Gracious champions

ESPN Radio runs an ad for Colin Cowherd's show where he hangs up on and then belittles a listener for saying something he deems idiotic. It is an appropriate clip, because that is Cowherd's style. So what did the listener say that so upset Cowherd? After the 2011 Master's, he said he would rather have his son admire Rory McIlroy than Tiger Woods, because sportsmanship is a more important lesson than cutthroat competitiveness.

Cowherd responded along these lines: "You can take class and sportsmanship, and I'll take the guy who spits and curses and wins championships."

Greatness comes at a cost.

We accept this claim too readily. We excused Michael Jordan for his efforts to absolute humiliate people who he thought had wronged him. We look the other way as Tiger Woods takes the same condescending tone with fans and reporters alike. We choose to forget Kobe Bryant's (alledged) off the court actions.

Why? Because we just do not understand what it takes to be great. We do not have that "killer's mentality," where all you care about is winning. To achieve that next level of greatness, it takes an extra edge that need not concern itself with sportsmanship or class.

Imagine if you reacted in your work place the way Tiger Woods reacts in his. Imagine if you spiked your computer, told your coworker to "f**cking quiet down," and spit on the ground in disgust every five minutes. It might be fun, but it would not last long. But it's different for Tiger, because all he cares about is winning.

When did that become so admirable?

Dirk Nowitzki and Rory McIlroy are also quite competitive, obsessed with winning even. The difference is their edge does not come at the cost of sportsmanship. Are they as great as the aforementioned athletes? Certainly not. But they are champions right now, and they showed that it is possible to care about winning and still care about other things, like treating others like a decent human being or carrying yourself with dignity and class.

Maybe this is just a rare coincidence. Maybe we are not far from the return of the "cutthroat" champions, where we will say adoringly: "Man, look at him. He's a coldblooded killer! All he cares about is winning! Incredible!" Until then, I plan to enjoy being happy for gracious champions like Rory and Dirk.

Footnote

Anybody who follows the blog knows that I am slightly obsessed with the Miami Heat Welcome Celebration video. This might surpass it as my favorite: