Greatness
…and why we need to be more appreciative of it
Greatness.
It’s a word that gets thrown around often in sporting and wider social circles. It defines careers, eras, and the public perception of people.
Yet do we really know what this word means?
According to the Internet, “greatness is the quality of being great.”
“A concept of a state of superiority affecting a person or object in a particular place or area…attributed to individuals who possess a natural ability to be better than all others.”
But I beg to differ.
Greatness isn’t about being superior or better than your competition. It’s about sacrifice. It’s about hard work. It’s about being made of thicker, and stronger stuff than everybody else.
So why am I talking about greatness?
Simple.
This week, the world said goodbye to one of the world's most recognizable athletes. A mere-mortal. A god in his corner of the globe.
Edson Arantes do Nascimento. Pele. One of the greatest athletes of all time. Rising from poverty and delivering on his childhood promise to win a World Cup for his beloved Brazil, Pele’s legacy extends far beyond his achievements in football.
Adding to his illustrious sporting achievements, holding the record for the most World Cup titles (3), being recognized as the Athlete of the Century by French sports publication L’Equipe and the International Olympic Committee, and being the inaugural recipient of the FIFA Ballon d'Or Prix d’Honneur and Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award for his unmatched contribution to world football, Pele was also a giant off the football pitch.
An International Peace Award recipient, FIFA Ambassador against Racism, and patron of the ABC Trust amongst countless charitable and humanitarian causes, there will never be anyone quite like him.
Journalists will always try to make comparisons to the man deemed a national treasure, by Brazilian President Janio Quadros in 1961.
Just weeks ago, there were links with French superstar Kylian Mbappe.
But we need to stop with this obsession.
We need to stop creating sporting pedestals.
We need to stop ranking players based on greatness and sporting achievements.
If Pele's passing has taught me anything, it’s that we must respect and appreciate greatness when we see it.
We’re at a major turning point in sports. We’re in the midst of a baton change of grand proportions. And before we know it, whilst we’re wasting our time making ridiculous comparisons, the superstars who grew before our own eyes will be gone.
In the world game, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will soon bid farewell. Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland are leading the new crop of footballing superstars. Mbappe’s record-tying World Cup Final hat-trick, Haaland’s blistering start to the English Premier League season, and Cristiano Ronaldo’s historic move to Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr are evidence of this.
In the world of basketball, Lebron James is continuing to defy age in season 20. Stephen Curry is continuing to break shooting records. But their teams are lagging behind the youthful Pelicans, Grizzlies, Mavericks, and Celtics, who are enjoying some of the best records in the league. Led by generational talents Zion Williamson, Ja Morant, Luka Doncic, and Jayson Tatum, this represents another changing of the guard moment. And that’s without mentioning the inevitable rise of 2023 draft prospect Victor Wembanyama, one of the most intriguing athletic prospects the world has ever seen.
The same script has been written in the world of tennis. Serena Williams and Roger Federer have retired. Grand Slam title record holder Rafael Nadal is on his last legs and the Big 3’s Grand Slam stranglehold has finally been relinquished. Carlos Alcaraz (19) and Iga Swiatek (21) (both World Number 1) have announced the arrival of the Next Generation, with the Australian Open just around the corner.
There’s no time quite like the present to get involved in sports.
My advice to you. Enjoy it while it lasts!
Lap up every Lebron James dunk. Celebrate every Lionel Messi goal. And admire Rafa Nadal’s unbreakable spirit.
It’s not until we lose somebody that we realize how lucky we were to have witnessed their journey.
As for your own journeys, I wish you the best of success, and a safe and prosperous 2023!
I look forward to writing my own story of greatness alongside you in the years to come!
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