Jon Jones is a polarising colossus of the combat world. Those who despise him do so with as much unwieldily conviction as those who adore him. You would be hard pressed to find a neutral fight fan on the topic of ‘Bones’ Jones.
Self belief and arrogance are part and parcel of achieving elite level status. We as a society are attracted to this brazenness, the boastful beasts which adorn the hip hop scene emphasise this phenomenon.
Spitting verses about their financial and sexual triumphs, daring enemies to attempt to reach their level. Yet off the mic rappers are asked to be humble, at least to some degree.
Humility is an arbitrary and ambiguous standard. It seems to include so many influencing factors yet when it boils down to it, there are none at all. As if each person is given a rating out of 100, but the benchmark for each individual is different. It is a line so fine you can barely teeter along it.
But why do we care about the humility of well known members of society that we personally don’t know at all? Who am I to condemn a man, such as Jones, for wrongly handling the talents and abilities that I could only dream of possessing?
Athletes spend the majority of their lives striving, sweating, bleeding and sacrificing so that they can reach the levels needed to entertain us. Yet we cut them down for not being humble.
Sure we outlay our hard-earned cash for this entertainment, but this sacrifice pales in comparison. In the end isn’t self-confidence the ultimate variable of success? If Jon Jones didn’t have so much conviction in his abilities, would he be the ultra entertaining and dominant champion he is? No.
Self confidence is not only the most important aspect of success. It is a prerequisite for a champion. Robinson. Ali. Tyson. Silva. Jones. Self-confidence? Yes. Arrogance? Maybe. Greatness? Definitely.
RebelRanger
Guest
I love characters like Chael Sonnen, McGregor who play the bad guy. Not a whiny fake good guy. I hate his fake good guy persona.
balotelli
Guest
@sportsman...The Spurs you refer to are a boring bunch...I swore never to support or even watch their matches..
Billy S
Guest
Of course humility is desirable. If that wasn't true then Anthony Mundane would be a lot more popular. The great sportsmen are the ones that entertained with their skill, not with their mouth.
Blinky47
Guest
I may be wrong but I doubt that he is doing it to entertain us, more like to keep his name as a saleable product so as to make more money which is the idea in the first place.
Sports man
Guest
The players on the San Antonio Spurs are the antithesis of the arrogant athlete you have described yet they are the arguably the most successful sporting organisations in the last 20 years, Each Spurs player is confident in the way they carry themselves but they never big note themselves individually or belittle their opponents. They are all humble without being meek and that is why I love them.