It’s an insidious belief that arrogance is justifiable, perhaps even acceptable in the realm of sport. But how much pride in an individual or team is vital to success?
Every sport has at least a few high-profile personalities who are heavily conceited in their approach both on and off the field, but does this quality portray the athlete as being self-assured of his/her ability or haughty? It’s a close call indeed.
It’s quite bizarre that while arrogance is considered a negative trait in society, it is looked upon as a constructive element in the dynamics of success in sport.
Or is it?
There are numerous instances that relate to some form of arrogance in sport and here’s a select few. Read on and I will leave it to you to decide whether arrogance is necessary or not for a sustained period of success in sport.
According to former Port Adelaide Coach, Mark Williams, “Every team or individual must have a touch of arrogance to win and it’s a fine line as to whether you go too far”.
One can’t deny the fact that the King of Dash, Usain Bolt, has galvanised the sense of speed on the track with his dominance and aura but while some consider his now-familiar boisterous victory lap over-the-top and insulting to his peers, some love it.
One of the finest talents in football, Cristiano Ronaldo, is looked upon as arrogance personified. He has been accused on several occasions of not joining in celebrations when the team scores a goal. Moreover, he considers himself the alpha male.
A genius of a player, Eric Cantona, with the upturned collar, the swagger and the look-how-good-I-am goal celebrations all smacked of a unique form of pretentiousness. One of the finest coaches ever, Jose Mourinho, is in a class of his own not just on the basis of results on the pitch but also the inimitable manner in which he vents his thoughts and conducts press conferences before a huge game.
This is what F1 ace Lewis Hamilton has said in the past, “I have been a racing driver since I was eight years old and I know pretty much every single manoeuvre in the book, and that’s why I’m the best at my job”.
The pre-match Haka of the New Zealand rugby team is seen by many as arrogant and unfair in the rugby world. While the All Blacks team hurl abuses at the opposition, tradition dictates that the opposing team has to remain motionless and make no form of reply. This led the British press to label the haka as a ‘self-important bore and an instrument of the worst kind of sporting arrogance’.
What do you think about the few instances mentioned here? Is it confidence that’s on show or arrogance?
However, it goes without saying that without the presence of volatile personalities such as Bolt and Mourinho, sport would be dull and far too predictable.
Moving on, on the flip side, there are also several successful sportsmen who haven’t had to resort to a conceited approach throughout their stellar careers – Sachin Tendulkar, Adam Gilchrist, Rafael Nadal and Rahul Dravid, to name a few.
Now, this throws up yet another question. Does the display of arrogance come naturally to a person, or is it ‘manufactured’ to send a strong message to opponents and peers?
Again, is it essential for success in sport?
k77sujith
Guest
Good point there Ritam. But I feel each individual can probably handle it with much more dignity and channel that energy onto something more productive. Thanks. Big fan of your work over here as well as on Indian Link.
Ritam
Guest
Great article - and it does seem the case that arrogance and overconfidence is an important part of the elite level of most sports. Tennis, though, is the luckiest sport in the world when it has top players such as Fed, Nadal, Djoko and Murray (and even Ferrer). Each one of them is, for the most part, a true gentleman - Fed perhaps could credit his opponents more in the big losses, but as a massive fan of his, I think he loves the sport too much to absorb some of the losses he's had. Important to remember that in high-adrenaline activities like the 100m sprint, or even something where "clutch" is hand-in-hand with ability, such as football and basketball, arrogance is almost a formality - without arrogance, which in this context should just be a complete absence of self-doubt, it seems that you're not going to be taken seriously.
Ritam
Guest
Great article - and it does seem the case that arrogance and overconfidence is an important part of the elite level of most sports. Tennis, though, is the luckiest sport in the world when it has top players such as Fed, Nadal, Djoko and Murray (and even Ferrer). Each one of them is, for the most part, a true gentleman - Fed perhaps could credit his opponents more in the big losses, but as a massive fan of his, I think he loves the sport too much to absorb some of the losses he's had. Important to remember that in high-adrenaline activities like the 100m sprint, or even something where "clutch" is hand-in-hand with ability, such as football and basketball, arrogance is almost a formality - without arrogance, which in this context should just be a complete absence of self-doubt, it seems that you're not going to be taken seriously.
k77sujith
Guest
Recently read Sally Pearson's interview in the papers and listened to what Cadel Evans had to say on the radio this morning. Pearson has this swagger about her having won ten of her last 11 races and is a hot favourite to win Gold in London. As for Evans, having realized that he's in a difficult situation in the Tour de France, he's begun to play mind games and said something that touched upon the others not having the tenacity that he's got to win the Tour de France. Arrogance of confidence?
k77sujith
Guest
Agreed...thanks. And there was nothing wrong with Federer's track suit :).
jinesh
Guest
nice article..actually dint knw wat was haka abt...jus checkd it out on youtube..probably i feel its bein done 2 intimidate the opposition...i personally feel sports wud be dull if its devoid of characters like bolt,mourinho,ronaldo etc...ppl come from diff cultures so sometimes few things may becum unacceptable 2 certain sections of the society..i think therz a thin line b/w defining arroagance n self confidence.. for ex calling federer arrogant for wearin a specific suit to mark his grandslam record is a tad too harsh..probably such thngs motivate them 2 perform well at crucial situations...if a sportsman does not perform 2 the mark then no1 is even goin 2 talk abt such thngs.. any kinda intimidation without gettin personal or racial is acceptable as it adds another dimension 2 the game cos tin todays sports is not only abt physical ability ..a lot of importance is given 2 mental tufness as well..
k77sujith
Guest
Yes, in the end, haka or no haka, it's all about how well you perform. Thanks.
Jimmy D
Guest
It is the All Blacks skill as rugby players which makes them so dominant. Whether they were to perform the Haka or not, it would not stop us winning the majority of the time we stepped out onto the field!
k77sujith
Guest
Interesting. Thanks.
Melange
Guest
Actually I was at the first game we played the kiwis at the MCG and they'd been dominating us for a while, it did seem like the kiwis were on the front foot from the moment the did the haka. The next year, same old, we all tried to remember the words of our national anthem, produced no momentum for the wallabies, they did the haka, were pumped, the crowd was cheering them, then from nowhere out comes J Williamson with his guitar to sing Waltzing Matilda, all the aussies in the crowd new the words and we sang as 1, it stole all the momentum from the all blacks and the kiwis next to us weren't happy at all. We went on to win that night (and I believe) the series. No aussies in the crowd seemed to be embarrassed that night, galvanised but not embarrassed.
k77sujith
Guest
Yes Nick, like you said, it's a very fine line. I agree with your views. Thanks.
Nick Jungfer
Roar Guru
Self belief and arrogance tend to get mixed and up and/or blurred. I think you need the former, the latter has its pros and cons but is not essential in my opinion.
k77sujith
Guest
Oh yes, I do remember that track suit. Federer does have a streak of arrogance I think which comes out in some of his interviews. As for Rafa, he's more down-to-earth and even though he might point out the odd reason, I haven't come across him being conceited even after his second round loss in Wimbledon 2012. Yes, people are more volatile at a younger age and that's natural. I don't mean to say this because I'm an Indian but guys such as Dravid and Tendulkar have always been dignified and gracious ever since they burst onto the scene...I'd like to think that there's a lesson for everyone to be learnt from these two legends. Thanks.
k77sujith
Guest
Very interesting indeed..! Thanks.
k77sujith
Guest
It sure does give them a rush, literally speaking! Thanks.
Brendon
Guest
If Rafter was a little more confident he would have won more than 2 slams and would have beaten Ivanisevic at Wimbledon in 2001. I think Eales is a pretty intelligent and articulate guy who can temper and channel his arrogance positively without it influencing his public behaviour.
Brendon
Guest
Federer has exhibited arrogance, especially in his younger days, although more subtle these days (having a fancy track suit made to celebrate his 15th slam win before he actually won etc). Nadal does too when things don't go his way. A lot of tennis players were arrogant and brash as youngsters (Agassi, Hewitt, Djokovic to name a few) who learnt to control and balance it with their public personality. You need supreme confidence and belief in yourself to be at the top of a sport. You're not going to succeed unless you believe you can. While you need arrogance to succeed a lot fo sportsmen (and a lot of women) dont learn how to use that arrogance to win and but not it come through in their personalities. I think one of the reasons tennis players start off arrogant (Agassi is a classic example) but learn to deal with it is because tennis is a solo sport and the players are on show for hours at a time plus being a truly international sport they have to deal with all different types of media in many different countries almost 12 months a year. Players in team sports can cocoon themselves in their clubs and domestic leagues. Ronaldo probably couldnt care less what people outside of Portugal and Madrid think of him.
Donnytwo
Guest
So you are intimidated by the haka? Great! It's actually meant to be a "challenge", but we all know it gives the All Blacks a great adrenalin rush before a game and gets them pumped. Opposition teams are not obliged to stand by quietly and watch. Check out the Tongan, Fijian or Samoan equivalent. New Zealand is a pacific nation and Maori customs are respected. Opposition teams are welcome to challenge the haka. Just dont bring out the guy who used to sing Waltzing Matilda before Bledisloe Cup games. That was embarrassing!
John D
Guest
I actually love the Haka but still think it is patently unfair that it is performed as an act of intimidation by New Zealand prior to every Rugby game. A Fairer way of honouring the past would be for the Haka to be performed TO the crowd rather than AT the opposition. I think France's response in the Wold Cup Final was the best that I have seen, even if they did get fined (I think.)
Melange
Guest
Michael York, former Australian hockey captain. Recognised as the best defender in the world for several years. He should be analysed and his psyche bottled. He was the Don Bradman of how to behave on the sporting field. In local competition he was so good most teams would resort to just smacking him in the legs with their sticks, tripping him, rugby tackling him and in all the years I watched him playing in our local competition, he never complained about any of it. The worst I saw him do was in a match I played against him. He got past my captain and the best defender in our team, our captain turned and jumped on him for a piggy back. Michael got a penalty, my captain should have got a yellow (send off for 5-10 minutes) and the worst Michael did was put his hands out and say 'C'mon' to the ref. Other players with bigger egos would have let of with an expletive riddled rant and tried for some sort of revenge. For Michael it was on with the game. I can't put into words how extraordinary a sports person he was in a culture of sporting arrogance, sledging to get an edge on opponents, taking any opportunity to intimidate your opposition, Michael just wanted to play, and he was the best in the world.