starting and the ending of the post with different takes from different philosophers...brilliant...

Wow...Michael Jordan in a positive note in an article about humility? What a joke! He was one of the brashest athletes ever. Google/youtube his Hall of Fame speech. It was such a disgrace. MJ was one of the greatest athletes ever but certainly not one of the humblest.

I think Sourabh has hit it spot-on. Greatness has probably overshadowed the above mentioned sportstars' other virtue which was their humility. However, we do miss the vibrant personalities like Boris Becker, Shane Warne, Charles Barkeley, John Daly, Maradona etc... who were also entertainers which had equal share at bringing crowds to the arenas where they were present.

Fed and Tendulkar are very unique bacause their style of play itself was enough to bring people to the grounds. Humility is probably appreciated by more educated fans like us but not a fan from the masses.

Entertainers, who probably lack the humility factor...atleast on the field were...and will be the frontrunners in bringing fans to the stadiums but yes, Fed and Sachin do teach us a lesson that most of our actors in Bollywood and politicians in parliment absolutely lack - staying grounded when your achievement as taller than the everest.

Two great gentlemen of different sports meet is a wonderful event
and both are achieved the greatness by sheer dedication and determination in the game. They stand out as the success did not
go to their head. They are very simple and humble and outstanding
example examplify their qualities regardless of records as they
show after all they are also human beings. SUCH IS THE GREATNESS
STANDS OUT

A wonderfully crafted blog that explores the careers of so many sportsmen from various games to drive home a subtle point !!!

Yes, humility is truly required to stay true to ourselves, to root ourselves to the reality when the world is swinging between the two ends of the " dichotomy".

Easier said then done?? Yup !!! That's why, only heroes emerge from such turbulence.

The movie "The Best Game Ever Played" has such an idea !!!

The article was going nicely till you mentioned Michael Jordan. He is the exact opposite of humble, holds on to grudges long after his playing days are over. He even ripped his high school opponents during his hall-of-fame speech. I would just make a caveat and say they great legends are humble when they recognize other great legends and nothing more.

I do not think that toning down the comments has anything to do with humility. Just being more practical and it is in the interest of self preservation. Once you take a stand of thrashing your opponent you have to do it and history shows that events have a tendency to turn and bite you where it hurts most and you become a laughing stalk. Who can forget the greatest of these comments- Tony Greig's "We will make them grovel" and then being thrashed by the West Indies. More recently was a comment by an Austarlian player that they would win the series 5-0 and Australia lost.Players have learnt that it is easier and hurts less to climb up rather than drop down so the comments always leave them room to manouvre out of tight situations and look good to the press and the fans.

Very well articulated blog and a crisp conclusion. Off-late sports has offered more role models to follow than any other profession. Character it seems doesn't need formal education nor should it rise or fall in want of recognition.

This is pathetic. Why must we immortalise them into people that they are not? Sachin Tendulkar is the man that told his government he is an actor so that he escapes thousands of rupees in tax. Tiger Woods was immortalised like this as well. Ryan Giggs. Roger Federer might do things we do not know about. Unless you presonally know someone, don't declare them as saints.

Saurabh:
Nice article, great observation! I think people expect quite a lot from their sports icons. Like you write, most champions start rigorous practice from an early age. It is like trial by fire. While all this is great life experience, I think it takes much more to be actually humble. I think fame gets to a lot many achievers in any field let alone sports. These individuals shine brightly and quickly disappear. Only a very few champions have the real ability to handle fame. Given all the unreal expectations and enormous pressure it is by no means an easy task. Every person copes with it different ways be it Federer, Nadal, Tendulkar, Dhoni or Sreesanth. To quote Randy Newman, "It is a jungle out there..."

Does this article summarize the reasons for a sportsman's humbleness due to : 1. media coverage 2. Fan following and expectations. Though the writer touches some part of it, I think the biggest reason behind is the conditions/family background of that sportsperson (Tendulkar comes from a medium class family and so does Suresh Raina). Tendulkar has mentioned in one of his interviews that even if he used to score big hundreds playing for his school, the celebrations at home were limited to just distributing sweets to friends and families, and that's about it. He would then move on and think about next game. I think the humbleness comes from these small things rather than media coverage, fan following and the pressure that comes with it.

Michael Jordan is not and was not humble. He was a great champion but humility was the last thing. Check out his hall of fame induction speech. It was anything but humility

As enduring as people like Federer and Tendulkar are on the sports field, they remain such a bore off it, so much so, you never feel like listening to a Sachin interview anymore because you've heard it all before. People with engaging personalities who actually speak their mind are more a glimpse into what a sportsman really thinks - people like Sehwag, and the daddy of them all Kimi Raikkonen. Think what you may, I honestly prefer the latter - ridiculously talented sportsmen, but whose flesh and blood nature they aren't afraid to share.

One of the best sporting article i ever read.

I agree completely with the author. Most of today's champions are excellent role models for young people to follow in terms of how they conduct themselves on and off the field. Hashim Amla, VVS Laxman and Novak Djokovic are some other names which come to mind when you think of humility in modern day champions.

I am not so sure about Federer's humility. But Anand is a different matter altogether. In a game like chess - more a mind game than any other, humility is often lacking. Anand brought a fresh change there.

I agree that Federer and Sachin have same temperaments. They both are equally humble and gracious in their respective games.
You cannot count Nadal as one of those gracious and humble sportsmen

An OK analysis, I would say but I commend you for writing on this.

You forgot the Kohlis, Yuvrajs, Pietersens. All brats.

Great effort! The piece, however,

Good efforts! The piece, however, contradicts itself. Dialectically, the author falsifies his efforts when he brings Schopenhauer's aphorism ripping modesty off its spontaneity and thereby its being constructed consciously for the purpose. He argues constant vigilance by media to be one of the factors turning sportsmen modest. Isn't it what Schopenhauer meant when he termed self-constructed reflexes of 'great talents' to be hypocrisy creating different parallel as distinct from their natural state of mind?

Roger Federer is no nice guy. He trashed his Davis Cup doubles partner Wawrinka to the press - just one of his mind games in many press conferences. And only one of the times he has tried to put down the pretenders who are able to beat him.