I was asked to write an article for the YM Blog, so at first I was a bit hesitant. I kept thinking of some way, I could make it somewhat intelligent. After I got past that part I realized that it should be of some benefit, and not my usual comedic ramblings, so I thought, oh boy, this is going to be hard. But thank Allah for Kobe Bryant. Kobe Bryant, you gave me something barely intelligent and somewhat beneficial to write about.
So game 1 of the NBA finals was on a few nights ago, and as the game was getting tight at the end. The Los Angeles Lakers got to within 4 points of tying the Boston Celtics late in the 4th quarter, with superstar Kobe Bryant on the bench. Kobe came in, and immediately, whatever ball movement the Lakers established while he was on the bench disappeared. The Celtics focused on him on defense, and forced him into tough shots, and instead of looking for his teammates, he continued to attempt to take over the game. The point that I’m trying to get at, is that for Game 1, he turned back into the arrogant Kobe Bryant that thought he could take on any team by himself. This kind of arrogance destroyed the Lakers dynasty that would have won a few more NBA Championships.

This is also the kind of arrogance that derailed the New England Patriots’ perfect season. At one point, Bill Belichick, the coach of the Patriots wasn’t even paying attention to what the offense was doing, instead talking to his defense. And most recent of all, today, Big Brown, the horse that won the first two parts of the elusive Triple Crown in horse racing, lost the Belmont Stakes, after his trainer said it was a “foregone conclusion” that Big Brown would win the Triple Crown.

The greatest of teams never had this arrogance. Confidence, yes, but never arrogance. The Chicago Bulls dynasty never showed any arrogance, but were confident every time they stepped onto the court that they would win. Until this past year, the Patriots were never the arrogant team, and their dynasty years, tainted or not, was filled with confidence in themselves, their quarterback, and their coach. The New York Yankees of the late 90’s were the most professional team in sports, again, never showing bravado or arrogance, simply winning as if it their God-given right to win.

Of course the people that attract the most attention are the arrogant ones, but they usually do not command nearly as much respect as those that are humble, yet confident. I think the best example of this in sports is Hakeem Olajuwon. He went about his business, becoming one of the top 50 players, winning multiple championships, and being one of only 4 players in NBA history to achieve a quadruple-double, and you would never know it if you spoke to him.

As a Muslim, it is even more important not to be arrogant. The Prophet Muhammad (s) said, “One will not enter Paradise is one has an atom’s weight of arrogance in his/her heart.” Arrogance is very sneaky, and it can slip into our hearts without us knowing. None of us are perfect, we were actually meant to make mistakes, but repent for them. So just keep a heads-up, and remind each other of how ugly arrogance is.
Peace and love
Asad Baig currently serves as YM NY subregional coordinator and writes for his blog www.sportsbrotha.com