Manly Tears in sports.
- Thomas "Hitman" Hearns, boxing's first five weight division champion and a contender for the greatest welterweight to ever live, openly sobbed
while giving his tribute to his trainer Emanuel Steward, who had died of colon cancer. - Shannon Sharpe's pro football hall of fame speech. It was his brother Sterling (a star wide receiver who was forced to retire in his prime due to a spinal problem) who shed tears first and the tears started flowing when Shannon said this."My big brother, Sterling, I’m the only player of 267 men that’s walked through this building to my left that can honestly say this: I’m the only pro football player that’s in the Hall of Fame, and I'm the second best player in my own family.'
- Soccer players, such as John Terry after Chelsea lost the 2008 Champions League Final on penalties and almost the entirety of the England team when they lost to Portugal in the 2006 World Cup. What made it worse for JT (as Chelsea fans call him) was that it was his penalty which would have given Chelsea their first ever UEFA Champions League Trophy in their first ever final...and he slipped as he took it.
- English soccer player Paul Gascoigne famously cried after being booked in the semi-final of the 1990 World Cup as it meant that he would not have been able to play in the Final, had England got through. In the end, it was academic as England were playing West Germany and, as usual, lost on penalties.
- In the Monday Night Football game immediately following his father's death, Brett Favre broke down in the manliest of Manly Tears on the sidelines when the game ended. Manly Tears were in abundance on the sidelines among players and staff and even opponents and spectators despite Favre's routing of the Oakland Raiders 41-7. Undoubtedly many manly-man sports fans (especially the often boisterous Black Hole in Oakland, where Favre was cheered mightily) across the country shed Manly Tears at the end of the broadcast of that game.
- Another one for Football, when Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants sacked Joe Theismann of the Redskins, accidently breaking his leg and ending his career (the replay of which was shown over, and over, and over again). Taylor felt so bad that he frantically screamed for the paramedics and broke down in tears on the sidelines.
- The entire Buffalo Bills team (and really most of the NFL as a whole) reacted this way when Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest during a Monday Night Football game and had to be revived with CPR and a defibrillator before being taken to the hospital in critical condition. The NFL ultimately canceled the game because the players were too upset to continue. A few months later, Hamlin himself — who miraculously came through the ordeal with no lasting physical or neurological injuries — broke down when he presented an award at the ESPYs to the training staff that saved his life.
- Roger Federer — both after having won and lost grand slam finals, most famously after winning his first Wimbledon in 2003, losing the Australian Open in 2009, and winning the French Open to complete the career slam later that same year. Win or lose, a wrenching experience going five sets for the world championship.
- Other players of the current generation have been following his example. Rafael Nadal has confessed to crying in the dressing room after losing Wimbledon to Federer in 2007, then more famously wept into his towel with relief after winning the 2010 French.
- Then there's Andy Murray who has famously broken down twice. The first time was at the 2010 Australian Open, having lost to Federer in straights a final everyone had been predicting him to win, when he famously commented, "I can cry like Roger; it's a shame I can't play like him." The second time when he lost to Federer again at 2012 Wimbledon, when the world took notice and he won the love and sympathy of many who hadn't noticed before how much he really does care.
- Male figure skaters don't seem to mind tearing up at more monumental victories or defeats; even more "manly" ones like Brian Joubert and Evan Lysacek got choked up when they won the World title. There's a reason the area where skaters wait for scores is called the "kiss-and-cry": skaters and coaches often kiss to celebrate after a good performance or cry after a poor one. (Sometimes even after a good one, as Yuzuru Hanyu demonstrates after earning a new personal best score, the overall highest free skate score of the season, and the gold medal of Grand Prix 2015: "Why am I crying?!?"
- Another press conference spate of tears: Scott Boras, who has a reputation as the most vile, greedy agent in all of baseball, one who only cares about getting his clients the most money possible (and, by extension, maximizing the value of his cut. When the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim held a press conference following the tragic death of pitcher Nick Adenhart, a Boras client, Boras was the only one who was openly sobbing on the podium.
- It was completely acceptable for any member of the Red Sox Nation, no matter how manly, to cry when they finally won the World Series in 2004.
- The same goes for White Sox fans when they won the World Series a year later.
- Ditto the Cubs ending their 108 year drought in 2016
- The same goes for White Sox fans when they won the World Series a year later.
- Kurt Angle's win at the 1996 Olympics. Made light of during his WWE career, but fitting for the moment. Note: skip to 12:15 for the moment. Oddly enough, his opponent believed fully that he'd won, going so far as to try raising his own hand in victory when the Ref was about to announce who won.
- After winning the 1992 Indianapolis 500 by what remains the closest finish in race history, racing journalist Jack Arute asked Al Unser, Jr. in victory lane if those were tears in Unser's steadily-breaking voice. After Al's reply, "...you just don't know what Indy means!", he wasn't the only one with them.
- In the 2008 Beijing China Olympics Games, Matthias Steiner, after winning the gold medal for weightlifting, cried. He did it all for his deceased wife.
- "Today... I consider myself... the luckiest man on the face of the Earth..."
- Mixed Martial Arts fighters sometimes do this after a notable victory or defeat.
- UFC Heavyweight Pat Barry broke down after his victory over Antony Hardonk at UFC 104, in which he won $120,000 in bonuses on top of his win purse. He had been in dire career and financial straits before the victory. He also become emotional after his victory at Fight for the Troops 2, describing his life in a military family during his post-victory interview.
- Frank Mir hid his face in his hat to hide his crying after winning the Interim Heavyweight Championship, having fought through a great deal of adversity over an injury that cost him his first championship and very nearly ended his career.
- Wanderlei Silva wept backstage after he knocked out Keith Jardine.
- Jens Pulver has cried, win or lose, after many of his fights, the most memorable one being after defending his championship by beating BJ.
- Cro-Cop openly cried after winning the PRIDE grand prix on his birthday
- Emmitt Smith delivered a powerful moment in his Hall of Fame induction speech when he thanked his old backfield mate, Daryl "Moose" Johnston. Even Dallas Cowboys haters couldn't keep from breaking down.
- Teemu Selanne got all choked up after winning the Stanley Cup in 2007 with the Anaheim Ducks. This not only affected Teemu, but everyone in Winnipeg, Manitoba; the place where his NHL carrier began.
- And Ray Bourque in 2001 with the Colorado Avalanche when, after a 22 year career, he finally won his first Stanley Cup, one year after being traded from the drought-ridden Boston Bruins, his team for 21 years. Just seeing him skating with the cup, tears streaming, made most of his faithful Boston fans get a little bit choked up too.
- Rob Bagg of the Saskatchewan Roughriders has had a tough carrier, tearing his ACL in both his legs, and yet came back both times. In a game against the B.C. Lions, Bagg suffered an injury that looked similar to his past injuries, causing him to break down, assuming that his carrier was over. Luckily, it was only a sprain in his knee, giving him a second chance. Bagg and the Riders went on to win the 2013 Grey Cup.
- After the 13th Man incident in the 97th Grey Cup and a second straight loss in the 98th Grey Cup, Saskatchewan Quarterback Darian Durant got the gorilla off his back, and cried after winning the 101st Grey Cup with the Roughriders as their starting Quarterback. He was only the Fourth Rider QB to win the Cup, succeeding Ron Lancaster, Kent Austin, and Kerry Joseph. Ironically, Austin also won the cup as the head coach of the Riders in 2007, and was the coach of the team Durant and the riders beat in the 101st Grey Cup, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
- After the 13th Man incident in the 97th Grey Cup
- Philadelphia Phillies Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt famously broke down during his retirement speech in 1989. He began to choke up when stating "Some eighteen years ago, I left Dayton, Ohio, with two very bad knees..." and wept while continuing with "...and a dream to become a Major League Baseball player." The tears turned into full-fledged sobbing when Schmidt concluded with "I thank God that the dream came true." Ironically, Schmidt was known and even sometimes criticized for his stoicism during his playing career.
- Lebron James after winning the 2016 NBA Finals. He had won two previous titles with Miami, but this was his first with the Cavaliers, his hometown team that had drafted him in 2003. At the start of his career, James stated his goal was to bring Cleveland a title. As is well known, the city had not won a title in any sport for over half a century. After thirteen years in the NBA, James had delivered on his promise to end Cleveland's title drought.
- Several noted NBA players, including James and Shaquille O’Neal, shedded these out of grief upon the death of Kobe Bryant. Bryant and his daughter Gianna, were among nine people who perished in a helicopter crash. This marked the first time Shaq has ever publicly displayed such vulnerability.
- Formula One:
- Rubens Barrichello broke down on the podium after winning his very first Grand Prix. Nobody thought him any less awesome in the slightest.
- Michael Schumacher choking back tears when told he finally matched Ayrton Senna's record of races won
- Murray Walker's commentary when his friend Damon Hill won the world championship:Damon Hill is world champion, and I've got to stop because I've got a lump in my throat
- Sebastian Vettel after winning his first of four world driver's championship at the 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.Sebastian Vettel: Thank you, boys! Unbelievable... Thank you, I love you! I need a moment...
Christian Horner: Sebastian Vettel, you are the world champion! THE WORLD CHAMPION! Well done, enjoy it! You are the man!
- Rubens Barrichello broke down
- Waterworks are all over the place at the annual NFL and NBA drafts. Only 1.5ish percent of college athletes make the cut to a professional career, and the ones who do receive the call rarely hold back their emotions over getting to turn their passion into a lucrative job.
