The words humble and arrogant have completely opposite definitions.

Arrogant means having or revealing an exaggerated sense of one’s own importance or abilities.  Humble means having or showing a modest or low estimate of one’s own importance. It might be hard to stay humble, especially when you feel passionate or proud of something you accomplished.  These two things are most often found in athletics. Some athletes can brag to others in a position or team below them. “I’m just not that type of arrogant person,” Varsity basketball player, Tahj Morgan, perfectly stated.  By bragging, you can lose respect from some people who might look up to you. You can also create rivalries, look foolish, or simply hurt others’ feelings around you. It’s a better idea to let your teammates brag for you instead of doing it yourself.  “You wouldn’t brag to people who are happy for you,” Morgan adds.

Athletes need to understand that others look up to them. “I was once in other players’ positions before and I always looked up to the girls on varsity. Whenever there was a varsity player that was rude to her teammates, I noticed that they didn’t enjoy her company as much as they could’ve.  That is why I made sure that I wasn’t going to be that person. I wanted to be supportive,” Varsity volleyball player and senior, Jaime Samojedny, reflects.

Staying humble can ultimately lead to pure success. “A reason why I don’t brag to others is that I still feel like I need to earn my spot. Being on Varsity isn’t a freebie, you still have to keep working hard,” Varsity soccer and basketball player, Katy Flanders, said.

We need to understand that no one is the best at everything. This helps us become better at our sport, school subject, etc. We have to learn to stay humble, instead of putting others down to get the illusion of being better. “If I made a goal I would let other people congratulate me, I just kept my celebrations to myself,”  Varsity lacrosse player, Jenna Urbon, said.

Some things you can try is always asking for feedback, confront your prejudices, think about the realistic things of what you can do instead of not do, accept setbacks, and discover your growths. According to Zach Malbon, who plays on the older end of the Jv hockey team, “Instead of bragging, work harder because I learned that you can earn better opportunities.”