Crying In Sports

[Akhilleus]

I saw a poll on ESPN about crying in basketball, and it sparked me as a good discussion topic on here. So in the wake of March Madness, there have been a lot of teams and players who after games are a little bit emotionally. Whether it be after a tough loss, or even after a huge win. We tend to see this more often in college than we would the pros, for the one reason that Seniors are playing their last game after the elimination. For those who aren't going onto the pros I can see why that would be emotional. It's the same way for Seniors in High School games as well, I can see why they would shed some waterworks on Senior Night or on the last game of the season.

Though sometimes it's not just Seniors, and sometimes we even see it in the Pros too. But is there a line? Should we just let guys feel what they're feeling? I would never chastise someone for their emotions, but there are some points where I think crying is a little bit ridiculous after a loss. Wins are different, especially if it's an underdog low seed, or a team breaking an undefeated streak. Something along those lines are OK. Though sometimes when guys are filling up rivers after a loss, especially guys who aren't playing their last game, eh sometimes I sort of look down on them a little bit.

For Professionals I honestly think if you see them cry after a game, it's almost a good thing. It shows how passionate about the game and their team they are, rather then someone in it for the money. I've seen guys cry after retirement speeches, or cry after winning the Super Bowl. Hell we seen them cry after losing the Super Bowl or other big championships. Although I will say when it comes to playoff games, especially early elimination, and you cry after that loss, it's another one where I sort of shake my head. I remember seeing Peyton Manning crying like a baby after losing to the Jets in the 2010 AFC Wildcard game. He's one that cries A LOT. Though like I said it does show how passionate you are with the game.

What about fans crying though? Do fans have any reason to be so upset that they're crying their eyes out after a loss? To me not so much. Even in the biggest games with my team losing I wouldn't shed much of a tear. Losing in the NLCS or the AFC Championship Game would be much preferable to me than losing in the Super Bowl or World Series, but if my team did lose the big one I wouldn't be anything more than silent and upset for a day or so. Then again it's a little harder for me to say because I don't have a set favorite team. I grew up in Nevada where we really never had any sports teams besides some college sports, and so when I moved I sort of adopted some of the local teams.

I remember when I was in High School, I was a Freshman and had played the football season. We made the playoffs, and in theatrical fashion...we get our asses whopped. The freshman, like me, hadn't played a single down all season. I think one kid from our grade at that time was on special teams, but that was really it as far as Varsity goes. Though I remember this one lineman from my grade, who cried his eyes out after the loss. A lot of the Seniors were crying, and that was understandable. Yet I was just astonished that this kid was crying when he still has three years left to play, and yet didn't play a down all year. This was a team who never made the playoffs too often, so it was a very successful season, a season to be proud of. Yet to see the kid crying like a baby just made me a little sick inside.

So here come the questions. Do you think it's OK to cry after a tough loss? When was the last time you remember crying over your favorite team?

 

[Paul Bunyan's Axe]

Is there a line? I don't think so, personally. With sports, it's a high intensity sport, so sometimes after you've drained so much out of your system, it's not really something to be ashamed of to tear up a bit.

Crying as a far? It's an interesting thing there. Really, for some people, they can be so passionate towards their team that they feel what that team feels. It's like a bond, in that sort. How it happens is beyond me, but somehow we as people find a way to have such a bond with people we've never met, making lot more money than us, trying to win a game, that we feel like we're a part of it.

It's something that is different for everyone. Some people have too much pride to actually be seen crying. Some people might not care enough.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

Let me use an example from the football I support- Bolton Wanderers.

When we were relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2011-12 season after losing the final game, our of our central defenders Zat Knight was pictured laughing and joking with opposition players as he left the field, which is still mentioned today by the fans. They think negatively of Knight because his actions that day made it look like he couldn't care less about the team.

However, had he been in tears after the match that would have given people an entirely different view of him, as it would have indicated how much he did care about the club and how much the relegation meant to him. Now, I don't expect players to cry after defeats as I don't honestly think many care about the team they play for, as its all about the money at the end of the day, with no loyalty shown by most players, but if I did see a Bolton player crying after a defeat, I would think more positively about them, and believe that the defeat did matter to them, and that they had given it their all.

 

[Trill Co$by]

Honestly, I prefer more emotion in sports. I'm a firm believer that if you're going to put the hard work it takes to come out a winner, then the emotion you show is well beyond necessary. Richard Sherman recently caught a bunch of heat for his comments, and was practically degraded by the media... all because he wears his heart on his sleeve. To me, there's nothing wrong with it. If you work for the victory, and get it, you're gonna be excited. And if you don't get it, then you could become heartbroken. Both scenarios could bring you to tears. I know that when I finished my high school year of football, we cried after being eliminated in the playoffs... though it wasn't just because we lost. It was because we knew that that game would be the last time we all played together. And when you're in school sports, your teammates become like family to you. To this day, my fellow d-linemen [from starter to bench] and I still have "Blazer" tattooed around the wrist of our dominant hand, because that's the school we played for. Some of them have gone to pros, some have gone to other do something else... but we'll always remember that bond as a team and the amount of effort we put into it.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Do you think it's OK to cry after a tough loss?

Sure.....or after a tough win, too. I'm thinking now of the athletes more than the fans. Win or lose, the amount of physical and emotional investment you put into the game determines what comes out after it's over. You mention Peyton Manning crying after losing to the Jets. Honestly, he might have cried if his team had won too, given all he had put into the game in body and soul. The man cares and this energy has to come out in some form. Sometimes, the physical exertion of the game completely depletes the emotion; other times, the athlete has put so much of himself into the game before it starts that there's still energy that needs to come out afterward.....and crying is one form it might take.

When was the last time you remember crying over your favorite team?

Even as someone who cries at the drop of a hat, I've never cried over my team losing.....or winning, for that matter. I love the New York Giants, yet as much as I want them to win, a football game (or any other sporting event) lost is never important enough to cry about.

When the Giants lose, I swear a lot. That's a good outlet too, as unladylike as it may be.

 

[Dirk]

The most crying I see is when national rugby teams sing their national anthem, especially rookies. It's not as common in the Northern hemisphere, except for the French (bless them).

Shedding a tear in the name of patriotism and camaraderie is fine in my book, but I don't know about after a loss. For every tournament-winner there has to be a losing finalist. Sometimes you play shit and you deserve to lose. Sometimes a crucial 50/50-call goes against you, but that's life. Sometimes (let's say it's a soccer game and you're Romania playing Brazil) you know you're probably going to lose, so just play YOUR best and try to prevent embarrassment.

I suppose crying is better than no emotion at all, at least it means you were giving your best on the field.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

If I'm recalling correctly, the poll they ran showed that most people believe it is okay for college players to cry, but not pro players. It was interesting to me that they drew the line there, that amateur players are allowed to cry, but not professionals.

Personally, I have no issue with it, from college or pro players. One of the more memorable players in college basketball in recent years was Adam Morrison. Most people remember him for collapsing on the floor in tears after his team lost in the NCAA Tournament. When you go out and put everything you have into something, only to lose, it has to be emotional.

As far as myself crying, I can't recall the last time I cried over a sports team. I swear, I scoff, I change the channel over a loss, but I can't remember crying over a loss. Nor can I remember crying over a win for that matter.

 

[JWGunslinger]

I truly don't mean to come off as one of those macho assholes in this so please know thats not where I'm coming from with this but in my opinion there are only a few times that crying is acceptable, and the rest of the time I find it a bit ridiculous. If you're going to cry tears of joy after winning the super bowl or when announcing your retirement in the career that means everything to you, I can understand that. But other than that I can't think of many situations that I'd call crying acceptable.

To give an example, Forrest Griffin'a fight against Anderson Silva at UFC 101. Griffin was toyed with by a greater fighter and knocked out in a very embarrassing manner, and I grant you that must have been humiliating but what came next was even worse. He proceeded to cry like a baby and run out of the cage, he may not be the most stable guy on the planet but with those actions he made a bad day at the office even more disgraceful. If it were not for that we'd still look back on it as a case of being outclassed but it's the combination of the loss and his post fight shenanigans that made it stand out.

So at least for me, I can feel the pain in a player when they have to retire and I can feel the tears of joy in achieving the greatest honor in sports but outside of that it don't fly. Hang your head, be upset but keep some decorum and move on like a man.