THE VARIOUS TYPES OF PLAYERS

Hi,

If you look at your sporting heroes you will find that there are three basic types who get to the top

The first and the most common of all is the True Champion
The True Champion is naturally gifted. He moves with the ball like Pele, Maradona or Messi. He hits the ball like Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg or Roger Federer or glides through water like Mark Spitz, Michael Phelps or Ian Thorpe. Maybe he tees and puts like Tiger Woods or jumps and sprints or vaults like Carl Lewis, Sergie Bubka or Yelena Isinbayeva or cycles like Lance Armstrong. The true Champion lasts for ever and for ever.

The second and the most exciting type is the Maverick genius
This athelete is also naturally gifted but lacks in control over emotions and lets his talent go on a ride through peaks and dips. The examples for this kind would include John McEnroe and in Tennis, George Best in Football and Andrew Symonds and Abdul Qadir in Cricket. They are players who can create magic on the playing arena on their given day. But the maverick genius gives you joy for a few magic moments. The memories are exceptional and you always hope that it should have lasted longer.

The Third type is the Industrious.
Ivan Lendl and Vijay Singh are names which come to your mind immediately. They are people who reach the top by sheer hard work and will to excel. They are not very attractive to watch as they may neither have the grace of a true champion or the magic moments of a maverick genius but they have set goals and they achieve them come what may. They excel till their body permits or till a True Champion or a Maverick Genius comes to occupy the place at the top.

The rest are all also rans. These players/ athletes may have a lucky day some time in their life. Most Indians in sports fall in this category. (The exceptions like Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Anil Kumble, Sachin Tendulkar, Vishwanathan Anand and PT Usha prove the rule)
One win and their life goal is achieved. So we have so many shooters and boxers who shine to deceive, Sania Mirza going through a graceless fall and Sushil Kumar goes overweight.

When will we have a true champion who will dare the world and make us really proud. Maybe Saina Nehwal. Just maybe.