My Favourite Athletes

I love sports--and just staying active in general.  I don't exactly follow all sports out there, but out the ones that I do follow (basketball, baseball and tennis), there's no doubt that I have my favourites.  Here they are:

Out of the three, baseball is the one that I follow the least nowadays (there's only so much time!).  But when it comes to this sport, it's hands down Derek Jeter.  He's as perfect as they come when it comes to athletes.  He's a quintessential role model.  Not only does he have a Hall-of-Fame resume already, but it's really the intangibles that he possesses that set him above and beyond the rest.  Those are the qualities that I admire the most about him.  His leadership, likeability, decision-making, work ethic, meekness, professionalism, and just his overall presence in general is something that anyone can learn and aspire from regardless of their walk of life.

When it's all said and done, Jeter will not only cement his place as one of the greatest ever in baseball, but just sports in general.

When it comes to tennis, it's Novak Djokovic.  As great as he is on the court, his overall approach and mentality to life is what impresses me.  Not to mention that he's an absolute professional and has a great sense of humour. Despite being the current number one player in the world(and by a large margin!), he's still extremely humble, works hard, and doesn't settle.  Seeing his gradual improvement over the course of his career serves as evidence that working hard does pay off!

For those who know me, this won't be a surprise--but it's Kobe Bryant! He's hands down my favourite athlete ever.  It's really simple--in my opinion, he has one of the best work ethics in professional sports, and possibly the best one in basketball.  He's obviously insanely athletic, but it's really his skills that make him the player that he is--and a lot of that has to do with his unparalleled commitment to be the best that he can and to work as hard as possible--something that any of us can certainly learn from! He understands the concept of maximizing one's potential and squeezing the most out of life.

And in my opinion, when Kobe Bryant walks away from the game, he may just be the greatest to ever play the game of basketball.


As we can see, these guys not only possess the skills and talent to succeed in their respective sport--but if we think about it, it's merely a corollary to their approach of life! The common denominator is that they want to maximize their potential and be the very best they can be--a simple concept that transcends what they've accomplished as professionals and can be applied in any facet of life.