Cockiness or Motivation?

In sports, many of today's top stars are outspoken and show emotion in games to provide motivation for themselves as well as teammates. While many see these actions as cockiness, I see it as a positive way for players to pump themselves up.

Kevin Garnett is an athlete that stands out the most in this category. Before every game, he fires himself up by headbutting the padding underneath the basket and during games he is continually talking to himself and beating his chest. Outsiders may see his actions as outlandish and unnecessary because it seems as if he is trash talking opponents. I see it as a good way for him to motivate himself without affecting the play of others on purpose. It has the potential to affect the play of others, but this is not why he does it and for that reason, I think it's acceptable for KG to show his emotions as a way to motivate himself.



Recently, athletes have also showed emotion in a different way. In the 90's, it became the norm for NBA players to be "thugs" - or show their "cool pose" as we learned in class. In the 2000's players aren't forced to act tough the way they used to. Carmelo Anthony is an excellent example of this. While watching him play for Syracuse Orange, and now for the Denver Nuggets, you rarely see him frown because he always has a smile on his face. More players have followed suit and are showing a more fun side than players have in the past. I think that this is good for the game of basketball as more players just seem like they are having a good time but are still playing at the highest level possible.

LeBron James and the Cavaliers are a great example of this as they are often seen dancing and laughing after a good play. While this is similar to Carmelo or KG, I see this as being too much at times. It is a cocky way to express yourself and I feel that in some instances it is worse than trash talking. Recently, Joakim Noah took offense to this and let LeBron know that he didn't appreciate it.

Overall, I think there is a fine line between showing emotion, motivating yourself and acting cocky in sports. I think that at times showing these emotions is okay, but players should be careful so that their displays don't negatively affect the play of their opponents or put them down in anyway.