Crying in sports? For some athletes, there is no shame in the tears

Emotions often run high in sports. But is it really that different for the pros?

View full sizeAndrew Brownbill / Associated PressTennis great Roger Federer couldn't hold back his emotions after losing to Rafael Nadal in the 2009 Australian Open in Melbourne. "Crying is OK," says Browns defensive back Abe Elam. "We're all human."

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Darryl Talley takes exception with a legendary movie quote.

"That quote about no crying in baseball is bull [bleep]," said Talley, who lost four Super Bowls with the Buffalo Bills. "I cried. I cried in at least two of those Super Bowl losses. I understand [football] is a masculine game and men aren't supposed to cry, but if you play the game with your heart on your sleeve, you should be able to express how you feel."

So when it comes to professional athletes crying, as two Miami Heat players did following a recent tough loss, according to their coach Erik Spoelstra, Talley would understand, to a degree.

"I'm not saying to be a crybaby," said Talley, who grew up in East Cleveland and went on to become one of the toughest linebackers ever in the NFL.

Emotions often run high in sports, and that passion can lead to tears, which is often more accepted when it's on display by high school or college athletes. But is it really that different for the pros? Just because they make millions, does that change their perspective?

Not really, says Cleveland Browns safety Abe Elam.

"No matter what level you play on, there's a lot of emotion because guys are giving their all," Elam said. "Crying is OK; we're all human. Some people cry out of frustration. Some cry out of disappointment or fear, and some cry because they're happy. I know I got emotional when I played in my first NFL game because of everything I had been through to get here."

Athletes talk about tears

• “I’ve never experienced crying in the locker room. I never did it, and I’ve never seen any of my players or teammates. But I don’t know what people do in private.” — Byron Scott, Cavaliers coach
• “Everybody’s emotions are different. Have you ever seen the Speaker of the House [John Boehner] cry before? [Boehner] cries every time [he talks]. And he’s the speaker of the house.” — Orlando Cabrera, Indians infielder
• “It’s something that should have been kept in house. Even if it is true, it probably shouldn’t have come out. Now these guys are going to be answering questions all year. After every loss it’s going to be, ‘Did anyone cry tonight?’ You just open up a whole can of worms.” — Chris Perez, Indians closer

The weeping in the Heat locker room certainly wasn't tears of joy. Miami has struggled in close games against the NBA's top teams. Miami is 1-9 against the league's top five teams, shooting a miserable 1-for-19 in crunch time.

But for some athletes that's still not enough for tears because crying is never associated with sports, especially on the professional level.

"Maybe I cried after a game when I was 5 years old and somebody took my snack after a game," said Indians closer Chris Perez. "But I never cried as a professional. Not that I don't care. I'm more enraged after a loss than upset."

The association of crying and caring is something former Cavaliers guard Ron Harper doesn't understand. For Harper, at least, crying after a loss doesn't mean a player cared any more than a player who doesn't cry. He had every reason to bawl following "The Shot" against the Cavs in Game 5 of the 1989 NBA playoffs.

View full sizeMark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal-SentinelOf course, retirement speeches often bring out the need for tissues. At least Brett Favre has had plenty of experience with such events, whether he was leaving the Packers, Jets or Vikings.

"We had three or five guys crying," Harper said. "I told them if you did everything you were suppose to do, and you played hard, there's no reason for tears. I never cried because it's not the end of the world. There's always another game."

Harper was especially surprised the Heat players cried following Sunday's regular season loss to the Chicago Bulls. So was Indians infielder Orlando Cabrera.

"If you lose, there's always another game," Cabrera said. "I mean did they lose the conference championship? I don't know. Maybe they need therapy."

Regular season weeping is also new to Indians pitcher Jensen Lewis. He said he never cried after a regular season game. He wasn't alone in an emotional clubhouse after the Indians lost Game 7 of the ALCS in 2007.

"That's warranted," Lewis said. "We hadn't been that close to a World Series in 10 years. You never know when you're going to get that opportunity again. That's a time when emotions are going to pour over."

Plain Dealer reporter Paul Hoynes contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2011/03/crying_in_sports_for_some_athl.html

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