Sport has produced many great crying moments and long may it continue.
Sport has produced many great crying moments and long may it continue.
A wild and ridiculous internet theory recently did the rounds that sportspeople need to 'harden up' and stop the crying.
It's not a new theory and will forever remain absurd.
Tom Hanks' character Jimmy Dugan famously said 'There's no crying in baseball' in the 1992 classic A League of TheirOwn. The movie was set in 1943 which is probably where we should leave opposing views around sportspeople, and in particular men, openly crying.
Whether it's happy or sad crying, sport is full of emotions and has provided many great moments where tears have been shed.
The left-hander was dubbed 'Blubba Watson' after breaking into tears following his winning putt at the 2012 US Masters. He won again two years later and he cried again.
According to the Telegraph, he cried so much when he earned his tour card that he could not conduct an interview. He broke down at his own wedding to the point where he was incapable of whimpering "I do".
"I'm going to cry, because why me?" he asked. "Why Bubba Watson from Bagdad, Florida? Why is he winning? I'll probably cry again sometime, just thinking about it."
Bubba Watson has a good cry after winning the 2014 Masters. Photo / AP
6) Paul Gascoigne and David Beckham
Beckham - the modern man. He made wearing a sarong cool. And being a pivotal part of the England football team, well that brings of a rollercoaster ride of emotions.
Gazza led the way after breaking down in tears following England's exit from the 1990 World Cup.
Beckham continued the tradition in subsequent failures in 1998, 2002 and 2006. He was visibly upset after being subbed off in the 2006 quarter-final defeat to Portugal with an injury as it dawned on him that his dream of winning the World Cup was slipping away.
He later broke down after leaving the field in his final game in 2013 for PSG.
David Beckham of PSG gets emotional and cries when he leaves the field, cheered by his teammates and the public. Photo / Getty
5) Steve Smith
After being dubbed as cricket's villains, and rightly so as they tried to cheat, Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft returned to Australia from South Africa to face the music following the sandpaper/ball-tampering scandal in 2018.
Smith as the captain, fronted the media and broke down when apologising.
Smith cried when asked what he'd say to children who looked up to him, advising them to think of their parents when thinking of making a questionable decision: "To see the way my old man ... and my mum ... it hurts," he said through tears.
"I just want to say I'm sorry for the pain that I guess I've brought to Australia and the fans and the public. It's devastating and I'm truly sorry."
He actually was a human, with actual emotions. And you actually felt sorry for him. A little bit.
Steve Smith in tears. Photo / Getty Images
4) Roger Federer
Whether he's won or lost a grand slam final, Federer loves to well up.
Critics have said it takes away from the opponent if he's on the losing side but emotions can go out the window after finishing a two week tournament with an exhausting five-hour thriller.
A losing Roger Federer wipes a tear. Photosport
3) Lou Gehrig
In 1939 the New York Yankees legend said goodbye to baseball at age 36. Gehrig wiped away a tear before delivering his final words in public to the 61,000 fans at Yankees Stadium.
After playing 17 seasons, including six titles with the Yankees, Gehrig was forced to retire due to being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which later became known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.
Gehrig, dubbed the 'Iron Horse' of baseball, didn't 'harden-up'.
"For the past two weeks you have been reading about a bad break. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth," with th words echoing around the stadium.
He praised his teammates, fans, opponents and his wife and daughter before finishing: "So I close in saying that I might have been given a bad break, but I've got an awful lot to live for. Thank you."
He would die two years later.
It makes you cry just thinking about how poignant a moment it was.
2) The All Blacks
According to veteran hooker Anton Oliver, there was plenty of tears following the All Blacks' shock exit from the 2007 World Cup.
"There are different, varying bits of emotion in the team, people are taking it differently," he told media following the 20-18 loss to France in Cardiff.
"Some people have already let it out, others are taking their time to grieve. It is going to be a long, exhausting process.
"There has been a lot of people crying. Crying is not something that you see very often, so it is quite powerful when you see it."
Rare insight and honest from an All Black.
Chris Jack consoles Byron Kelleher following the 2007 World Cup quarter-final defeat. Photosport
1) Andre Agassi
Another farewell speech and one of the most emotional in sport.
The tennis great and eight-time grand slam winner attempted one final run at the 2006 US Open in front of a home crowd. Despite severe back pain he pulled off a remarkable five set win over the eighth seed Marcos Baghdatis in the second round before his career came to an end with defeat to German qualifier Benjamin Becker.
As soon as the match ended, along with a career that started 20 years earlier, the emotions took over Agassi as he talked to the crowd.
"Um, thanks," he said, struggling to wipe away tears. "The scoreboard said I lost today but what the scoreboard doesn't say is what it is I have found. Over the last 21 years I have found loyalty, you have pulled for me on the court and also in life. I have found inspiration. You have willed me to succeed sometimes even in my lowest moments. And I have found generosity. You have given me your shoulders to stand on to reach for my dreams. Dreams I could never have reached without you. Over the last 21 years I have found you and I will take you and the memory of you with me for the rest of my life. Thank you."
Beautifully emotional stuff.
USA's Andre Agassi reacts after losing to Germany's Benjamin Becker in the third round of the 2006 US Open. PA Images via Getty Images
