Cesar Cielo made it about halfway through the Brazilian National Anthem today before he started crying. If that were you up there receiving a GOLD Medal and having your flag raised and your country's national anthem played, do you think you would also get emotional?
I said this on another thread that this is the first time he got weepy. Do an image search on google and he is getting emotional right after a swim, with a buzz cut, etc. Overall, you sometimes can't control when you get emotional. I wouldn't get emotional after winning the gold I wouldn't think but I would at least have perma-smile.
The worst thing about sports, without exception, is man crying. If I see one more man a-weepin', I'm gonna hurl.
Conversely, the BEST thing about sports, particularly professional sports, is seeing a man pound his chest and parade/prance around the sports arena for simply doing his job (for which he is probably paid in excess of $10M). That brings me back time and again. I'll cry if anyone challenges me on this one.
Here is some background on why he may have cried in Beijing, today was just a repeat performance. He trained hard over in Alabama, no dating, no socializing, no nothing. The Brazilian press talked more about another guy (thiago pereira?) because they were ignorant of Cielo. I told my friends way back that Cielo was the guy for Beijing. I knew about his American college record and heard a lot about him on these forums. The Brazilian swimming committee didn't want to help him with money because he went to the U.S., they sorta ignored him. He comes from a tiny town about 100 miles from São Paulo. Interestingly near his hometown there is a town called Americana, founded in 1865-68 by Southern Americans (mostly from alabamer) discontent with the result of the War of Northern Aggression (AKA the Civil War). Well, also he couldn't get tickets for his parents to see him in the pool in Beijing. All this plus years of training and being away from home and so on might have contributed to his crying a lot in Beijing. In Rome you got all that plus the record, plus he is the fastest in what is the most valued distance, 100 meters....he'll be on the news for a couple of days and then we'll go back to soccer and formula one and other dumb stuff....billy fanstone
The worst thing about sports, without exception, is man crying. If I see one more man a-weepin', I'm gonna hurl.
If you were half a man, then you would understand why he cried.
I'd probably cry if I won the gold, but it would not be a blubbery cry; instead, my face would remain expressionless as a single glory-tear runs down my cheek. The Getty image would show the Flag reflecting in said tear.
Two man-cries of which I am unashamed:
1. Hoosiers
2. Each year during the Hawaii Iron Man TV coverage: *** and Rick Hoyt. Those guys get me every time.
I would have said no way, but in 1991/92 I swam at a meet with Nelson Diebel.
I seem to remember him feeling he was swimming for himself and not his country, but he got emotional at the awards ceremony if memory serves right.
