In the league of champions

Long have i followed these faces. Peering through the electronic window, long have i watched these faces and smiled, cheered, laughed and cried. Great men that they were, these faces were not just mine but belonged to the whole of mankind, prided by humanity, champions of masses influencing hundreds of youngsters and entertaining the older folk. Everybody loves sports, at least personally i feel every self respecting individual should identify himself with at least 1 sport. These men, that i now shall speak have been there in thick of action, proved themselves over and over, and have come out as undisputed masters in their arena. Like the heroes of the Grecian era, they have downed, dusted and systematically embarrassed their opponents. Here they come to my blog, walking tall in all their glory.

Personify a leopard, and you'll get a schumacher. Michael Schumacher to me is more of a warrior bent upon winning a war, than a sportsman. The man is extremely talented, but what defines him is not his talent alone. A shrewd campaigner, always seeking for a win, humiliating his opponents, he his my personal favorite of all and i rightly call him GOD. His fans love him, others hate him, there is no mixed emotion for Schumacher. There can't be any for a man, who so mercilessly marauded the F1 circuits on his mean red machine all over the world. From Mika to kimi, Alonso to Fisichella, coulthard to Barrichello everybody bowed before him like weeds before a storm. Dry or wet, hot or cold, he was always there with his medallion on the top of the podium. His celebration is legendary, kicking his legs in the air and jumping tall. One could only say, 'if u win, celebrate like schumacher'. With almost a hundred wins, he left F1 with a legacy hard to match up in the next hundred years.

Accurate, simple, deadly these are just a few adjectives one can give to this personality. Some say he's the best ever to step on grass court. Roger Federer, a 4 time Wimbledon champ on a trot and still going strong. Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Roddick, Hewitt and now Nadal, he's beaten them all and how convincingly. What's interesting about his game is he still follows the older ways of serve and volley and convincingly defeats these new Baseline power hitters. He has won all three major grand slams for 3 consecutive years except french open and there is still that juvenile desire for French title. What more, this guy looks like an elf, his movement on the court is a perfect streamlined movement, with no turbulence either on his movements nor inside him. If celebration of Schumacher is for every human to learn from, celebration of Federer is very divine. Not just a good winner but also a graceful looser to, Federer is directly out from a fantasy tale setting a perfect example for his fans.

How fortunate indeed is our generation to have such personalities to ape from. It's not just these 2, there is a Sachin Tendulkar, a Tiger Woods and many more. These guys teach us not just how to win, but how to come out alive from a defeat. And it's not just the game which impresses me, but the mind behind their moves. The definition of a sportsperson has undergone changes from times one can barely remember and for our times these guys define a perfect sportsman. All hail these champions who kept on reiterating one single line throughout their careers, 'Winning isn't everythin.. it is the only thing'